eHarmony Honesty Fail

Yellowstone National Park is famous for landscapes that look almost otherworldly: brilliantly colored hot springs, erupting geysers and pools of steaming water rising from the volcanic ground. But some of its most beautiful features are also among its most dangerous. In June 2016, a visit to Yellowstone ended in tragedy for 23-year-old Colin Scott after he fell into one of the park's near-boiling geothermal pools. Scott and his sister had reportedly ventured away from the designated boardwalk in the Norris Geyser Basin while looking for a place to “hot pot,” the practice of soaking in naturally heated geothermal water. It was a decision that would have devastating consequences. He Was Looking for a Place to Soak Yellowstone sits above an enormous volcanic system that heats water beneath the Earth's surface, creating the thousands of geysers, hot springs and other geothermal features scattered throughout the park. Some springs can reach temperatures close to 200°F (93°C) at the surface. Despite their beautiful appearance, many are completely unsuitable for bathing. Beyond the extreme temperatures, some geothermal pools contain highly acidic or alkaline water capable of causing catastrophic injuries. That's why visitors are required to remain on designated trails and boardwalks around Yellowstone's thermal areas. Scott and his sister had left the boardwalk when they approached one of the springs. According to reports about the incident, Scott was checking the water temperature when he slipped and fell into the pool. His sister witnessed what happened and went for help. Rangers Couldn't Recover His Body That Night Park rangers responded to the area, but there was little they could do. Scott had already died. Recovery efforts were complicated by the extremely dangerous conditions surrounding the spring. Rangers could not safely enter the water, and an approaching thunderstorm eventually forced them to leave the area for the night. They planned to return the following morning. But when rangers came back, there was effectively nothing left to recover. Scott's body was no longer visible in the spring. Personal belongings, including his wallet and flip-flops, were recovered from the area, but the combination of intense heat and the pool's chemistry had rapidly broken down his remains. Deputy Chief Ranger Lorant Veress described what had happened in an incident report: “In a very short order, there was a significant amount of dissolving.” The horrifying detail would become one of the most widely reported aspects of the tragedy. Yellowstone's Beauty Can Hide Extreme Danger It's easy to understand why Yellowstone's thermal pools attract so much attention. Some are surrounded by vivid shades of orange, yellow, blue and green. Others appear calm and crystal clear, almost like natural swimming pools. But appearances can be dangerously misleading. Yellowstone contains roughly 10,000 hydrothermal features, and the ground surrounding them can also be unstable. In some places, what appears to be solid earth may actually be only a thin crust sitting above dangerously hot water. That is why the National Park Service repeatedly warns visitors not to leave boardwalks or designated trails in thermal areas. People have suffered severe burns after falling into or coming into contact with Yellowstone's geothermal waters, and more than 20 people have reportedly died from burns sustained after entering or falling into the park's hot springs. One Wrong Step Had Irreversible Consequences Colin Scott was only 23 years old when what began as a trip through one of America's most spectacular national parks ended in an unimaginable tragedy. His death also illustrates something Yellowstone officials continue trying to impress upon millions of visitors each year: the park's geothermal landscape isn't an amusement attraction. It is an active, unpredictable and sometimes lethal natural environment. The boardwalks, barriers and warning signs separating visitors from Yellowstone's thermal features can sometimes seem overly cautious when the water looks peaceful just a few feet away. Scott's story shows why they are there. In Yellowstone's geothermal areas, stepping beyond them can mean encountering water hot enough to kill within moments and conditions so extreme that, in Scott's case, there was almost nothing left to recover the following morning.