Oregon Man Killed in Yellowstone: Darwin in Action

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Just a few days ago I was asked if handling explosives was dangerous and has anyone ever made a mistake. I can honestly say that I have never met anyone who has ever made a mistake with explosives. Think about it.
Makes me think most explosives are more stable than I realized... ;)
 
But rw, this man was over 200 yards off the clearly marked path in an area known to be dangerous and potentially deadly. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand that some areas in one of the most geologically active areas in the world just might possibly be unstable in spots. I've never been to Yellowstone, but I do know that if it is marked "Don't get off the path", that it might be a good idea to follow the rules.
 
Lots of stuff going on in Yellowstone this year! I learned by the time I was 5 years old to stay on the boardwalks in the Yellowstone geyser basins for exactly the reason observed here. Water boils at 199 deg. at Yellowstone's altitude, plenty hot enough to cook you in short order, and most of the pools in the Norris Basin are pretty close to this. The Ph factor of these pools varies throughout the Park - some in the southern areas are actually alkaline. Pools in the northern areas are mostly quite acidic with Ph generally somewhere between 2 and 3. That is very acidic for a natural feature. Combine the heat and the acidity and a body will fall to pieces and disappear in very short order. Yellowstone is one of those places where nature is very unforgiving. Hot pools, geysers, rock slides, bears, moose, lightning, etc. will all kill you just as quick as any other animal that gets in the way. Those warning signs are there for a reason!
 
"Park rangers searching the area of the hot springs encountered a group of grizzly bears cooking one large pot of baked beans and another of barbecue sauce, and slicing up tomatoes and cucumbers for what appeared to be tossed salad. The bears ran off, looking guilty of something."
 
I was in Hawaii in the 80's and visited the volcano fields. There was an active flow that was actually glowing red in spots and dripping into the ocean.

NEVER once did I think that I should leave the marked trail and walk across the blackened crust to get a close up photo of one of the open areas where glowing red could be seen. Somewhere in the back of my brain there was probably a little voice that said "hey dummy, if you fall through the crust your foot will probably melt off." Therefore I stayed on the path and let the camera do the close ups.

Unfortunately, some folks don't have that little voice or don't listen to it. I understand that alcohol sometimes mutes the voice too. :cool:
 
Too much Disney, not enough time in the outdoors. People don't realize that nature has teeth, poison, and anger issues at times. There is a reason you don't see Bison in petting zoos, there is a reason you don't feed the bears.
 
A small bear was put down last night in a suburb near here,too many people were trying to take selfies with it according to the press release.
 
i just realized that i can't throw stones at this guy.
i used to canoe white water. a couple times i was sure i was gonna die n i might have.
tumbling around in a roaring river, getting hit by pieces of ice, so cold i wasn't cold, you would consider stupid.
but it was my choice. i knew the risks but did it anyway.
i loved it n i'd still do it if there were good rivers here.

so, maybe, doing stupid stuff is just part of being human.
 
I've been to Yellowstone Park dozens of times. When you enter at a gate and pay your fee or show your pass, they give you a nice pamphlet and map of the park. The pamphlet warns you about the park's hazards as well as attractions, clearly warning about the animals, the geothermal features and the opportunities for people to fall to their deaths.

At each attraction, there are numerous prominently placed signs warning you what can go wrong, multiple signs all over on the bigger features. The geothermal areas with surface water and steam have very nice walkways and boardwalks and multiple, prominent signs telling you to stay on them, that the water/steam/whatever is dangerous.

Being a college graduate, there is no way the deceased was unaware he was putting himself in mortal danger by walking off the trails and/or boardwalks. He well might have intentionally killing himself.
 
i just realized that i can't throw stones at this guy.
i used to canoe white water. a couple times i was sure i was gonna die n i might have.
tumbling around in a roaring river, getting hit by pieces of ice, so cold i wasn't cold, you would consider stupid.
but it was my choice. i knew the risks but did it anyway.
i loved it n i'd still do it if there were good rivers here.

so, maybe, doing stupid stuff is just part of being human.

True enough ...
After all, stuffing an explosive substance into a tube and capping it off with a rock with the intent of adding fire to the mix would not be considered a rational act had it not become the very thing that brought us here
 
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