Portland man flouts Yellowstone rules, dies in hot spring

[Chip Down]

My TLDR version of the news story:
Colin Nathaniel Scott, a 23-year-old Portland resident, died after leaving a boardwalk and falling into a scalding hot spring. Officials tried to recover the man's body, but canceled the effort after they couldn't locate his remains.

More stupidity: On Saturday, a father and son were treated for severe burns in the Upper Geyser Basin after they walked off the boardwalk as well. Signs posted around the park warn visitors not to walk out onto the sensitive and dangerous ground around the geysers, but tourists regularly disregard the rules.

full story, and a bunch of tasteless user comments, available here: http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index. ... allin.html

I don't fault them for flouting rules. I do it all the time. But I wouldn't do it there, mostly because there are so many people around. I wouldn't want to set a bad example and encourage others to follow, and I wouldn't want to contribute to degradation of what I imagine must be a sensitive and fragile area (i.e. I know social trails around that area would detract from the aesthetic experience for others).

[Steve20050]

My TLDR version of the news story:
Colin Nathaniel Scott, a 23-year-old Portland resident, died after leaving a boardwalk and falling into a scalding hot spring. Officials tried to recover the man's body, but canceled the effort after they couldn't locate his remains.

More stupidity: On Saturday, a father and son were treated for severe burns in the Upper Geyser Basin after they walked off the boardwalk as well. Signs posted around the park warn visitors not to walk out onto the sensitive and dangerous ground around the geysers, but tourists regularly disregard the rules.

full story, and a bunch of tasteless user comments, available here: http://www.oregonlive.com/travel/index. ... allin.html

I don't fault them for flouting rules. I do it all the time. But I wouldn't do it there, mostly because there are so many people around. I wouldn't want to set a bad example and encourage others to follow, and I wouldn't want to contribute to degradation of what I imagine must be a sensitive and fragile area (i.e. I know social trails around that area would detract from the aesthetic experience for others).

Oh joy, here we go again. I just mentioned hot potting in Yellowstone as a past indiscretion of mine. I lived just east of Yellowstone back in the early 80s and that was one of the things we did. We as in me and other young folks including locals. There are a gazzion hot pools, many reached in the back country. Honestly I've even used some back behind Old Faithful and there was absolutely no one around as most tourists (Are) on the park walkways. Reminds me of being in Chile. I went on a tour to visit the Tatio geyser basin in northern Chile. The guys running the tour are from the town of San Pedro. ( The name for South American peyote). They drive right out into the field. So I want to go take pictures and ask, 'Is this safe?". Yes, we have only had a couple people break thru and fall into pools. Only one got burnt badly.

Honestly I do understand our government is just trying to protect ourselves from our own stupidity. So borrowing from Aimless who stated in the Crater Lake morons post:

Just as a non-mathematical sidelight, from reading about experienced hikers who get into serious life-threatening trouble, their situation is quite often the result of multiple compounded errors, rather than a single error.

That was my one case with SARS. We had hiked back into 3 Sisters some 10 miles from our vehicle. Got rained then snowed on the 1st night. Didn't know the weather forcast, got wet and continued farther back. 1st trip into the area. We finally realized to make camp and just wait it out. Got "rescued" on the trail, once the weather broke and were about a mile from the trailhead when the rescue occurred. We were so stuffed with avocado chapati that we declined any food they had. I was thankful to know people do respond and also wanted to choke the friend who called it in . That was 40 years ago this last Memorial day. I'm still hiking

I do act much more cautious than I used to, as a kindness to my wife if you will. Having said that the time I went into the caldera at Crater Lake was only a couple years back. I thought that was more dangerous and one wrong decision was all it would take. What I saw inside the short distance I covered was the same as on top, a lot of scree slopes and enormous cliffs. Anyone having any experience with scree, knows its a lot harder going up than down. I always stop and think about the return of what I'm about to do as I usually hike alone. (My wife was trapped with a horde of angry mosquitoes on Bora Bora and decided the great outdoors just wasn't calling her) . So once again I guess I escaped a worse fate and the condemnation of others

[Chip Down]

That was my one case with SARS. We had hiked back into 3 Sisters some 10 miles from our vehicle. Got rained then snowed on the 1st night. Didn't know the weather forcast, got wet and continued farther back. 1st trip into the area. We finally realized to make camp and just wait it out. Got "rescued" on the trail, once the weather broke and were about a mile from the trailhead when the rescue occurred. We were so stuffed with avocado chapati that we declined any food they had.

I hope you offered to share.
If I ever get found/rescued, I hope I have the opportunity to open a bottle of something special to pass around.

[BigBear]

Chip Down: You made me laugh this morning as I read your post. The reason: your comment that you wouldn't walk off trail at Yellowstone mainly because there are so many people around. That's hilarious.

The absence of potential rescuers is an interesting reason. My reason is simply the origin of the name Bumpass Hell. If a well-seasoned explorer who had scouted the area doesn't know where the safe places to walk are located, I as a casual tourist would have no chance in locating the safe places.

Unfortunately this story of breaking through the sulfur crust and into the boiling water happens all too often. Everytime I go to Yellowstone, I see selfish and ignorant tourists leaving the boardwalk to go exploring where they shouldn't. They are selfish because they get in the way of my pictures of the scenery, and then the area has to be shutdown for the rescue and investigation. The individual's careless is done at the expense of everyone.

My advice, if you do find the desire to break-out and explore the wild, then do it in the wild, not as an impediment to others where the masses have been saving up to see in its somewhat pristine state. My empathy is greatly reduced when there is so much signage that says no. It is an unfortunate outcome to this story, but every visitor needs to ask: what would it have taken to keep this person on the boardwalk in an obviously dangerous area?

Breaking the rules because you want to is just plain selfish. (how many selfish people will now offer defenses for their behavior?)

[Charley]

I don't know. I don't want to just slag the poor deceased. That's a horrible way to go! And what photographer hasn't scooted around a barrier or something. Don't all of us hikers assume some risks? That said, given the location, the dangers, and the apparently clear signage (haven't been there myself), I'd have probably stayed on the board walk. Gotta figure it's there for a good reason.