by Donald Wood
Last updated: 10:03 AM ET, Mon September 16, 2019
National Park officials take their warnings very serious, and two tourists are now in hot water for climbing too close to Old Faithful at Yellowstone and being reported by other visitors.
According to KRTV.com, rangers working at Yellowstone National Park Tuesday were notified of two unidentified men who had ignored the no trespassing signs in the area and had left the designated boardwalk to step dangerously close to the mouth of the steaming geyser.
One of the witnesses who reported the men, Kimberly Guilliams, said they were taking cellphone pictures dangerously close to the geyser. She and her family couldn't believe what they were seeing, saying the actions of the men were "complete stupidity."
"My family and I just couldn't believe what was happening," Guilliams told Good Morning America. "They just didn't care and we couldn't believe that they thought that that was OK."
"I don't see how anyone couldn't be aware of the rules. They're posted everywhere," Guilliams continued. "They're in multiple different languages. All around the border of the geyser, there are rules saying that it is very dangerous, that the ground is unstable and very fragile."
The National Park Service said the two suspects were charged with thermal trespassing and have been ordered to appear in court in December.
Last week's incident was not the first time visitors have been caught trespassing near Yellowstone's Old Faithful, as a 27-year-old man was arrested in 2018 for sticking his head in the spout of the famous geyser.
For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.
Topics From This Article to Explore
