The two men who trespassed on Old Faithful have faced justice.
Eric Schefflin of Colorado and Ryan Goetz of New York, both in their twenties, plead guilty to the violation of thermal trespass at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs. Both men walked across the incredibly fragile thermal surface around Old Faithful to peer into the cone. It was witnessed by dozens of Yellowstone visitors and staff.
And the punishment for their crime? Each was sentences to 10 days of incarceration, $540 in restitution, five years of unsupervised probation, and a five-year ban from Yellowstone National Park. The park – once again – takes this opportunity to stress the importance of staying on the boardwalks while visiting Yellowstone’s thermal features. It’s as much for their safety as it is for the preservation of the environment, as the thin crust can easily give way to the scalding water beneath.
As stewards of our much-beloved and important neighbor, it also behooves all of us to make sure anyone violating these rules is identified and reported.
