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Nik Wallenda trains for his upcoming walk across the Grand Canyon during Tropical Storm Andrea on June 6, 2013 in Sarasota, Fla.
Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda has accomplished several daring feats already at only 34 years of age, including becoming the first person to walk across Niagara Falls. Now, he's ready for an even bigger challenge: walking across the Grand Canyon -- live on TV.
The event will be broadcast on the Discovery special "Skywire Live With Nik Wallenda." In a clip of the pretaped portion of the show that the network is sharing exclusively with TODAY.com, the daredevil talks about the drive behind his feats, and how he's preparing for the big walk.
"The reason I have seven world records is because of the passion I have for what I do," Wallenda says in the clip. "A lot of it is to honor my great-grandfather, honor my family." He explains that tightrope walking is "in his blood," as his family has been doing it for seven generations in 200 years.
For the Grand Canyon walk, Wallenda's father is the head rigger for the tightrope, in charge of making sure that it's absolutely perfect for the walk.
"I'm the one on the ground worrying about you and making sure that everything is fine," his dad says in the video. "I want you to be prepared for anything."
And that wire will need to be fine, because the 34-year-old is making the trek 1,500 feet above the Little Colorado River (that's taller than the Empire State Building) -- and he's doing it without a harness.
"The only thing that stands between me and the bottom of the canyon is a two-inch thick wire," Wallenda said in a statement. "I'm looking forward to showing the audience a view of the canyon they've never seen before."
As for why he's attempting this particular feat, "This is a dream of mine," he said during a June 4 appearance on TODAY.
For more info on the walk and to see a 360-degree panoramic view of the walk site, visit SkywireLive.com. Tune into Discovery Channel on June 23 at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT to watch Wallenda attempt his feat on live TV.
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