NIAGARA FALLS, Ont. - On the ground aerialist Nik Wallenda is a bundle of energy, but once he sets foot on a cable strung high above the thundering Niagara Falls, he says he will be completely calm.

In fact, the only thing Wallenda says is making him nervous about Friday's high-wire walk is also what will keep him from, in his words, plummeting to his death.

On Friday night Wallenda's attempt at being the first person to walk across the falls on a tightrope will be broadcast on a live ABC special, with CTV carrying it in Canada. The American broadcaster is partly funding Wallenda's walk, but also requested he wear a tether in case something goes wrong.

It's not to Wallenda's liking.

"If anything it makes me nervous to wear a tether," he said Wednesday. "I know that sounds crazy, but it makes me nervous because you have to understand, I've trained a little bit for the last week in one — never in my life have I worn a tether (during a stunt) so it's just an added thing on my mind."

The tether will be attached to Wallenda and the wire, trailing behind him as he crosses the 550-metre cable from the United States to the Canadian side of the falls. It won't keep him from falling off the wire, but it will keep him from falling into the churning and deadly water below.

The stunt has been planned to a T, Wallenda said Wednesday, so he is not nervous at all.

"The nerves go away more and more the closer we get," he said. "I know it sounds strange, but it's more excitement than anything."

That excitement was on display at a press conference Wallenda held Wednesday, as he spoke for nearly 30 minutes, answering questions at a rapid-fire pace and barely pausing to take a breath.

"People, I can't describe it to you enough," said the manic Wallenda. "This is a dream that I've had since I was six years old, a dream that thousands of people have said is impossible...We're making history in two days. I can't tell you how ecstatic I am."

He is a seventh-generation member of the famed Wallenda family, and true to form the stunt will be a family affair. Wallenda's father will be talking him through the walk, expected to last between 30 and 40 minutes, using an ear piece.

Wallenda had earlier estimated the walk will cost about $1.2 million to $1.3 million, including fabrication and installation of the custom-made steel wire, permits and security on both sides of the border, travel, and marketing.

He had said his deal with ABC to televise the event would offset some of his expenses, but nowhere near all of it.

When asked about money Wednesday, the 33-year-old Wallenda said "things are coming along well, we had a lot of people step up."

Wallenda's last practice was Monday, and little but time now stands between him and his historic walk.

The wire is now strung across the falls, and Wallenda took some time Wednesday after his press conference to take a look at the set-up.

"I'd love to get out there right now and test it out if I could," he said.

Wallenda also met with dozens of fans at a meet-and-greet, including 10-year-old Jacob Lacroix. He and his sister were first in line.

"He's inspirational," Jacob said. "I don't think anyone else could do that."

Wallenda will meet with fans again on Thursday.

The Niagara Falls Parks Commission expects 120,000 people to gather on the Ontario side of the falls when he attempts his walk.

