One hiker discovered that even the most remote and sacred locations aren't immune to vandalism, prompting them to report their disheartening finding to the National Park Service.
In Reddit's r/extremelyinfuriating community, the hiker shared a series of photos from Arizona's Salt River Canyon Wilderness Area, including one from Skeleton Cave, where the U.S. Army led a massacre of nearly 100 Yavapai adults and children in 1872, per the Zinn Education Project and the American Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project. The first image reveals a YouTuber had marked their presence by carving their name and a date into the cave's rock.
"YouTuber defaced the sacred skeleton cave with his ad placed just above a bullet mark from the 1872 massacre site," the original poster wrote, hiding the name of the offender in the photo perhaps to avoid drawing more attention to the YouTuber's channel.
Other Redditors were outraged by the vandalism, with one advising the OP to contact NPS officials about the carvings.
"You need to report this person," the commenter wrote, sharing an NPS report detailing how one federal judge sentenced a woman to two years' probation and 200 hours of community service in 2016 after an investigation revealed she damaged rock formations at seven national parks.
While the OP wasn't convinced reporting the damage would do any good because Skeleton Cave isn't in a national park, another commenter pointed out that it is on the National Register of Historic Places, meaning the NPS would likely want to take swift action on the matter.
"Done/submitted," the OP replied. "... Either way he left his name and YT channel and so I'd say fines are in their future."
Some people who vandalize delicate areas may not realize the impact of their actions, but that doesn't make the harm any less real.
For instance, park rangers at Arizona's Montezuma Castle National Monument had to wrap sycamores in cut-resistant burlap, as carvings in bark by tourists were leaving the temperature-regulating trees vulnerable to pests and disease.
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Other hikers have encountered litter on trails and even in illegal campsites. Improper disposal of waste is not only an eyesore, ruining the experience of responsible vacationers connecting with nature, but also a public health hazard as a potential mosquito breeding ground. Furthermore, wildlife often pay the ultimate price after mistaking litter for food.
"People who do this kind of stuff are so infuriating. I'm so sick of seeing names carved in trees & picnic tables & this situation is far worse," another commenter vented.
"Glad you reported him," someone else wrote.
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