An 18-year-old has tragically died while hiking at Olympic National Park in Washington State. The teen slipped and fell while trying to walk across some rocks at the top of Sol Duc Falls.
The National Park Service (NPS) said in a statement that the teen slipped and fell from the falls. Upon hitting the bottom, they quickly resurfaced. But then the victim went under the water once more, never to be seen alive again. They believe the body belongs to a young man.
Despite crews searching for the teen "immediately after the man disappeared," they struggled to find him. "Thermal imaging was used to search the water. A park ranger "located a completely submerged body pinned between the first and second falls."
NPS also added, "A ground team searched the riverbanks upstream from the trailhead." Following the accident, Olympic National Park shut down its Sol Duc Falls for recovery. Forks Ambulance, Forks Swiftwater, Olympic Ambulance, Clallam County Fire District 2, the Port Townsend and Sequim Police Departments, and the Clallam County Sheriff's Office assisted in the search.
Teen Dies At Olympic National Park
They said, "The park's swiftwater and rope rescue teams began their search and evaluated rescue options immediately after the man disappeared. A ground team searched the riverbanks upstream from the trailhead and thermal imaging was used to search the water. Many local SAR partners joined the efforts, including Forks Ambulance, Forks Swiftwater, Olympic Ambulance, Clallam County Fire District 2, the Port Townsend and Sequim Police Departments, and the Clallam County Sheriff's Office."
However, "cliffs covered in algae and moss" and other challenges such as "a second waterfall, whirlpool, and additional hazards" complicated the search for the body.
NPS said, "Recent high temperatures and rapid snowmelt in the upper Sol Duc drainage have caused significantly high river flows. The target area is in a narrow canyon — a constriction point beneath the main falls. The speed and force of the water increases as it flows through this constriction point in the river. A second waterfall, whirlpool, and additional hazards are downstream from the target area. Vertical, 50-foot cliffs covered in algae and moss flank both sides of the target area."
Authorities haven't revealed the identity of the teen.
