At the start of the Xania Gorge walk. (Xania, Greece)

You know those signs meant to warn, “Watch out! Be careful! You are in a dangerous situation!?” Sure you do, they are everywhere you hike, swim, and climb in places that are maybe best left to the mountain goats and terrifying jellyfish (perhaps now my most feared creature on earth). These signs and their artists have all the best intentions, I know, but I just can’t help but smile, be slightly amused, or even completely bust out laughing aloud. I often feel just a little abashed when taking photos of these signs, like I shouldn’t be getting such a kick out of them. I tend to take a furtive glance around to see if anyone is watching before I snap the photo and try to do it somewhat discreetly and casually. Hence the lack of artistry in every single one (not that I would ever claim to have the artistic eye of a photographer anyway). I can’t imagine anyone would ever actually come up to say, “You really shouldn’t be laughing and taking pictures of this sign, it’s very serious and trying to save your life,” but I still don’t feel right about flaunting the hilarity I am experiencing when enjoying these awkward depictions of falling off cliffs. Is this my dark side? If so, I can’t help but feel a teensy bit okay about it – I mean, it IS only a cartoon falling to his death (still in perfect hiking form, I might add) and not a real person.

Enjoy a small collection of warning signs from a few different continents. If you have any, PLEASE share them with me! I’d love to add them to my collection and share them with everyone. Where have you seen the most comical DANGER sign?

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