Nick Wallenda Walks Across Niagara Falls

The man walks into the record books.
Nik Wallenda fulfilled his lifelong dream to cross the Niagara Falls atop a tightrope, suspended 60 metres above the raging waters below.

He became the first man in more than a century to cross the gorge on a high wire, and singlehandedly brought the Wallenda name back into the public consciousness.

A crowd of thousands, one of the largest ever seen in Niagara Falls, gathered on both the American and Canadian sides of the gorge.

Mr. Wallenda appeared calm and steady as he walked slowly through the swirling mist during the first leg of the wire walk.

"It's a beautiful view... A dream in the making," he said, speaking via his headset in an interview mid-walk, and broadcast on CTV. "This is what dreams are made of."

However, he said that the turbulent waters below made it difficult for him to see the tightrope sway.

"Water actually becomes a challenge because i can't prepare for [the wire] as it moves. But so far so good."

When asked about the harness -- which he was required to wear by ABC, who is broadcasting his daredevil feat -- that tethers him to the tightrope, he said: "I feel like a jackoff, er, jackass wearing it."

For most of the spectators grasping binoculars, taking photos and manning a sea of lawn chairs lining the lawns of the park, it was a chance to see what many described as a "once in a lifetime opportunity."

"I want to see history being made, the Wallenda name being brought back to the forefront," said a Toronto man in a lawn chair, smoking a cigar.

In a city renowned for its tackiness, the massive crowd lining the Canadian side for the event was surprisingly wholesome: Indian grandmothers dressed in saris, young mothers pushing strollers and Mennonite families, all earnestly hoping to see the 33-year-old daredevil succeed.