Rangers at Yellowstone National Park have revealed just how many hats are fished out of the park's various hot springs and pools each year. In 2019 alone, some 438 pieces of headgear were pulled from the water, most of which are believed to have blown in accidentally.
A photo showing a whole rainbow of lost hats was shared on Instagram account TouronsOfYellowstone this week, as a reminder to hang onto your headwear as the springtime sun starts to emerge. The account usually documents bad behavior at US National Parks (including taunting elk and petting bison), but clothing often ends up in the water through no fault of its owner.
Last year, a guide from Teton Tours managed to record a Ranger using a fishing rod to lift a lost hat out of the steaming Excelsior Geyser Crater.
In the clip, which you can watch below, one Ranger casts his line into the crater, while another waits with a grabber to retrieve the lost clothing. The pair snared the hat on their third attempt, and were able to return it to its owner.
Speaking to USA Today/FTW Outdoors at the time, tour guide Darcy Laguna explained that rangers usually just use the grabber, but will break out the fishing gear if lost headwear is out of reach.
