PORT ANGELES — Astronaut William C. McCool was no stranger to the North Olympic Peninsula.
He enjoyed hiking and camping, and over the past 15 years made numerous trips here with his family.
On Saturday, as the shuttle Columbia broke up while returning from space, killing all seven astronauts aboard, McCool had with him a small piece of pillow basalt selected from the park at his request as a momento of the Peninsula’s beauty.
“We were pretty excited that an astronaut wanted to recognize the park,” park spokeswoman Barb Maynes said Saturday.
That excitement turned to prayer following Saturday’s tragic event.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family members and friends of the astronauts and with the shuttle teams at NASA,” Maynes said.
On Saturday morning, the flag at Olympic National Park headquarters stood at half-staff in remembrance of the astronauts.
McCool, 41, had a deep love for the beauty of Olympic National Park, and last spring, he became one of the charter members of Friends of Olympic National, almost immediately after the organization formed.
“He was one of our group,” Friends president Brad Collins of Port Angeles said Saturday, minutes after he found out about the astronaut’s death.
“It’s very shocking. I’m sure all Americans are probably feeling a great deal of tragedy right now, but when it’s somebody that’s a part of your group, it’s not easy to even begin to think about.”
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