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  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda walks over Niagara Falls on a tightrope in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Friday, June 15, 2012. Wallenda has finished his attempt to become the first person to walk on a tightrope 1,800 feet across the mist-fogged brink of roaring Niagara Falls. The seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas had long dreamed of pulling off the stunt, never before attempted. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda walks across Niagara Falls on a tightrope as seen from Niagara Falls, N.Y., Friday, June 15, 2012. Wallenda has finished his attempt to become the first person to walk on a tightrope 1,800 feet across the mist-fogged brink of roaring Niagara Falls. The seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas had long dreamed of pulling off the stunt, never before attempted. (AP Photo/James P. McCoy)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda walks across Niagara Falls on a tightrope as seen from Niagara Falls, N.Y., Friday, June 15, 2012. Wallenda has finished his attempt to become the first person to walk on a tightrope 1,800 feet across the mist-fogged brink of roaring Niagara Falls. The seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas had long dreamed of pulling off the stunt, never before attempted. (AP Photo/Gary Wiepert)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda walks a 1,800 feet-long tightrope over the brink of the Niagara Falls, as seen from Niagara Falls, Ont., on Friday, June 15, 2012. Wallenda battled brisk winds and thick mist Friday to make history, becoming the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Nathan Denette)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda pumps his fist as he completes his 1,800 feet-long tightrope walk over the brink of the Niagara Falls in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Friday, June 15, 2012. Wallenda battled brisk winds and thick mist Friday to make history, becoming the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda points to the crowd of onlookers as he near completion of his 1,800 feet-long tightrope walk over the brink of the Niagara Falls in Niagara Falls, Ont., on Friday, June 15, 2012. Wallenda battled brisk winds and thick mist Friday to make history, becoming the first person to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Aaron Vincent Elkaim)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda walks over Niagara Falls on a tightrope as seen from Niagara Falls, Ontario, on Friday, June 15, 2012. Wallenda has finished his attempt to become the first person to walk on a tightrope 1,800 feet across the mist-fogged brink of roaring Niagara Falls. The seventh-generation member of the famed Flying Wallendas had long dreamed of pulling off the stunt, never before attempted. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda looks at the tightrope cable in Niagara Falls, Canada, Wednesday, June 13, 2012. On Friday night Wallenda's attempt at being the first person to walk across the falls on a tightrope will be broadcast on a live ABC special, with CTV carrying it in Canada. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

  • Nik Wallenda

    FILE - This May 16, 2012 photo shows Nik Wallenda performing a walk on a tightrope in the rain during training for his walk over Niagara Falls in Niagara Falls, N.Y. Wallenda can't visit a new place without envisioning a wire strung high above his head: Linking buildings, landmarks, nations. Even as a 6-year-old at Niagara Falls with his parents, he pictured walking a tightrope over the raging, whitewater maw. Now 33, he's ready to live out that childhood fantasy when he attempts Friday, June 15, 2012 to become the first person ever to walk a tightrope directly over the brink of Niagara Falls. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda performs a walk on a tightrope with the Skylon Tower in the background during training in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Tuesday, May 22, 2012. Wallenda can't visit a new place without envisioning a wire strung high above his head: Linking buildings, landmarks, nations. Even as a 6-year-old at Niagara Falls with his parents, he pictured walking a tightrope over the raging, whitewater maw. Now 33, he's ready to live out that childhood fantasy when he attempts Friday, June 15, 2012 to become the first person ever to walk a tightrope directly over the brink of Niagara Falls. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Daredevil Nik Wallenda practices walking a tightrope on ABC's "Good Morning America" in Times Square on Wednesday, June 13, 2012 in New York. Nik will attempt to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope wire on June 15 - a feat that has been banned for over 125 years. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

  • Nik Wallenda

  • Nik Wallenda

    Daredevil Nik Wallenda walks on a tightrope past masts of the USS Constellation above Baltimore's Inner Harbor, Wednesday, May 9, 2012. Wallenda, who holds five Guinness World Records, is a seventh-generation member of the Flying Wallenda family. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda waves to tourists after a news conference in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Wednesday, May 2, 2012. Wallenda will try to cross the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope June 15. The seventh-generation member of the Flying Wallendas spent months getting the necessary permissions from Canada and the United States for the cross-border stunt. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Tightrope walker Nik Wallenda speaks during a news conference in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Wednesday, Aug. 3, 2011. The daredevil and his technical team met with emergency responders and others Wednesday to talk about his proposed high-wire walk over the falls. Wallenda has the support of lawmakers and tourism officials on the U.S. side of the border, but he's still got to win over parks officials in Canada. (AP Photo/David Duprey)

  • Nik Wallenda

    Nik Wallenda poses for photos after a news conference in Niagara Falls, N.Y., Wednesday, May 2, 2012. Wallenda will try to cross the Niagara Gorge on a tightrope June 15. The seventh-generation member of the Flying Wallendas spent months getting the necessary permissions from Canada and the United States for the cross-border stunt. (AP Photo/David Duprey)