All Eyes In Niagara Falls Are On Daredevil Nik Wallenda

Tight rope walker Nik Wallenda is preparing for a walk across the Niagara Falls next month, the first time it has been attempted.

Ed Drantch, reporter for WIVB in Buffalo, told Here & Now's Robin Young he's confident Wallenda will be able to do it, even though there are a number of challenges.

First, he's walking on a two inch wire, the thickest and heaviest he has been on. In his first practice attempt on the wire it was rolling.

"He had to engineer a weight device to keep it steady," Drantch said.

Wallenda will also most likely face winds and mist from the Falls. He has been practicing on a rope in a parking lot at Seneca Niagara Casino in Niagara Falls, where this week a fire truck sprayed him with mist and a boat motor powered a fan that blew wind at Wallenda.

Wallenda will wear a safety harness, at the insistence of ABC, which is sponsoring and broadcasting the walk.

Drantch said Wallenda is not happy about wearing the harness, and he views it more as a hindrance than a help, since he has never worn or practiced with one.