A photo of tourists behaving recklessly off the coast of Oregon sparked a lively discussion on Reddit.
The picture, uploaded to r/OregonCoast, shows three visitors blithely ignoring a warning sign urging hikers to stay on the other side of the fence. "DANGER KEEP BACK OF FENCE," the unheeded sign reads. Two of the three are seen perilously close to the cliff's edge.
While the precise location isn't mentioned, the cliffs of the Pacific Northwest have claimed multiple victims over the years. For example, according to USA Today, there have been eight fatalities at Oregon's Cape Kiwanda State Natural Area since 2009.
Unwise behavior by tourists is, sadly, quite typical in national parks and in scenic areas worldwide. Whether it's getting way too close to wildlife or vaulting over barriers, the misbehavior ruins it for everyone.
It's especially unfortunate, as the parks and natural spaces are ideal travel destinations. There are real benefits to reconnecting with nature, and keeping those green spaces beautiful is everyone's collective responsibility. A simple motto to share with loved ones is, in the words of the National Park Service, to "leave no trace."
The comments were full of scorn for the hikers' lack of self-preservation.
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"Darwin Award contestants," one quipped. Another suggested they were risking life and limb for social media clout: "You have to be brave if you want the shot for Instagram." One resident said the coast is definitely not a place to mess around: "I didn't understand how wild and unforgiving the ocean could be until I moved here and experienced my first winter on the coast.
"I always get nervous when I visit the coast because I see people doing this constantly. It baffles me how people aren't scared of the ocean, especially one as dangerous as the Pacific. … How many times a year do we hear about people falling in or getting stuck by the tide?" said another.
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