Yellowstone: the introspective landscape- Part XIII

excerpts from my new book-

Chapter 6-

Reincarnated Geyser!

Geothermal areas are beautiful and strange. Like sirens, they beckon the visitor to satisfy his curiosity with their puffs of ephemeral ether. Without boardwalks to safely guide you, they can be lethal. Every summer someone is boiled. A few get just get third degree burns. On occasions some die. Most do so from stupidity. Some just from standing in the wrong place at the wrong time like what happened to a nearly scalded to death fly fisherman while casting next to Flood Geyser as it began to eject 10,000 gallons on top of him. People have been scalded while on the presumed safety of the boardwalk. In the event that worlds biggest geyser, Steamboat, blows, there might not be a safe haven within several tenths of a miles as an ejecta of cannonball-like boulders and other geologic shrapnel fall around you: sometimes no place is safe. Backcountry geothermal areas have no boardwalks. Here there no rangers to warn you when you are on dangerous ground. So why go boil yourself to death where no one can see you die? You do it to experience the natural Yellowstone! A Yellowstone as it was before the lodges, boardwalks, roads and crowds. Explore the backcountry in the hope to discover new and different features as each geyser, hot spring or geothermal feature has its own character as each person has their own personality.

to be continued...