Don’t forget Reagan and his “user fees” euphemism for hidden flat taxes.
The worst hazard at the park where this kid worked was probably Canada geese. Still, coming from a state with volcanoes, he should have known.
Basic rule of rescues is the rescuers are under no obligation to rescue and if more lives are put in peril than may be saved it’s just not done.
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Diamox is the drug of choice.
I would say “The stupidity, it burns.” but that might be too soon.
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Exactly. Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon, and other such true wonders of nature are not engineered and “controlled” environments.
Thank you. Wanted to make this point as well.
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But you see plenty of signs before going on the boardwalks, and all along the boardwalks… to “Stay the fuck on the boardwalks”.
You literally have to be a full-tilt fucking moron to get off the boardwalks.
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Most of the boardwalks actually don’t have rails (except when in conjunction with a dangerous drop) or right next to a major hot spring pool . But you cannot avoid seeing the signs all along the boardwalks.
You are absolutely right. Kinda like how they sabotaged Obama’s presidency so they could call him a failure.
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This is a slight bit OT but I have spent a good deal of time in Southern Mexico 25 years ago I workedf or a short time for a tour company and one of the trips was to see Mayan ruins. At Palenque inside the Pyramid of Pacal are some inscriptions. There is a guard there 24/7 to prevent random acts of stupidity. They don’t let anyone even touch the art work because the area is tropical and when these things are touched bacteria and fungi are invariably left behind that then grow in the humid environment and damage occurs.
My guess is that people don’t realize that a National Park is or a controlled environment. They must think it’s like Disneyland, a place that has to be designed to keep even the most foolish visitor Alice and well.
Some people just do not believe the signs that warn of fatal risk. Perhaps a sign that promised a $5,000 fine, for being caught out of bounds, would be more sobering.
Why is this happening so often?
What is it that people aren’t getting?
Treating these places like their own personal space?
Is it one of those "entitlement things we hear so much about?
I hope this doesn’t sound too harsh, but this idiot got what
was coming to him.
I watched in horror at the N. Rim of the Grand Canyon as a father kept telling his terrified, weeping child to “back up a little more” for a picture. There was an approximate 500 ft. drop just a few feet behind the child.
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I was at the South Rim many years ago and saw a family of kids climbing all over a rock that the trail was cut through. This was near the head of Bright Angel Trail and any rocks knocked off by the kids become missiles for people on the switchbacks below. Mom just stood and watched her brood – didn’t say a word. A misstep by any of those kids would have resulted in some serious injuries if not death. You see a lot of stupid at the Grand Canyon…well, at any attraction that is hazardous.
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I was just there last year, and watched a young man deliberately go off the marked path to stomp in a hot puddle. He wasn’t hurt, but really-- what kind of stupid rebelliousness sees that violating the rules is more fun than watching a geyser blow?
The Darwin Awards was named that for a reason. Most of these defiant risktakers are young men.
Some are Orville and Wilbur Wright. Some are just stupid and defiant, and the gene pool might be cleaner-- like the hot spring above-- without them. What is with these guys? We should keep trying to remind them of the life and love they’ll enjoy if they can get past this dangerous period of life.
Oh no you dinnint! 
Two main points. First, Yellowstone has been made as safe as possible through the courage and hard work of the Park staff. Someone had to go through and decide where the boardwalks would go, then someone else had to actually build them. These people know a lot more about the ground than ANY casual observer. And they should be applauded for making so much of the Park accessible to the rest of us. It is a singular devotion.
Second – this is not “laissez faire” park management at all! We have also traveled in China, and they “allow” features we would never accept. I’m talking about going in a cave where the stalactites are actively dripping and not secured, ready to fall and crush the tourists. Or high walking pathways next to a gorge where there is literally nothing to grab onto on, and a travel space inches wide next to an abyss a quarter mile down. In the Chengdu region that had the great 2008 earthquake, tall mountains next to the deep river gorge were nothing but friable schist, and when the ground moved, up to 20% of the mountain came down … on the roadways and villages. China’s park system is actively dangerous. In Yellowstone, you have to work at it to put yourself in danger.
A final point is that, having visited both Yellowstone and a number of Chinese parks, I’m happy to have survived the experience. I would travel to Yellowstone again because the risk of a major eruption is perhaps still measured in the thousands of years. I would not visit the Chengdu mountain region again, except by helicopter.
The title of the article is misleading. These are not problems at Yellowstone, these are problems with people who think that the rules are just suggestions and that they should be able to do whatever they want.
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