The summer may be wrapping up, but dumb tourist season is apparently still very much in session. Every year we think we cannot possibly see behavior worse than what we saw the year prior. And every year, a new video from one of our Nation's National Parks proves us wrong yet again. Case in point is this recent video shot at St. Mary Falls in Glacier National Park in Montana. As you'll see in the video shared by the Instagram account "tourons of Yellowstone," a rather large log has washed down the river and has lodged itself on some rocks right at the top of the falls. Rather than just admire the falls and the extremely fast-moving water from the safety of the bridge and nearby decks, at least one woman saw that log and thought of it as a photo opportunity.
As the video starts the woman is sitting in the middle of the log right above the fast-moving waters! The log may look large, but it's likely far from being stable. It appears she poses for some photos before scooting her way back along the log for the safety of the rocks where she first went off-trail. This is one of those situations where all you can do is shake your head in amazement at how some people play dangerous, stupid games with their own lives.
While a fall from that log would likely have not killed this woman, drowning is still the number one leading cause of death in National Parks. The waters of that river are moving fast and furious, and not even the best Olympic swimmers in the world would be able to fight those swift currents. There would likely have been nothing anyone could have done to save her.
We shouldn't have to state this over and over, but do not do this. The trails, boardwalks, and railings are there for a reason. This woman is an adult, we shouldn't have to state how dangerous doing something like this is. Sadly, for many of the people who walk through the gates of our gorgeous National Parks, common sense appears lost on them. About the only good thing we can take away from this video is that at least no one was harassing an animal this time. Just think of this as yet another example of what not to do on your late season trips to America's most beautiful natural areas.
For more outdoor content from Travis Smola, be sure to follow him on Twitter and Instagram For original videos, check out his Geocaching and Outdoors with Travis YouTube channels.
