Copter dropped coffee cups to warn Rainier campers

SEATTLE — A helicopter crew searching for the gunman who killed a Mount Rainier National Park ranger on New Year’s Day came across a small group of campers and used an unusual method to warn them the shooter was at large. The crew of the Bellingham-based Customs and Border Protection helicopter wrote messages on paper coffee cups and dropped them to the campers on Monday morning telling them of the danger. The first cup said, “A ranger has been shot shooter at large. Call on cell if able.” As the group packed up camp, the chopper swooped over them and dropped another message: “Take road to falls and sheriff deputies. We will keep an eye on you.” One of the hikers, Natalia Martinez-Paz, wrote about the experience in a post at www.nwhikers.net .