While on a trip with his friends to celebrate their high school graduation at Washington state’s Olympic National Park, a kid from Texas fell 50 feet and died.
After finishing from high school a week earlier, Grant Herridge, who went to Vanguard College Preparatory in Waco, Texas, took a trip with friends to the Olympic National Park in the northwest corner of Washington.
At the Sol Duc Falls, the teen slipped and fell into the pool of water below on June 8. He was walking on the rocks at the top of one of the waterfalls.
According to witnesses, Herridge came up to the surface at the bottom of the waterfall, but then went back under.
Brad Herridge, Herridge’s father and a pastor at the Ocker Baptist Church, wrote a sad Facebook post to report his son’s death.
“Grant was hiking through Olympic National Park, which was his favorite thing to do, and he had a terrible accident,” the sad father wrote. “He was always so full of life, and to honor him, we’re going to live large in the years to come.” Please keep praying for us as we try to get through life without him.
Search and rescue teams and park guards rushed to the falls in the park’s vast wilderness, but it wasn’t until the next day that his body was found.
Herridge, who is going to be a freshman at Baylor University in Waco, was found totally submerged and stuck between the two falls.
Herridge was known as a bold outdoorsman who lived by the saying on a ring he wore: “while we wait for life, life passes.” His brother Brad Herridge told that this was his motto.
Because of the high river flow in the eight-foot canyon, it has been dangerous for officials to collect Herridge’s body.
It took two tries for rangers and rescue teams to get Herridge back, but the warmer temperatures and fast melting snow made the water faster near the recovery spot.
“The park’s main goal is to finish this recovery safely as soon as the weather permits.” Rangers will keep an eye on the goal area, natural hazards, and how things are changing. Officials said in a Tuesday report that recovery work would start up again as soon as it was safe to do so.
His parents, who went to the private Christian university, encouraged Herridge to follow in their footsteps and attend Baylor.
Brad Herridge told the news source, “He had wanted to go to Baylor his whole life.” “Both his mom and I graduated from Baylor, and his mom works at Baylor.” Baylor feels the same way in his heart.
Baylor paid tribute to Herridge on Wednesday before a service at its visitors center.
“We are so sorry for the Herridge family’s loss of their son Grant. He was a bright spot in Baylor’s Class of 2029 and was going to be a freshman.” The university said in a statement obtained by KWTX, “It is hard to find the words to describe how deeply we mourn for Mary, Brad, and Lucy. Our Baylor Family has come together to surround them with our deepest prayers and support as they navigate this unimaginable loss.”
After the terrible accident, the “Grant Herridge Memorial Scholarship at Baylor University” was made.
“Grant’s life on Earth ended much too soon, but thanks to your kindness, his life will continue to affect future generations,” the poster for the award said.
