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Thread: 6/6/16 - Yellowstone - Man dies in Hot Spring

  1. #1
    Moderator jman's Avatar
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    6/6/16 - Yellowstone - Man dies in Hot Spring

    23yr-old male "falls into" hot spring after venturing off the boardwalk.

    This is according to the sister who saw the man (brother) fall into it but the body has not been located yet.


    http://www.greatfallstribune.com/sto...ring/85576562/


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    "He who walks on the edge...will eventually fall."
    "There are two ways to die in the desert - dehydration and drowning." -overhearing a Park Ranger at Capitol Reef N.P.
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    "SEND IT, BRO!!"

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  3. #2
    Very sad story, but things still don't add up. He walked over 200 yards off the boardwalk before his sister alerted anyone? No one else reported him on the basin?

    Looks like there's no body to recover, just "some personal effects" as the part spokesperson put it.
    http://www.cbsnews.com/news/yellowst...ad-hot-spring/

    Followup: This article states that both the victim and his sister were both walking off the boardwalk when he fell in.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/...l-hot-springs/

  4. #3
    Sounds like there's a new "Spouse Dies on Angel's Landing" site??? Sickening.

  5. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by qedcook View Post
    Sounds like there's a new "Spouse Dies on Angel's Landing" site??? Sickening.
    I know. After the "Yoga Twins" incident in Hawaii (one twin charged with murdering her twin sister by driving off a cliff) I'm thinking there are quite a few other possibilities.

    Just playing conspiracy game here: Sister kills brother elsewhere. Brings some of his "personal effects" to Yellowstone. Walks off the boardwalk (that area might not be as dangerous since a road used to cut through the west end of Norris Basin). Tosses the flip flops and other stuff in a mud pot. Goes back and claims brother fell in.

    Not sayin' it's possible, just fodder for fiction writers.

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  7. #5
    Moderator jman's Avatar
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    Nice Glenn. I like the narrative!

    So are these hot springs at Noris pretty deep? I haven't been to them and if they are that acidic, could they dissolve a body fairly quick? I'm not the chemist here, obviously.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    ●Canyoneering 'Canyon Conditions' @ www.candition.com
    ●Hiking Treks (my younger brother's website): hiking guides @ www.thetrekplanner.com
    "He who walks on the edge...will eventually fall."
    "There are two ways to die in the desert - dehydration and drowning." -overhearing a Park Ranger at Capitol Reef N.P.
    "...the first law of gear-dynamics: gear is like a gas - it will expand to fit the available space." -Wortman, Outside magazine.
    "SEND IT, BRO!!"

  8. #6
    Too bad they don't allow drones in the National Parks. They could have saved a lot of trouble to verify what happened.

  9. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by jman View Post
    Nice Glenn. I like the narrative!

    So are these hot springs at Noris pretty deep? I haven't been to them and if they are that acidic, could they dissolve a body fairly quick? I'm not the chemist here, obviously.

    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    The Norris Geyser Basin is pretty large and there are several features that are deep. However, if this happened where described (in multiple interviews with park personnel "about 225 yards off the boardwalk" near Porkchop Geyser), I'm guessing it is in a slightly wooded rise to the northwest. I found a feature about 10x12 feet in size that matches the description by one Ranger. They said it was a mudpot; deeper than wide; that it was superheated water (around boiling) and highly acidic.

    Here's my guess using Google Earth:
    Name:  NorrisBasin.jpg
Views: 561
Size:  130.8 KB

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  11. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by middlefork View Post
    Too bad they don't allow drones in the National Parks. They could have saved a lot of trouble to verify what happened.
    This is the absolute truth. Imagine how many footprints and equipment tracks could be there now. But I agree, if they allow a drone to be used for investigation, it's gotta be licensed and responsible.

  12. #9
    Drones are still allowed in National Parks for search and rescue, fire safety, and scientific study.
    Utah is a very special and unique place. There is no where else like it on earth. Please take care of it and keep the remaining wild areas in pristine condition. The world will be a better place if you do.

  13. #10

    6/6/16 - Yellowstone - Man dies in Hot Spring



  14. #11
    I wonder how many animals have met their demise in exactly this fashion?

  15. #12
    Quote Originally Posted by rockgremlin View Post
    I wonder how many animals have met their demise in exactly this fashion?
    Ever been to the La Brea Tar Pits? Ugh.

  16. #13
    I wonder how many animals have met their demise in exactly this fashion?
    Most wild animals have an instinct to steer clear. That is not always true about pets however. Several dogs have run away and jumped into the pools. Sometimes the owners have jumped in after them.

    Here's one story form the Montana Pioneer Newspaper:

    20 July 1981, David Kirwan, age 24, and Ronald Ratliff, 25, drove into the park from California. They parked at the Fountain Paint Pot parking lot. While the men observed the hot springs, Ratliff’s Great Dane escaped from the vehicle and ran headlong into Celestine Pool (one of Yellowstone’s roughly 10,000 hot springs, geysers, mudpots, and steam vents). Kirwan approached the edge of the pool, and though bystanders warned him not to, he plunged into the 202 degree water head first in an attempt to save the dog. He reached the dog, then realized it was futile and swam back to shore where Ratliff helped pull him out. As they moved to the sidewalk, Kirwan managed to say, “That was stupid, how bad am I?” Another tourist, Earl Welch, tried to help Kirwan. He could see Kirwan’s entire body was badly burned as the skin was already peeling off. Welch was suddenly overwhelmed with the feeling that he was walking with a corpse. It seemed to Welch that Kirwan was blind, as his eyes were totally white. The man was rushed to a Salt Lake City hospital, where he died the next day. Meanwhile, Ratliff’s dog had disinte-grated, with its fatty oils causing small eruptions in the hot springs for several days.
    Utah is a very special and unique place. There is no where else like it on earth. Please take care of it and keep the remaining wild areas in pristine condition. The world will be a better place if you do.

  17. #14
    Though a sad incident, and if Glens conspiracy theory is wrong, then I feel no remorse for another tourist who failed to follow precautions. This is a prime example of why our National Parks are becoming so regulated. Natural selection has a habit of weeding out the stupid. In result us who follow the rules and exercise precautions suffer the consequences. When I hear these instances a song comes to my mind. "Another ones bites the dust".

    Sorry if taken in poor taste. These stories anger me due to the fact that they often result in increased regulations & restrictions.

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