Portland Man Who Died at Yellowstone Was Looking to "Hot Pot"

The Portland man who died at Yellowstone National Park in June had been looking for a pool in which he could soak, according to documents released by the Department of the Interior. It had originally been reported just that Colin Scott had slipped and fell.

The documents, first released in response to a freedom of information request by Montana station KUIR, detail how Scott had been looking for a place to soak. They also go into detail about efforts to help Scott's sister, who was with him at the time, and other members of the family come to terms with what had happened.

The accident happened by Pork Chop Geyser on June 7th.

Scott, 23, and his sister Sable, had left the boardwalk and walked several hundred feet looking for a pool in which they could soak. In Oregon, where people regularly soak in the hot springs, the pools reach temperatures between 85 and 112 degrees.

In Yellowstone, they reach temperatures in excess of 225 degrees.

The activity of soaking in a hot spring is referred to as "hot potting."

The report quotes Sable saying that's what her brother was hoping to do. He was checking the temperature when he slipped and fell in. The temperature and acidity killed him quickly and made recovery of his body impossible.

One of the reports is from a woman who was assigned to work with Sable as a family liaison.

"I informed Sable that unfortunately recovery efforts had ceased," she wrote. "I explained that even though Rangers used multiple tools and technologies, due to the high temperature and acidity of the feature, we now believed there is no longer an intact body to recover.

"I expressed my sincerest condolences and while being tactful and compassionate, tried to help him understand why we could not recover any part of his sons body."

The reports also indicate that Sable had been recording her brother on her iPhone when he slipped and fell. The report says that she did not want to watch the video or know what it showed. She walked out of the room when rangers reviewed it.

The Department of Interior redacted descriptions of the video from the reports that were released.

Photos of the spring where Colin Scott died courtesy Department of Interior.