http://www.boston.com/dailynews/218/nation/Man_going_after_wind_blown_bas:.shtml

Man going after wind-blown baseball cap falls 85 feet into volcano crater

By Associated Press, 8/6/2001 08:19

VOLCANO, Hawaii (AP) A 26-year-old Navy man was rescued after he fell 85 feet into the summit crater of Kilauea Volcano while trying to retrieve his baseball cap, park officials said.

After he was pulled from the crater on Sunday, Lt. j.g. Scott W. Larson walked to a waiting ambulance and was taken to a hospital for treatment of a broken toe, cuts and bruises, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park ranger Mardie Lane said.

A paramedic and park ranger were lowered by rope and harness to retrieve Larson from a tree that had broken his fall, and all three were raised to safety. Were it not for the tree, Larson would have fallen another 100 feet, rangers said.

Larson and two companions were standing next to a safety railing when his cap blew off and disappeared over the crater's rim, Lane said. He climbed through the railings and was attempting to retrieve the cap by reaching over the edge when he slipped and fell.

''Park railings are there for a reason,'' said Ranger Jeff Kracht, the park's search and rescue coordinator. ''Is it worth risking your life and the lives of rescue personnel for a $10 baseball cap?''

Kilauea has been erupting since Jan. 3, 1983. The accident happened about 12 miles from the eruption site.

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001

Answers

Did he get the cap?

What an idiot!

-- Anonymous, August 06, 2001