Imagine this: You and some friends are enjoying the solitude of a remote snow shelter on Mount Rainier on a sunny New Year’s day when a helicopter appears in the distance. You watch it’s slow approach, wondering if perhaps a snowshoer has gone missing in the wilderness. But soon it’s hovering directly above you, the whirling blades blasting loose snow and scattering your gear. Before you have a chance to shake your fist in contempt, the chopper tears off toward the horizon, leaving in its wake something that looks like litter floating slowly down to your camp. Confused, you retrieve the object, a coffee cup, and notice that it bears a message:
“A ranger has been shot. Do not drive from Paradise without armed escort.”
Police wasted no time attempting to warn winter campers during the manhunt that ensued after a fatal shooting in Mount Rainier National Park on New Year’s day. Officers grabbed a stack of disposable coffee cups, inscribed each with a warning and instructions on how to remain safe, then flew around the park in a helicopter, dropping the communiques near campsites. Props to the police for such inventive thinking. Still, how scary would it be to be on the receiving end of that message while camping?
(Click here for photos of cups w/ messages at the Seattle Times)
