A park like Shenandoah has everything going for it.

…everything that could lull you into a state of lackadaisical passivity. Countless amenities with ample signage, easy highway access, and throngs of tourists make a popular east coast park seem overwhelmingly safe. Shenandoah National Park is a place where your grandparents picnic. It is a place where families take half mile hikes. It is a place where tourists drive the well-manicured Skyline Drive.

Then, you see photos like this:

If not for the heavy equipment, this picture of Skyline Drive could be mistaken for  a foreboding destination in a Tolkien story. And while there probably aren’t any ice trolls, there is certainly still a level of danger present.

A few days’ worth of unseasonable or extreme conditions can tip the scales anywhere. Even places that are safely wild, like National Parks close to major metropolitan areas, can turn dangerous. Safely wild is what gets people in trouble. Entrance stations manned by rangers and familiar parking lots have the potential to gloss over the cliffs, the dense hollows, and the venomous/poisonous/toothy things that define parks. This wilder wilderness is what led to the formal designation of a park in the first place.

While the vast majority of National Park visitors and visits go by as pleasant and uneventful, the wild can and does take its toll. Harrowing moments, injuries, and fatalities do occur under the best conditions. Add in a quick drop in temperature, a sudden burst of precipitation, a period of unexpected winds and the variables of a day in the woods change significantly. And as anyone with enough experience knows, the woods don’t have to be miles and miles away from civilization. You can get in trouble within earshot of an entrance station or parking lot.

All of this ought not serve as scare tactics from enjoying the 360-degree panorama of the natural world under diverse conditions. It is a reminder that simple things like hiking, camping, and fly fishing aren’t done on human terms. One flooded creek, one downed tree, or one empty canteen can radically alter everything. A sustained period of winter weather in winter makes even the most safely wild places unsafe. Knowing this, and responding appropriately is what matters most.

Regardless of gear, regardless of know-how, regardless of physical fitness: we’re all tourists.