David Muir is scaling new heights – quite literally!
The ABC News, 52, anchor who hosts the primetime news show World News Tonight as well as ABC's 20/20 with Deborah Roberts, is taking on a slew of tasks around the country with his colleagues to celebrate the nation's 250th birthday.
© Getty ImagesAs part of ABC's coverage for the same, David, Deborah and Diane Sawyer are each exploring different regions across the country to celebrate what the United States has to offer, with a challenge to boot. And David's might just be the most physical.
In a preview of the special, the World News Tonight anchor revealed that he climbed to the very top of the Statue of Liberty's torch in New York City, a whopping 300 feet in the air, overlooking the water below and the city spreading out before him.
As you can imagine, the task was more than a little daunting, especially the narrow 40-foot ladder he climbed to get to the very top. He recalled in a conversation with USA Today asking the park ranger assisting him: "How many people are allowed up here?" and he was met with the response: "Nobody."
Indeed, he confirmed that he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect. "Climbing the ladder itself was more terrifying than standing up on the platform," he noted, quipping even that when his cameraman asked if he wanted to go up a second time for more footage, "you just hear the audio of me saying, 'I'm not going back down.' We're not doing this twice."
David did say, though, that once he finally got up there, the emotion and weight of the moment sank in, as he began to think of the stories of immigrants coming to America, passing by Ellis Island, wishing for a brighter future for themselves.
© Getty Images"Once you're up there, you are just in complete awe of the beauty of New York Harbor," he shared. "And you immediately think of the people who came into the harbor on those ships and thought, 'I'm getting a chance at a new life.'"
ABC's "Disney Celebrates America" will comprise of 24 hour programming across all its channels, with programming scheduled throughout July 3 and 4 to celebrate the country's 250th anniversary, including musical specials and reporting from around the world, led by David and kicking off with a special illumination of the Statue of Liberty.
© Getty ImagesDavid, Deborah and Diane will also be featured in segments that were filmed in the country's seven natural wonders, with David himself reporting from the Grand Canyon and Redwoods National and State Park.
He joked with USA Today about the joy of going off-grid while staring up at the majestic Redwood trees too. "First of all, our phones did not work, which was the real gift."
© Getty Images"But there was this moment when we were looking up at this tree in front of us and trying to assess how old it was," he mused. "We realized that all of the trees around us are much older than the Declaration of Independence, much older than this country."
