Is it the beginning of the end of the world as we know it, or did Yellowstone and Yosemite parks simply get hexed this year?
A slew of wildfires and patron deaths, ranging from a bear feeding frenzy to a fallen tree limb, are making some would-be visitors think twice about making scenic national parks their summer destination.
And, as if those plaguing problems weren’t bad enough, Yosemite officials just issued a warning about the risk of tourists catching the deadly Plague too, after a pair of campers contracted it from flea bites and died from the rare illness.
In fact, that recent hazard alert follows closely on the heels of a report last week concerning a newly discovered supervolcano lying deep (and so far dormant) beneath Yellowstone National Park.
USGS researchers from Utah made the surprise find of a vast underground volcanic chamber in Yellowstone that they say contains so much molten rock, if it all suddenly started spewing, the lava would easily fill up the Grand Canyon … 11 times.
Trekking the wilderness already posed harrowing possibilities for the careless, especially in Yellowstone where one section of it straddles both Wyoming and Idaho and, thus, creates a jurisdictional limbo just rife for a perfect crime.
But to think all these odd new threats are suddenly lurking within America’s most pristine, protected and picturesque environments -- some so tiny you couldn’t spot them if you tried -- is mindboggling.
Now, in addition to steep cliffs, impenetrable woods and treacherous bodies of water, you must also beware of murderous branches, bears, bison, blazes and bacterium. Not to mention sleeping giant volcanoes and your fellow man, should you accidentally wander into Yellowstone’s Zone Of Death…
What’s happening this year in our beloved national parklands?
