Wallenda on the Wire Tonight

[CanadaSue]

Give me bread & circuses... I'll admit here & now I'll be glued to the TV screen tonight when Nik Wallenda takes to the wire & attempts his crossng of Niagara Falls. Why? I am at heart an ambulance chaser. I like spectacle. I like attempts at jaw dropping feats & this, by any standards, easily meets that qualification.

The wire - & the story behind that, engineering, installation, etc. is fascinating it in its own right - is very long & he has quite a drop, then climb to negotiate. A heay wire of that length necessarily dips to the middle, then rises. Because it's mounted right at the edge of the falls, it will be wet, as will Wallenda. Being shrouded in mist might make it harder to see, not to mention slippery as all get out. The forecast is for picture perfect conditions, nevertheless, local wind gusts are inherently predictable in such an area. There's a risk a nearby pair of nesting falcons might dive bomb him, seeking to protect against a percieved threat to their young.

He'll be carrying upwards of 60 pounds of gear between safety belt, balance pole, cameras & mikes. If it goes well, he thinks it will take 40 minutes. That's a LONG time to remain balanced, focused & maintain strength. Yes, he's been doing since since he was a young pup but this has got to be one of THE epic wire walks. Niagara hasn't been successfully crossed on a wire since 1986 - both countries banned such attempts shortly after the last successful one & no one has tried right at the edge of the falls.

According to Canadian news & we've been getting a lot of it today, the crowds are gathering. Many staked out prime viewing spots last night. Local hotels are full, extra parking lots have been set up & Porta-Potties have sprung up like green & blue mushrooms after a rain. Local transit is laying on extra vehicles & even extra trains to Niagara Falls have been added to schedules.

First responders are locked & loaded. Rescue/recovery plans covering any number of contingencies have been made & when possible, rehearsed. Crowd safety is a major concern as is the chance someone might flat out try something stupid.

I think the falls will be lit tonight, providing a spectacular backdrop. Nik was asked - tongue in cheek by a reporter as he explained where various items would be on his person; where he'd have his passport. He grinned & answered it would be in a Ziplok in a back pocket. There are credible rumours of a spectacular firework display if he is successful.

ABC is insisting he wear a safety rope which he'll more or less tow behind him. It's attached to a fairly long rope so a fall coule still be risky... if he doesn't take it off. He's never walked with a safety harness, doesn't want to & is concerned it may affect his concentration. He may take it off partway through the walk if it's bothering him. I know ABC doesn't want that to happen but they'll hardly be in a position to make him stop. They do have a 5 second time delay on the live broadcast - in case things go south.

There are a plethora of cameras to capture all angles of this. Wallenda will have at least one camera, apparently the balance pole will as well, (2 to balance the weight?), & I imagine they'll find a way to place cameras on the wire - perhaps at the points where they've attached stabilizing wires & anchor weights. This promises pure spectacle.

Frankly, a few hours of spectacle, gasping, oohing & aahing is fine by me. The news is increasingly gloomy - EU in grave trouble, Greek election, murders & other horrible events. I'm not a conspiracy theorist thinking: "TPTB permitted this to make people forget our dastardly plans for world domination & universal slavery" or any such nonsense. But I'll take my spectacles, favorite sporting events, etc. any time I get them. Day to day life CAN be grim, dreary & scary by times. Nothing wrong with a bit of entertainment.

Nik Wallender has always spoken of doing this - 'some day'. I suspect he's built the complexity of his walks in the hopes he'd have a chance someday. That 'some day' is today & we may see history made. If he can walk across without the safety harness having to coe into play - I'd deem it a successful walk & the Guiness World Record folks certainly will.

Good luck Mr. Wallenda - you're going to have a huge number of people following every careful step & holding their breath.

I would love to see him succeed.

[Kassy]

Frankly, a few hours of spectacle, gasping, oohing & aahing is fine by me. The news is increasingly gloomy - EU in grave trouble, Greek election, murders & other horrible events. I'm not a conspiracy theorist thinking: "TPTB permitted this to make people forget our dastardly plans for world domination & universal slavery" or any such nonsense. But I'll take my spectacles, favorite sporting events, etc. any time I get them. Day to day life CAN be grim, dreary & scary by times. Nothing wrong with a bit of entertainment.

So agree. It's all rather depressive. One guy falls to death = fun. We all do it together = just the news.

Hope he makes it to the other side.

[CanadaSue]

2200: My heart rate is rising by the minute. The setting is magnificent & terrifying. The falls look ten times higher than they are, sound louder & seem to be moving faster.

He's up on the platform now, doing his final preps - mentally dialing in.

The news is saying they had to change his 'walking wire' today - guess that's the surface he actually moves over. The mist is pretty bad & part of the wire is reported to be drenched.

TV is showing this with no ad breaks. I have a fresh drink in front of me & a backup in the fridge - ready to grab. Snack too. And man, I'm sweating & my mouth is dry.

HE seems a lot calmer than everyone around him & the audience.

[CanadaSue]

2238 - he's getting closer to the finish - what stunning, surreal shots we've been treated to & being able to listen to he & his dad speaking... wow.

---------- Post added at 10:41 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 PM ----------

Om My Gawd - unbeliebale accomplishment & he literallt SPRINTED the last few meters!

Well done sir, well done!

---------- Post added at 10:44 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:41 PM ----------

Canada Customs just asked him for his passport & asked him the purpose of his visit... LOL

[Mousehound]

They had a video clip of the crossing on our on-line news here. It isn't commented on, so if you go to the link, scroll down to the video, you can see highlights of the crossing.
http://www.tagesschau.de/ausland/niagara112.html