Olympic National Park – The Sol Duc Falls area in Olympic National Park has reopened to the public despite the unsuccessful attempt of rangers to recover a man’s body trapped below the falls.
An 18-year-old Texas man tumbled 50 feet into the falls after he slipped while climbing on the rocks on June 8. After an exhaustive search, his body was discovered under water the following day, wedged between boulders at the bottom of the falls.
The Park’s Molly Pittman told KONP on Monday that last week, Olympic National Park teams versed in technical and swiftwater rescue were lowered into the canyon beneath Sol Duc Falls to recover the body.
Pittman said attempts to recover the submerged body were unsuccessful because rangers faced high river flows in the 7-8′ wide canyon due to recent warm temperatures and rapid snowmelt.
She said 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.
In the meantime, the area has been reopened to the public, but will close again as soon as operations can resume.