# Yellowstone geyser guy **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 2, 2016, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570 "2016-08-02T18:26:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/61 "2016-11-18T23:33:37Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > So, why didn’t YOU holler at him? I was only 17 at the time. If this were to happen now, I almost assuredly would. I just remember feeling a sense of extreme psychological discomfort and a strong urge to avoid looking. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2016, 11:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/62 "2016-11-18T23:58:42Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > almost everybody I’ve ever talked to about climbing Half Dome and reported fear said that it was going _down_ that freaked them out. They had no problems at all going up, but they were pooping their tighty-whities on the way down. Why is that? On the way up, your view is largely filled by a huge chunk of rock a few feet in front of you. On the way down, it consists of a spectacular panorama that includes vertiginous dropoffs thousands of feet high. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/63 "2016-11-19T03:01:46Z")
> [@Sigene](#): > > why is this news now? I saw it on the front page of CNN, but it happened several months ago and made news then. Just odd that it somehow got bubbled to the top of some editor’s list of interesting enough. Sure as hell isn’t current. Could the report have just been released, putting the whole “his body dissolved overnight” thing back in the news? That NPS report was heartbreaking. The SAR guy who wanted to keep searching but couldn’t was bad enough, but the handwritten notes from the sister were worse. And man, in those pictures, the water really does look like boiling acid. And he was reaching out to feel it when he slipped and fell in… ouch. How long would it take to die or at least lose consciousness from being submerged in boiling liquid? ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 8:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/64 "2016-11-19T08:31:08Z")
If you read the entire PDF (not that I’d blame you if you didn’t) the death certificate asserts death occurred in “seconds”. This may have been based on information in the video from the smartphone which you don’t get to see via the PDF. Is that reliable information or hopeful thinking? I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Isilder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/cc9497/32.png) [@Isilder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isilder)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/65 "2016-11-19T11:49:55Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Is that reliable information or hopeful thinking? I don’t know. The third option is “sustained injury incompatible with continuing to live within seconds”. There’s no sense having some sort of life guard to perform rescue service… ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/66 "2016-11-19T14:34:17Z")
So let me get this straight. From the discussion, there are four ways to die in a national park like Yellowstone. You can boil to death in a thermal pool. You can die in the woods and quickly decompose into fertilizer that turns into meadow plants. You can be eaten by a predator. You can fall from a great height. So the choices are… Soup, Salad, Appetizer or (pudding) Dessert? ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/67 "2016-11-19T14:40:46Z")
Yeah, I had to stop at the photos. That poor girl. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/68 "2016-11-19T14:58:26Z")
> [@Duckster](#): > > One must give credit to the NPS for redacting the report, then using a scanned copy of the redacted report for the FOIA request. All too often someone just redacts an existing PDF and makes it available. It’s then real easy to reverse-engineer the redactions and view was was supposed to be hidden. Don’t ask me how I know this. Because redactions in a PDF (and most Word files) are the equivalent of putting a post-it note over the info; it’s still in the file, just tagged “do not display” (unless you’re smart enough to know how, which isn’t very). Newer versions of Acrobat Pro have a full-fledged Redact tool. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/69 "2016-11-19T15:14:31Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > So let me get this straight. From the discussion, there are four ways to die in a national park like Yellowstone. > … Bravo! You win the thread. That dramatic crescendo is sublime. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/70 "2016-11-19T20:45:02Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > You can boil to death in a thermal pool. > > You can die in the woods and quickly decompose into fertilizer that turns into meadow plants. > > You can be eaten by a predator. > > You can fall from a great height. All facetiousness aside (and I loved the punchline too), for almost the entire history of the NPS the most common cause of death in National Parks has been cardiovascular events. For a short period of time during the early 1980’s this was supplanted by deaths from late-stage HIV infection, because terminal AIDS victims deliberately chose to die in a beautiful and peaceful place. But for the most part, the single most common cause of involuntary death in the NP system always has been, and probably always will be, failure of the cardiovascular system. ---
