During a celebratory trip with friends, a Texas teenager tragically fell from a 50-foot waterfall to his death in Washington state’s Olympic National Park, marking a somber end to their high school graduation festivities.
Grant Herridge, a student from Vanguard College Preparatory in Waco, Texas, ventured with his friends to the Olympic National Park, located in the northwest part of Washington, just a week after their high school graduation ceremony.
On June 8, at Sol Duc Falls, the teenager lost his footing on the rocks at the top of a waterfall, resulting in a fall into the water below, according to a report from the National Park Service.
Witnesses said Herridge resurfaced at the bottom of the waterfall, only to submerge underwater again.
Herridge’s father, Brad Herridge – a pastor at the Ocker Brethern Church – confirmed his son’s death in a heartbreaking Facebook post.
“Grant was doing what he loved, hiking through Olympic National Park, and had a tragic accident,” the grieving father wrote. “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.”
Park rangers and search and rescue crews rushed to the falls in the expansive wilderness in the park, but didn’t discover his body until the next day.
Herridge, a rising freshman at Baylor University in Waco, was found completely submerged and pinned under the water between the two falls.
Herridge was remembered as an adventurous outdoorsman, living by the motto inscribed on a ring he wore, “while we wait for life, life passes,” Brad Herridge told KWTX.
Officials have faced dangerous conditions recovering Herridge’s body because of the high river flow in the approximately eight-foot canyon.
Rangers and rescue teams attempted to recover Herridge on two separate attempts but faced increased water speeds near the recovery site because of the warmer temperatures and rapid snowmelt.
“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 said in an update Tuesday.
Herridge’s dream of attending Baylor was inspired by his parents, who are alumni of the private Christian university.
“He had wanted to go to Baylor his whole life” Brad Herridge told the outlet. “His mom and I graduated from Baylor, his mom works for Baylor… so Baylor’s like in his heart.”
Baylor honored Herridge before hosting a service at its visitors center on Wednesday.
“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 said in a statement obtained by KWTX.
The “Grant Herridge Memorial Scholarship at Baylor University” was created after the tragic accident.
“Grant’s life on Earth ended much too soon, but through your generosity, his life will continue to impact generations,” the scholarship’s poster stated.
