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Abstract
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Morning Glory is one of the more than 10,000 geothermal features of Yellowstone National Park (44.4748 N, −110.8431 W) that includes hot springs, geysers, mud pots, travertine terraces, and fumaroles. Hot springs are known for their blistering hot temperatures (as high as 120 °C) and kaleidoscope of colors caused by their resident thermophilic cyanobacteria.
Hot springs' combination of alluring colors, deadly temperatures, and frangible terrain have caused catastrophic outcomes for visitors of the park since its early days, with the first recorded fatality as early as 1890. There have been at least 22 deaths from falls into geothermal features since the establishment of the park.1 Many fatalities occur due to unsupervised children, fishermen getting too close to lakeside geysers at West Thumb Basin, or illegal "hot-potting."1 Most of these cases involved full immersion, resulting in extensive third-degree burns and death due to complications hours to days later. It is unclear how many nonfatal injuries have occurred but given the preponderance of geothermal features and increasingly high numbers of visitors to the park, the number cannot be insignificant. Treatment of severe burns includes intravenous hydration, complex wound care, and multimodal analgesia, which can be challenging in limited resource settings and requires transport to specialized care.2
Prevention of geothermal injuries is tricky; the national park does what it can to warn and protect visitors of these dangers without compromising the natural beauty and access to the area. Morning Glory hot spring, known for its prismatic colors and seemingly bottomless pool, is a favorite of the Yellowstone Old Faithful Clinic staff; it's a short walk away and is especially majestic at daybreak before the arrival of the day's first patients/visitors.
Language: en |