At national parks, there's a simple rule of thumb: Rules exist for a reason, and it's best to follow them.
Needless to say, not everyone ascribes to that. And for that reason, there's Tourons of Yellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone), an Instagram account that showcases questionable behavior by "tourons" — a hybrid of tourists and morons — at Yellowstone National Park.
In one of the account's latest popular posts, a visitor is seen wandering on hydrothermal ground. A boardwalk is several feet away, and there is a lot of steam, showing how hot and dangerous the area is.
The second slide of the post shows a sign, which makes the walk all the more head-scratching.
"DANGER: Hydrothermal ground may give way underfoot," it reads. "Off-Trail travel has resulted in severe injury. Unlawful to leave the boardwalk."
This rule exists not only for the safety of tourists, who could get badly hurt or even die, but also for the park itself, so its natural beauty isn't trampled and destroyed.
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According to the caption, the woman had a small dog with her, but it was not on a leash, which is also against Yellowstone rules.
"I worry about the dog," one commenter wrote.
Choosing to not follow any national park rule could be catastrophic.
Last summer, a terrifying video showed a hydrothermal explosion at Yellowstone, sending boiling water and rock flying into the air. Earlier this year, another Tourons of Yellowstone post showed visitors illegally riding motorized scooters and nearly running over walkers who were following rules.
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Absolutely 💯 Commenters showed little sympathy for the woman featured in this post and said fellow tourists should speak up when they see such behavior.
"Start yelling at these people!" one commenter urged. "Public shaming is the only way to handle."
Another said, as far as consequences go, public shaming simply isn't enough: "Whoever it is should be fined and banned from all national parks."
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