Taking intelligent, considered risks is one thing. Dumb sh*t is quite another.
Like that guy who died on Everest recently. After writing about how the crowding is so severe that it presents a potentially fatal hazard. And then going anyway. That was obviously not well-considered, but there are studies of decision making on Everest, and you'd be shocked at how poor most of it is.
YOLO is not a good guiding principle for effective choices, unless your goal is to get hurt, sick, sued, broke or dead.
But conformism is a terrible fate, too. The unexamined life may not be worth living, but neither is one completely devoid of risk.

grow a garden.

You can do in this life we live,
Is just try.
Mountains, hills whatever gets you moving and going.
Just do it.

This is true. But as someone who has been to the Everest area. You can't even imagine how your mind works at high altitude until you've lived it. Good or bad decisions, we all make them and we all have different reasons for the bad ones. But with risk, can come great reward, and these days, with the dull humdrum of "normal life" people are willing to risk death just to feel alive.

What do you figure Kerouac's remembering today?

The only time is now, you can pretend otherwise, but that other Jack is right---the only time is now, you only get now, don't waste it.

“YOLO is not a good guiding principle for effective choices, unless your goal is to get hurt, sick, sued, broke or dead.”

If you don't work your office jobs, you don't have a roof over your head or food for your children. Never mind affording a trip somewhere! Joy and love can be found in the little things, everyday things. Those are remembered in the end.

Same here, I love my garden, my friends and a good bottle of wine etc. For me, no mountains. I could care less about being remembered for some drama. I'd rather be remembered as a kind person who was helpful somehow.

He lived every moment like it was his last and died sitting on his mothers toilet. Somehow that has more dignity than growing old. I always wanted to die in a highway accident in Nepal or someplace interesting and exotic knowing my last moment on earth was apart of some great adventure. No such luck.