Daredevil Nik Wallenda wanted a tight-rope challenge, but couldn't stop thanking Jesus for making it back on the ground.
The 34-year-old completed a historic, live broadcast of a high-wire walk on a 2-inch steel cable over the Grand Canyon on Sunday.
The self-appointed "King of the High Wire," reportedly took 22 minutes and 54 seconds to walk 1,400 feet across the canyon. He was the first person to cross the canyon without a tether or safety net.
According to Reuters, the daredevil was praying during the walk, murmuring "Thank you, Jesus." He kissed the ground when he reached the other side.
"It took every bit of me to stay focused that entire time," Wallenda said. "My arms are aching like you wouldn't believe."
Wallenda said the walk was stressful, but the view as breathtaking. He had to crouch twice while on the high-wire when the wind picked up and the wire had "an unsettling rhythm," according to Reuters.
He made history last year by becoming the only person to complete a high-wire walk over Niagara Falls. According to Reuters, Wallenda used the same cable on Sunday.
"It was a dream come true," Wallenda told reporters after making it across the canyon. "This is what my family has done for 200 years, so it's part of my legacy."
The daredevil is reportedly the seventh-generation member of the "Flying Wallendas" family of acrobats. His great-grandfather Karl Wallenda slipped and fell to his death when attempting a high wire in Puerto Rico in 1978.
He told Reuters that his successful high-wire walk was in honor of his great-grandfather.
"I knelt down and I thought of my great-grandfather and that everything I do is to honor him," Wallenda said. "It took my mind off all this movement underneath me ... and I was able to focus on him and regain composure."
Wallenda has no plans of stopping his high-wire walks, and reportedly wants to walk between New York's Chrysler Building and Empire State Building for his next stunt.
