VERLOT, Wash. — The family of an 11-year-old girl who was killed at the Big Four Ice Caves in Verlot has been forced to take down a cross they placed there in the memory of their daughter.
Grace Tam was killed in July 2010 by a chunk of falling ice the size of a pickup.
Hikers are told not to go inside the cave because of danger of falling ice, but the girl and her brother did not go inside the cave and were outside when the ice fell.
[ Read first coverage of the story here. ]
Grace's family placed a pink cross outside the caves over a year ago. Recently the U.S. Forest Service told them to take it down because it was a religious symbol and was against regulations.
In an email to the Forest Service, Grace's father, John Tam, wrote:
"Please note we took the day off & went up the Ice Caves & removed Gracie's cross per yours' & US forest service requirement. Please note every so often, I will be still going up there with a temporary cross."
Today Grace Tam’s father told KIRO-7, “We’re kind of speechless. We promised we’d take it down by the end of September,”. "We don't want to be seen as taking apposition on religion one way or another,” said District Ranger Peter Forbes, of the US Forest Service, “It's not that we plan to disrespect the individual's wishes, it's public land. If everyone felt they had the right to do that, those things would be popping up all over."
Last July the U.S. Forest Service installed a plaque for Grace Tam to honor her and warn other hikers.
John Tam hiked in and removed the cross yesterday.
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