**Author:** ![bobkitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c67d28/32.png) [@bobkitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bobkitty)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/71 "2016-11-19T21:55:08Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > If you read the entire PDF (not that I’d blame you if you didn’t) the death certificate asserts death occurred in “seconds”. This may have been based on information in the video from the smartphone which you don’t get to see via the PDF. > > Is that reliable information or hopeful thinking? I don’t know. The thermal impact from hitting water that runs between 218-250 degrees F would result in the individual involuntarily gasping, allowing the hot, slightly acidic water entry to the lungs. I imagine death within seconds is not hopeful thinking at that point. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/72 "2016-11-19T23:02:21Z")
> [@bobkitty](#): > > The thermal impact from hitting water that runs between 218-250 degrees F would result in the individual involuntarily gasping, allowing the hot, slightly acidic water entry to the lungs. I imagine death within seconds is not hopeful thinking at that point. Endorphins would rapidly kick in and the person would probably feel pain for only a short time. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/73 "2016-11-19T23:03:40Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > All facetiousness aside (and I loved the punchline too), for almost the entire history of the NPS the most common cause of death in National Parks has been cardiovascular events. For a short period of time during the early 1980’s this was supplanted by deaths from late-stage HIV infection, because terminal AIDS victims deliberately chose to die in a beautiful and peaceful place. But for the most part, the single most common cause of involuntary death in the NP system always has been, and probably always will be, failure of the cardiovascular system. With all the senior citizens who go to those parks, I can certainly believe it. On a not-so-unrelated note, I was surprised to find out that the most common cause of death for LEOs, which would include park rangers, who die in the line of duty is not gunshot wounds. It’s automobile accidents. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/74 "2016-11-19T23:09:23Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > On a not-so-unrelated note, I was surprised to find out that the most common cause of death for LEOs, which would include park rangers, who die in the line of duty is not gunshot wounds. It’s automobile accidents. I heard that years ago. While I wouldn’t have thought of it, it’s very logical. Think how much time state troopers and deputies and such spend on the road. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/75 "2016-11-19T23:24:22Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > So let me get this straight. From the discussion, there are four ways to die in a national park like Yellowstone. > > You can boil to death in a thermal pool. > > You can die in the woods and quickly decompose into fertilizer that turns into meadow plants. > > You can be eaten by a predator. > > You can fall from a great height. > > So the choices are… > > Soup, Salad, Appetizer or (pudding) Dessert? You left out lightning strike, drowning, freezing, falling objects (rocks thrown from above, landslides), and in Yellowstone eruptions of clouds of poisonous gas that can accumulate in low-lying areas and cause asphyxiation. Also one’s fellow humans via means like car accidents, bar fights, and other mayhem. Although bravo on the spoiler. ---
**Author:** ![octopus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/octopus/32/3716_2.png) [@octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/octopus)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2016, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/76 "2016-11-19T23:55:45Z")
It’s tragic, however it seems a lot less people get hurt than should. Every time we go to a national park we see several people acting stupidly. ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/77 "2016-11-20T02:14:54Z")
> [@octopus](#): > > … it seems a lot less people get hurt than should. Which can be part of the problem. For example, Yellowstone NP has lots of bison. They are potentially quite dangerous, and injure people every year. Plenty of signs warn of the danger. But much of the time they take little notice of humans and generally act no more threatening than a herd of cows. So people soon abandon their wary behavior, and pretty soon are posing their kids next to the baby bison for a photo. Even this sort of stupidity only occasionally leads to trouble. Human nature doesn’t tend to handle 1% risk very well. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/78 "2016-11-20T02:17:32Z")
Darwin is weaker selective pressure than would be good for the gene pool’s overall hygiene. ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/79 "2016-11-20T03:33:58Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > Endorphins would rapidly kick in and the person would probably feel pain for only a short time. Just a short, say, 2 minutes? ---
**Author:** ![pool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pool/32/4152_2.png) [@pool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pool)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2016, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570/80 "2016-11-20T03:54:34Z")
> [@](#): > > In at least one of the gift shops at the Grand Canyon you can buy a book about the many people who have fallen to their death in the Canyon. When we were there one March it was extremely windy and I saw a tottery old couple climbing down a stairway with no railings whatsoever. I could not watch. My Father claims that when he visited the Grand Canyon with his now ex-wife she wanted to take a picture of him by the edge and she kept telling him back up, ok back up some more, a little more, little bit more, and suddenly he looked down and was at the very edge with the ground crumbling under his foot, basically that she was trying to get rid of him. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/yellowstone-geyser-guy/761570.md?page=5)