We Have Faith In That Being A Very Bad Idea

Pretty much all the major geysers in the geyser fields in Yellowstone near Old Faithful are cordoned off so that you can’t get dangerously close. Back in the day, this wasn’t always the case, and there were some minor ones you could get quite close to if you ignored the signs.

As a park ranger, I see a tourist enjoy a small geyser do its thing. He then walks past the sign and a small rope to place his face directly OVER the geyser.

Me: *Shouting.* “Sir! Get back behind the rope! That’s incredibly dangerous!”

Tourist: “I was just looking to see where the water has gone.”

Me: “Up in the air, as boiling steam, that will burn your face off if it goes off again with you standing there!”

Tourist: “Relax. If it were dangerous, they would have cordoned it off like Old Faithful!”

Me: “Geysers of boiling volcanic steam don’t hold back because we haven’t cordoned them off, sir! Get… back!”

The tourist shrugs and walks back onto the trail.

Tourist: “Geysers are stupid anyway. It’s just hot water! I get that at home from my shower!”

Me: “Tell you what. Go home, set your shower to 212 degrees, and set it to the same pressure as a sandblaster and let me know how that goes for you…”