Tightrope-walking daredevil Nik Wallenda is crossing a tightrope 1,500 feet above the Little Colorado River Gorge near the Grand Canyon in the air, on Sunday night.
The Discovery Channel will broadcast Wallenda's walk live on live television at 8 p.m. EDT on Sunday with a 10-second delay.
The broadcast is expected to last about two hours as the high-wire walker crosses the quarter mile cable.
Wallenda will be wearing two cameras, one looking down the mostly dry Little Colorado River bed and one facing straight ahead. His leather shoes with an elk-skin sole will help him keep a grip on the steel cable as he moves across.
"I've had a dream to be the first person in the world to walk a tight rope directly above the Grand Canyon," Wallenda said in a video statement on his website.
Sunday’s walk across Grand Canyon is 1,250 feet across, approximately the length of four football fields, and 1,500 feet high, about the height of Empire State Building.
Wallenda said he is confident he will make the walk safely.
"I have a wife and three kids that I love very dearly, and I wouldn't be doing it if I thought I would lose my life," Wallenda said in his statement.
Wallenda is a seventh-generation high-wire artist and is part of the famous "Flying Wallendas" circus family.
His great-grandfather, Karl Wallenda, fell during a performance in Puerto Rico and died at the age of 73. Several other family members, including a cousin and an uncle, have perished while performing wire walking stunts.
Wallenda said every precaution will be put into place to ensure his safety. On June 6, Wallenda and his team set up a training camp to simulate the conditions of walking over the Grand Canyon.
As for that no harness or net thing, Wallenda says, "I’ve trained for holding on to that cable if there is an emergency." Rescue teams will be stationed on both sides of the canyon, and helicopters can be there to rescue him within 60 seconds.
Wallenda describes himself as a "born-again Christian," and credits God for his success, saying that what he does on the high-wire is a gift from God.
"My faith simply means that I have confidence in the fact that if I die, I know where I’m going." Wallenda said.
In 2012 he became the first tight rope artist to walk over Niagara Falls on a tight rope. The event was broadcast live on ABC.
During his Niagara walk, his miked-up prayers were heard by millions of viewers as he inched his way along the wire.
Before every wire walk, he joins his family in prayer and he always wears a cross as he performs, according to ABC News. He remarks, "The Bible says pray without ceasing and I’m always praying." He also said he tries to live “an upright life” and be a good example.
