By Jordan Bowman
TheTrek.co
July 17, 2015
On July 12, Scott Jurek stepped onto the summit of Mount Katahdin and into the record books: after 46 days, 8 hours, and 7 minutes of hiking, Jurek officially broke the speed record for an assisted thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail.
The world record was not the only thing he earned, however. According to a post on Baxter State Park’s Facebook page, Jurek was issued three summonses by a BSP ranger while celebrating his victory atop Baxter Peak, the Northern Terminus of the A.T. The post states that Jurek had been cited for the following offenses:
…for the drinking of alcoholic beverages in public places (BSP Rule 7 and Maine State General Law), for littering (BSP Rule 4.5) and for hiking with an oversize group (BSP Rule 2.2). In addition, media personnel were issued a summons for violation of a commercial media permit which prohibited filming within 500′ of Baxter Peak.
The Baxter State Park Authority (BSPA) has made no secret of their concern for the influx of thru-hikers over the past several years—in particular, the unwanted behavior that sometimes accompanies some of the thru-hiking community. In late 2014, the BSPA issued a letter to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy voicing these concerns, concluding that if there was not a “commitment to sustainable use of the AT and preserving the wild experience along the trail,” then “elocating key portions of the trail or the trail terminus would be another option.”
In other words, if the ATC and thru-hikers are not able to find a way to coexist with the conservation efforts of the BSPA, the northern terminus of the A.T. may have to find a new home.