One base jumper decided to use his skills to help a friend grieve his father in the most beautiful way: by scattering the late dad’s ashes during an adventurous leap over the New River! Larry Harrah was so touched by his buddy’s gesture, he shared an incredible video of the feat on social media. In his caption, he explained why this unusual memorial meant so much to him. Apparently, the location carried many special memories of his dad!
Videos by InspireMore
This beautiful moment took place during Bridge Day. For those unfamiliar with the occasion, it’s an annual festival for base jumpers in West Virginia. According to the event website, this tradition takes place on the Gorge Bridge, which passes over the New River. During the celebration, extreme sports enthusiasts leap off the structure (with the proper gear, of course) while spectators get to observe.
Watch this base jumper honor his friend’s dad in the most epic way.
Larry had some very fond memories of fishing with his dad on the New River. So, when his friend decided to participate in the Bridge Day festivities, the base jumper thought it would be an amazing opportunity to scatter the deceased man’s ashes in an incredibly meaningful way.
In Larry’s video of the impressive stunt, his friend leaped right off the Gorge Bridge with a parachute for safety. This was no small feat in itself — according to the Royal Gorge Bridge & Park website, this structure is 956 feet above the water! Once the base jumper’s parachute opened, he scattered the ashes over the New River in honor of his buddy’s dad. It’s truly heart-wrenching to watch!
If you’re not familiar with base jumping, the concept is pretty simple. As the Wisconsin Skydiving Center explains, this extreme sport consists of leaping from a great height with the help of a parachute. What makes it different from skydiving is that the jumping location is always a solid object. “Base” is actually an acronym that stands for the different types of structures that are used in this pastime. B stands for building, A for antenna, S for span (aka, bridge), and E for earth (aka, cliff or other rock formation).
While this sport is pretty cool in and of itself, we think that Larry’s friend made it infinitely more so with his touching gesture!
You can find the source of this story’s featured image here.
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