Human beings are naturally inquisitive creatures. In many cases, this characteristic can lead to a world of potential issues.
For a pair of particularly adventurous tourists at Yellowstone National Park, their curiosity nearly landed them in extremely hot water as they wandered across the Fountain Paint Pot.
After documenting their questionable behavior, one park visitor shared the clip to the TouronsOfYellowstone (@touronsofyellowstone) community on Instagram.
While it might not appear to be egregious behavior on its own, the two tourists ventured far away from the boardwalks that are put in place to keep all park guests safe.
Located in Yellowstone's Lower Geyser Basin, Fountain Paint Pot is a well-known tourist hotspot thanks to its colorful mud and bubbling features. The mud gets its vibrant and colorful hues from iron oxides that interact with clay and silica.
Although it can certainly make for an interesting and unique photo opportunity, the location comes with its fair share of hidden dangers.
As the post noted, there are plenty of visible signs around Fountain Paint Pot alerting visitors of the importance of the boardwalks.
"Hydrothermal ground may give way underfoot," one succinct sign reads. "Off-trail travel has resulted in severe injury. Unlawful to leave the boardwalk."
Hydrothermal ground can pose several dangers to both visitors and animals. Sudden burns can be inflicted following hydrothermal explosions. These areas often feature boiling water, steam, and mud. The ground itself can often be unstable, giving way at any moment. This can lead to collapses and injuries.
Despite being just inches away from injury or death, the pair of tourists did not receive any benefit of the doubt from commenters.
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Heck yes 👍 "Why aren't they in jail and banned from the park?!" asked one user.
"That's just so selfish," vented another commenter. "It literally disturbs the micro ion of the soil. Like just don't visit if you can't have bare minimum respect for the park."
"Fines should be given to those that ignore the rules, but of course not enough rangers for that," added a third. "Some people will learn the hard way."
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