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Video: Nik Wallenda Successfully Crosses Gorge Near Grand Canyon
It took daredevil Nik Wallenda 22 minutes and 54 seconds to cross the Colorado River Gorge 1,500 feet above the rapids—without a harness or safety line and in spite of 30 mph winds. Wallenda kissed the ground after getting to the other side.
And then he hugged his family!
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Wallenda, whose scary act was televised on the Discovery Channel and streamed online, said afterwards, "It took every bit of me to stay focused that entire time. My arms are aching like you wouldn't believe."
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Reuters reports, "He said he stopped and crouched down twice, first because of the wind, the second because the cable had picked up an unsettling rhythm. He spat on his hands and rubbed it on the sole of his shoe for grip as the cable had gathered dust." A Navajo ranger and paramedic—as well as a film crew—were on the floor of the gorge just in case.
Wallenda is part of The Flying Wallendas, a seven-generation dynasty of acrobats, and he crossed Niagara Falls last year. He said, "It was a dream come true. This is what my family has done for 200 years, so it's part of my legacy."
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