Nature Without the Nanny State
This weekend into the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, I noticed a curious warning: “Aggressive mountain goats have been reported. Use caution and move away.” No. Really? But they’re so photogenic — snow-white, sinewy, with gravity-defying dexterity — and, until recently, so rarely encountered. The fatal goring of a hiker last year by a rogue goat inPlenty of people have, in fact, defied the obvious and commonsensical — and paid for it with their lives. Three of this summer’s Yosemite deaths came when hikers went around a guardrail with a warning sign and waded into water that swiftly carried them over a cliff.
So, the conundrum: More than ever, an urban nation plagued by , sloth and a surfeit of digital entertainment should encourage people to experience the wild — but does that mean nature has to be tame and lawyer-vetted?
My experience, purely anecdotal, is that the more rangers try to bring the nanny state to public lands, the more careless, and dependent, people become. There will always be steep cliffs, deep water, and ornery and unpredictable animals in that messy part of the national habitat not crossed by climate-controlled malls and processed-food emporiums. If people expect a grizzly bear to be benign, or think a glacier is just another variant of a theme park slide, it’s not the fault of the government when something goes fatally wrong.
This year, Yosemite is experiencing a surge of visitors — 730,000 in July, a record for a single month, they say. The park service is happy to be loved, after years of declining or stagnant use. But a lot of people bring their city swagger to the outdoors; they forget that Yosemite, the greatest waterfall show on earth, is also more than 90 percent wilderness.
“Many of these people aren’t used to nature,” said Kari Cobb, a Yosemite park ranger. “They don’t fully understand it. We’ve got more than 800 trails and 3,000-foot cliffs in this park. You can’t put guardrails around the whole thing.” Last week, on the popular Mist Trail, which winds along the spray and froth of a thunderous nearby waterfall, Ms. Cobb found people hiking barefoot on the wet rock staircase. At Vernal Fall, where the water gathers itself in a stirring pool before plunging more than 300 feet, some hikers still ignore signs saying, essentially, don’t jump to your death.
National Park Service Cliff Warning Signs - News
Three of this summer's Yosemite deaths came when hikers went around a guardrail with a warning sign and waded into water that swiftly carried them over a cliff. So, the conundrum: More than ever, an urban nation plagued by obesity , sloth and a surfeit
Three of this summer's Yosemite deaths came when hikers went around a guardrail with a warning sign and waded into water that swiftly carried them over a cliff. So, the conundrum: More than ever, an urban nation plagued by obesity, sloth and a surfeit
The colors of the sea, the cedars on the islands, even the signs warning people not to step into the road are soft and faded by warm haze. Mountains tumble almost to the sea. My train curls around the spines of tiny beaches, past dilapidated shrines to
Relatives of the Vernal Fall victims, for example, have suggested higher railings and more warning signs. Park officials say visitors have to take some responsibility for their own safety, and that more railings, warning signs and trail controls
Photo: Cliff Owen / AP Heavy rains and wind from Hurricane Irene whip the sand on the beach at Pawleys Island, SC, Friday, Aug. 26, 2011. Hurricane Irene began lashing the East Coast with rain Friday ahead of a weekend of violent weather that was
Grandpa charged with forcing Grand Canyon hikes - US news
September 01, 2011 — FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (AP) — An Indiana man forced his three young grandsons to hike 18 miles in triple-digit heat at the Grand Canyon and denied them food and water, authorities said.
Christopher Carlson, of Indianapolis, remained jailed Thursday on six counts of child abuse. The boys, ages 12, 9 and 8, told investigators that they had been hit, pushed, choked, pinched and squeezed during trips on a popular trail at the canyon's South Rim last month.
On the latest hike over the weekend down the Bright Angel Trail, temperatures reached 108 degrees at Phantom Ranch along the Colorado River. A ranger spotted the group with binoculars on the trail and saw Carlson shoving the oldest boy and whipping him with a rolled-up T-shirt, authorities said.
National Park Service Special Agent Chris Smith testified that Carlson told authorities that the boys had been overweight and that he thought the hike would get them into shape. "He told me that he loved his grandchildren very much, but at the same time there were tough people in the world and his grandchildren needed to be tough as well," Smith said.
Authorities said Carlson tortured and beat the boys, and instructed them to lie to park rangers about any injuries. Rangers and passers-by noted the alleged abuse by Carlson, according to court documents.
The boys said Carlson also forced their fingers down their throats, making them vomit. Rangers fed and hydrated the boys inside an ambulance and they were placed in the care of child protective services. One boy had symptoms of heat stroke, while the other two exhibited signs of heat exhaustion and dehydration.
The Bright Angel Trail can be deceiving. It starts at the top of the canyon at around 7,000 feet in elevation and drops to 2,400 feet by the river, and the temperature varies widely. The Park Service advises hikers not to make the trip to the river and back in one day. Warning signs are posted at the trailhead and along the trail.
National Park Service Cliff Warning Signs - Bookshelf
Super Service, Seven Keys to Delivering Great Customer Service...Even When You Don't Feel Like It!...Even When They Don't Deserve It!
" - Richard Notebaert, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Ameritech. "Powerful...this book will make every customer service provider's job more enjoyable.National Science Education Standards, observe, interact, change, learn
Suggests educational standards for use across the nation, and provides a plan for achieving widespread scientific literacy over the next decadeRemarkable Service
Filled with invaluable real-life examples and important dos and don'ts, this book gives both new and experienced servers and their managers the skills, ...Hiking Yellowstone National Park
Let veteran hiker and outdoor writer Bill Schneider guide you on a wide variety of day hikes and extended backpacking trips into the vast interior of this ...Lunar Park
Day-to-day Info Directory
Yosemite National Park - Rock Fall (U.S. National Park Service)
The National Park Service is responding to rock fall in a variety of ways. ... Park managers may also close trails and post warning signs in particularly hazardous ...
Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Guadalupe Mountains ...
The gate has a National Park Service arrowhead logo and an AT&T warning sign on it. The drive is 7.3 miles, one way, and takes approximately one hour. ...
USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO), Home Page
Warning signs of the National Park Service are at least 50 m upslope (right) ... to the signs posted landward of the entry area by the National Park Service. ...
Rock Fall and Rock Slide Hazards in Yosemite National Park
Pay attention to warning signs, stay off of closed trails, and, if ... The National Park Service is learning from their rock fall research program and using ...
If a Rock Falls in a Park ... | National Parks Traveler
In 1999, a rock climber in Yosemite National Park died when he was hit by falling rock. ... You can't hang a sign on every cliff warning people of the obvious danger. ...