A tourist in Yellowstone sparked the internet's ire after sharing a video of someone walking off the designated trails at the venerable national park.
The Instagram account TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) shared a video from nature photographer Ian Lange (@ian.lange) of someone walking outside the boardwalk at Mammoth Terraces, one of the national park's many iconic landmarks.
Walking off the trail is a bad idea in many parts of Yellowstone, but doing so near the Mammoth Hot Springs is particularly foolish. The gorgeous travertine structures were caused by the many geothermal vents in the area. As water and carbonic acid are pushed up through fractures and fissures in the Earth's surface, they dissolve limestone, creating the iconic formations.
Because of the assorted crevices and hot water vents in the area, straying from the designated boardwalk sections is incredibly dangerous. The stability of the ground is uncertain, and new fissures can open up on even seemingly stable ground. The water in pools and underground is incredibly hot and can cause severe burns and even death.
Sadly, ignoring warning signs and straying off trails in national parks is all too common. Places such as Devil's Bridge in Sedona, Arizona, Yosemite National Park, and Iceland have seen visitors entering areas that are expressly off limits to foot traffic for safety reasons or to preserve the natural landscape as much as possible.
Ignoring signage also endangers wildlife, as animals that injure humans, provoked or unprovoked, are often euthanized.
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When visiting national parks, remember that trails and warning signs are there for your safety and the safety of the wildlife and landscape.
Commenters in this case were quick to call out the obnoxious behavior.
"What entitlement looks like," one said.
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Definitely 👍 "Give him a shovel and have him shovel the roads in Yellowstone until May," said another.
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"Why are people so obsessed with ignoring safety precautions?" said a third.
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