During a trip to Olympic National Park in Washington state, where he was celebrating his high school graduation with his friends, a young man from Texas tragically lost his life by jumping off a waterfall that was fifty feet tall.
Following his graduation from high school a week earlier, Grant Herridge, who was a student at Vanguard College Preparatory in Waco, Texas, brought his friends on a trip to Olympic National Park, which is located in the northwest corner of Washington.
It was on June 8 that the teenager was walking on the rocks at the top of one of the waterfalls at Sol Duc Falls when he slipped and fell into the pool of water below, according to the National Park Service.
Herridge resurfaced at the base of the waterfall, according to witnesses, but then he immersed himself once more in the water.
In an emotionally wrenching post on Facebook, Herridge’s father, Brad Herridge, who is also a pastor at the Ocker Brethern Church, confirmed that his son had passed away with the news.
“Grant was doing what he loved, hiking through Olympic National Park, and had a tragic accident,” the grieving father stated. “He was always so full of life and we are going to honor him by living life to the fullest in the future. Please continue to pray for us as we struggle to live life without him.”
His body was not found until the following day, despite the fact that search and rescue teams and park rangers hurried to the falls in the vast wilderness of the park.
Between the two falls, Herridge, a rising freshman at Waco’s Baylor University, was discovered pinned beneath the water and fully submerged.
Brad Herridge told that he was a daring outdoor enthusiast who lived by the saying “while we wait for life, life passes,” which was engraved on a ring he wore.
The high river flow in the roughly eight-foot canyon has made it dangerous for officials to recover Herridge’s body.
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Due to the warmer temperatures and quick melting of the snow, rangers and rescue crews had to contend with higher water speeds close to the recovery site during their two separate attempts to recover Herridge.
“The park’s priority is to safely complete this recovery as soon as conditions allow. Rangers will continue to monitor the target area, natural hazards, and changing conditions. Recovery operations will resume when it is safe to do so,” officials stated.
Herridge’s parents, who graduated from the private Christian university, encouraged him to pursue his dream of attending Baylor.
“He had wanted to go to Baylor his whole life” Brad Herridge stated. “His mom and I graduated from Baylor, his mom works for Baylor… so Baylor’s like in his heart.”
Prior to holding a service at its visitors centre on Wednesday, Baylor paid tribute to Herridge.
“Our hearts are shattered for the Herridge family in the tragic passing of their son Grant, who was an incoming freshman and shining light in Baylor’s Class of 2029. It is difficult to express the depth of our sorrow for Mary, Brad and Lucy, but our Baylor Family has come together to surround them in our deepest prayers and support as they navigate this unimaginable loss,” the university stated.
Following the tragic accident, Baylor University established the “Grant Herridge Memorial Scholarship.”
The scholarship poster read, “Grant’s life on Earth ended much too soon, but his life will continue to impact generations through your generosity.”
