Nik Wallenda successfully completes longest high-wire walk EVER over Milwaukee Mile
WEST ALLIS -- On Tuesday evening, August 11th, world famous wire walker Nik Wallenda successfully completed his longest walk EVER at the Wisconsin State Fair.
Nik Wallenda
Ahead of the wire walk, there was one question on the minds of nearly everyone gathered at the Milwaukee Mile. Will he make it?
"What if he falls? You just don`t know what`s going to happen and I think that`s exciting." Mary Downing said.
"I understand this is gonna be the longest walk that he`s ever done," Amber Daugherty said.
Wallenda's death-defying wire walk was the main event at the Wisconsin State Fair on Tuesday evening.
Nik Wallenda
From 1:30 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. Monday morning, Wallenda's crew was out near the Milwaukee Mile -- assembling the 1,560-foot-long high wire. The wire is the width of a nickel.
Nik Wallenda at Milwaukee Mile
Wallenda says the hardest part of any wire-walking stunt is just taking that first step, because every wire feels different. On Monday, he said the key Tuesday would be endurance.
"It will take a lot of endurance. The first half of that cable is downhill, which is intimidating, which is a good way to describe it. I will feel alive when I get on that wire. That`s where I feel at home," Wallenda said.
Nik Wallenda
On the ground were more than 100 volunteers holding tight to wires.
"It`s really kind of cool to be able to be a part of it. Just lean back and sit on the ropes and keep it tight for him as he walks by," Paige Dellisse said.
There seemed to be more nerves among the crowd on Tuesday evening than up on the high wire.
"I was pretty sure somebody was going to die. Probably him -- but you know, maybe somebody else -- but definitely him," one spectator said.
After about 40 minutes, Wallenda calmly reached the end of the wire -- and the answer to everyone's question was answered: He made it.
Nik Wallenda
Nik Wallenda is a seventh-generation member of a famous family of daredevils. He's made a name for himself -- walking across Niagara Falls and between skyscrapers in Chicago.
His longest walk prior to the walk at the Wisconsin State Fair was across the Grand Canyon. During that walk, Wallenda experienced 52 miles-per-hour wind gusts.
Nik Wallenda
"I`ve got dreams of walking over an active volcano, of course always outdoing myself in distance and height," Wallenda said.
The last Wallenda to perform in the Milwaukee area was Karl Wallenda in July of 1974.
Nik Wallenda
"That`s my great-grandfather. Very cool," Wallenda said.
Karl Wallenda walked across County Stadium -- even doing a handstand on the high wire.
"That was his thing. That was what my great-grandfather did. He always did a handstand. I do everything I do to really honor my ancestors and to honor him," Wallenda said.
CLICK HERE to learn more about Nik Wallenda.
CLICK HERE for more on Nik Wallenda's Wisconsin State Fair show.