National Parks Aren't Theme Parks
Timothy Egan on American politics and life, as seen from the West.
Teanaway Valley, Wash.
CHECKING the Forest Service Web site before a hike 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 in Olympic National Park has not only changed the way we anthropomorphize these wild animals, but it’s prompted $10 million in wrongful-death claims by the victim’s family, and new warnings about the perils of nature.
In Yosemite National Park, where 16 people have died in 2011 — almost three times the average for this time of year — park rangers have taken to telling people not to wear flip-flops while hiking the steep, slick Mist Trail, and not to swim in the killer currents above 317-foot Vernal Fall.
Angie Wang [...]
I guess even amongst wild animals there are those individuals that just aren't civil. Or, we're really pissin' 'em off these days. (Can't imagine why. :D)