When you’re visiting the amazing places of the world, whether it’s the Grand Canyon, or Yellowstone National Park, it’s usually in your best interest to follow the rules and watch out for your own safety.
Walking off of the designated safe areas is never a good idea, and unfortunately for a 23-year-old tourist named Colin Nathaniel Scott who was feeling adventurous this week, he never lived to tell the story of his lesson.
Image Credit: Ron Niebrugge
Scott was reportedly exploring Yellowstone National Park on Tuesday when he wandered off of the designated boardwalk. His exploring mood led him right into a hot spring at the park – literally.
He is said to have slipped into the hot spring after losing footing in the nearby gravel, where he was later pronounced dead due to the extreme heat produced by the spring. Park rangers responded to the scene, warning park-goers that it’s important to stay on the designated trails to prevent these issues from happening in the first place.
Those close to Scott don’t believe he intended to break any rules intentionally, but may have wandered off of the trail without knowing he was breaking any rules.
"This tragic event must remind all of us to follow the regulations and stay on boardwalks when visiting Yellowstone's geyser basins," said park Superintendent Dan Wenk.
Authorities have reportedly been unable to recover the body remains due to the high heat given off by the hot springs, and note that there probably isn’t much left to the remains after having been exposed to the heat for so long.
It isn’t safe to get anywhere near the intense heat, which can get up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. The water boils at this extreme heat, and the high pressure under the ground causes extremely hot water vapor to flume upwards.
Yellowstone National Park has been seeing an increasingly high number of incidents from tourists who are acting negligently and not following the rules. As the park continues to become more crowded by tourists, more and more of them are acting irresponsibly.
Park officials urge tourists to become familiar with the designated path and never to wander the park where they could be put in danger by not only the springs, but also by wildlife.
Source: ABC News