Hold on to your hats, RV Travel readers, for we have a tale for you about just that: hats.
It happened at Yellowstone National Park, where, over time, a lot of visitors have lost their hats. You know how it goes — a little gust of wind and there she goes. Too bad if you’re standing on the rim of the Grand Canyon where the hat could have a pretty long flight. At Yellowstone, though, many of the hats blow into thermal areas where the hat might survive, but not a human trying to rescue it.
So far this year, geologists at Yellowstone National Park have pulled more than 300 lost hats from the famous hot springs. In addition to hats, the crew has collected more than 13,000 pieces of trash and 4,000 rocks and sticks from hydrothermal areas.
Notable rescues included a Birkenstock sandal, a stuffed koala doll, a fake Louis Vuitton bucket hat, and a baseball cap with the phrase “I PEE IN THE LAKE” embossed on it. And then there was a pizza box with slices still inside, presumably already pre-heated.
A team from the Yellowstone National Park Geology Program is tasked with removing items that do not belong in the park’s sensitive thermal areas.
“To reach this debris, which is often literally floating in boiling water, the geology team uses a collection of tools: some off-the-shelf and others manufactured in-house using little more than creativity and elbow grease,” the U.S. Geological Survey noted. “From 2-foot to 12-foot and even 30-foot grabber poles, to fishing rods and extra-long slotted spoons, the team uses [or creates] any device necessary to remove items safely.”
In addition to hydrothermal trash collection, the geology team also conducts scientific work. They use water-quality instruments and a network of more than 100 temperature sensors to measure chemical composition and the eruptive activity of features across the park — information that is used by the park’s interpretive staff to help predict geyser behavior.
Do you have a lost hat story to share? Please leave a comment.
RELATED
• Hiker attacked by bear in Yellowstone National Park
• Yellowstone RV camping drops nearly 30% this summer
• No, the animals aren’t fleeing Yellowstone—It’s just social media hype
• Yellowstone surprises scientists with rare new, blue, thermal pool
• Man flies drone in Yellowstone, gets grounded by rangers and ‘cowboy’
RVT1227b
Now go up the “Remove headgear at this point.” signs. I wonder if they have a “reclaim your hat” program? Sell them on eBay with the geological history. Someone would buy one. “This hat coughed up by Old Faithful”.
It’s a shame they have to spend their time doing this! A little sense and courtesy, people!!
Thank you for the news, Rv Travel! I hope that the koala doll was successfully refurbished and finds its way to some little boy or girl who takes better care of it than its previous caretaker did. Have a great day and safe travels!
When visiting YNP a few years ago, a strong wind was blowing as I was walking around one of the bigger pools. I saw at least hats/caps blown off heads and into the pool. By the dismayed reactions of the owners, they were not “discourteously” discarding their hats. Mine was attached by an elastic strap under my chin and I still held onto it for fear of losing it. Sometimes, accidents happen.