Appalachian Trail record holder pays fine for Maine bubbly

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An ultramarathoner who set the speed record for completing the Appalachian Trail paid a $500 fine Wednesday to settle citations over his celebration atop Maine's Mount Katahdin that struck a nerve with park officials worried about crowding and commercialization of the historic footpath.

The growing number of hikers on the Appalachian Trail has become a management problem at Baxter State Park, which operates under strict rules to maintain the vision of the park's donor.

Park officials were concerned that Jurek's corporate sponsorship, throngs of supporters and celebration took away from the wilderness experience.

The late Percival Baxter donated the land with the understanding that it'd be managed in line with his vision of "forever wild" with no hunting, lumbering, hotels, advertising or "trappings of unpleasant civilization."