Yosemite National Parkt boasts some of the tallest and most alluring waterfalls in the United States, drawing thousands of vistors each year. Hiking enthusiast Chintan Chokshi came to view their splendor up close and dropped his genes in the process.

With a degree in Engineering, Chintan could not help but appreciate that the silt coarsing through the mountain runoff acts like a fine-grain sanding machine, 24-hours a day for tens of thousands of years. As a result, the steep and angled runoff trail and basin are free of graspable obstructions and are smoother than glass, offering no traction to the foot at all. So said the huge warning signs posted on the safety railings that Chintan had to scale before flushing his DNA down one of nature's most spectacular drain pipes.

Having hiked more than 30 minutes up the trail next to Vernal Falls' sheer 317 foot drop -- the height of a twenty-storey building -- it took Chintan about three seconds to get back down. Ignoring the warning signs, the advice of his hiking buddies, and the physics of that ulra-finely sanded surface, Chintan scaled the railing about as close as he could get to the lip of the falls -- about 20 feet away -- and slid out like an ice skaterr to dowse his face with refreshing snow-melt. Chintan kept sliding, according to friends, until he met the physics of the rapidly rushing runoff, only to experience first hand just how ultra smooth 20,000 years of relentless sanding can make a long, rocky expanse. Chintan, water, gravity, and momentum combined with a lack of resistance for the ultimate cold shower, as our fearless gene dropper slid over the falls before he could comment on the water's more satisfying characteristics.

Submitted on 08/18/2005

Submitted by: John W. Mustafa
Reference: 8/3/05 http://www.nbc11.com/ne

Copyright © 2005 DarwinAwards.com

Jack said:
Maybe Toss: Other
While I don't recall your previous submission, I dare say that the reasons for rejection had to do with the fact that accidents involving people falling from high places are too common for an award. And I'm sorry, but irony isn't a good reason for an award either.

Tracy said:
Maybe Toss: Too Common
Sorry - but plenty of people ignore the warning signs, and have this kind of accident. More details here : http://www.nbc11.com/news/4805615/detail.html

Kelly said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
ok, i like this write up and the submitter has a valid point. the man was an engineer, and while I had no idea that the silt would sand the rocks like that, I suppose he should have. Though depending on his field of study, that's not a given either.

Charles said:
Definitely Keep: For Darwin's Eyes
I'll side with Kelly on this one. It may be worth keeping based on the strength of this write-up.

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