Have we talked about this yet? Scott Jurek currently running the AT

[RandMart]

You'd think that with all the planning before he started AND having some 46 days on the trail beforehand, SOMEONE would have asked "Hey? When we get to the finish, you think they'd let us have a celebration toast with a few friends, and maybe some cameras? We should probably check first"

Phish | 12.31.10 | 46 Days

Also, this little bit from ST

Filming within 500' of Baxter Peak was probably someone (his wife) using a phone to "film" Jurek's finish.

Actually there is a real crew with some serious gear. I met them in PA. Still only three guys though.

So, to be clear, we're NOT talking camera+sound+lights+makeup+catering for EACH member of the team, to film several angles at once like they do on "reality" shows

[Ice Cream]

Actually, there was a film crew on various parts of his run; they are doing a documentary of three athletes in very different sports.

Regardless, I believe that state park regulations apply to everybody. and if you feel that an exception should be granted, you apply/ask for it.  Not saying this was Jurek's fault. He probably did not know what was awaiting him.

DH directs a race in a state park; there are many regulations, and he respects them and expects the runners in the race to do so, too.

[merigayle]

Actually, there was a film crew on various parts of his run; they are doing a documentary of three athletes in very different sports.

Regardless, I believe that state park regulations apply to everybody. and if you feel that an exception should be granted, you apply/ask for it.  Not saying this was Jurek's fault. He probably did not know what was awaiting him.

DH directs a race in a state park; there are many regulations, and he respects them and expects the runners in the race to do so, too.

I would think Jurek WOULD know, there are VERY strict media rules and regulations at Badwater, which he has run and has been documented thru video and photography running. The Death Valley National Park rangers made it clear that these were national park regulations and state regulations. Maybe they thought they did not need it. But would hope any professional would check about permits.

[merigayle]

HOWEVER, it seems that there are claims of Jurek littering and he posted a picture of all of his trash his wife packed out of the AT, so who knows where the truth in all of this lies.

Something I have learned after the whole bruhaha over Badwater and the National Park not wanting to hold the race, etc, was that there is a fine line people walk between preserving the land/trail/park/etc at ALL costs, even if that means NO ONE enjoys it, and having it open to the public to enjoy. Some people are so fanatical about preservation, that they go a bit extreme in their cause. I am all for preservation, but there is normal "wear and tear" of a park being open to the public.

[Fast Eddie]

Wonder if Scott will be returning to the AT in his sixties or seventies?

Emma Rowena Gatewood (a.k.a. Grandma Gatewood) was well past her prime when she became the first solo woman to complete the Appalachian Trail in 1955 at the age of 67. The mother of 11 and grandmother of 23 began her journey at Mount Oglethorpe in Georgia, wearing Keds sneakers (not ideal for hiking, we’d say) and carrying a small knapsack with only an army blanket, raincoat and plastic shower curtain inside. “I thought it would be a nice lark,” she told reporters of her inspiration to take on the trail. “It wasn’t.” But despite the difficulty, the trail didn’t demoralize her too much, as Grandma Gatewood returned to hike the AT again in 1960 and 1963 (at the young age of 75), thus becoming the first person to complete the trail three times and the oldest female through-hiker until the record was broken in 2007.

http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/08/14/7-things-you-didnt-know-about-the-appalachian-trail/slide/the-first-woman-to-complete-it-solo-had-23-grandchildren/

[nadra's babydaddy]

The butthurt is quite strong in that post. Rules are rules and all, but I'm sure Jurker is far from the first to enjoy a celebratory beverage or two at the summit.  The point about reducing group size is understandable and I'm sure he expected the publicity, but I don't know how much control over the size of his group he ultimately had.  It's not a habit to be encouraged, but how often does stuff like this happen to begin with?

I don't know the deal with the littering, but I saw a post from him just today about all the trash he & Jenny packed out and were sending off to a recyclable organization, so obviously he's quite environmentally conscious and I'm sure any littering incident was unintentional.   

The stuff about corporatization was a bit bizarre...how exactly does it hurt BSP that he had sponsors supporting him and displayed their logos?  I guess I'd better leave my Nike shorts and my Brooks shoes at home the next time I hit the trails up there.  They need to get over themselves.

[radial]

I read that the "littering" charge had nothing to do with anything a normal person would call litter.  It had to do with the champagne that splashed on the ground when he popped the cork.  Puleeze!   

[RandMart]

HOWEVER, it seems that there are claims of Jurek littering and he posted a picture of all of his trash his wife packed out of the AT

From Scott's Facebook page:

Really gotta hand it to Jenny. I packed out ALL my trash on the AT and she sorted through everything, picked out all the Clif Bar wrappers and pouches, saved them until she could send them to TerraCycle to be recycled. Over the course of 46 days, she sent four packages of wrappers (1400+). If you haven't heard of TerraCycle, check them out! You can print a prepaid label, it's that easy. Let's keep our trail waste out of landfills!

That's some bit of trash-activism, right there

[RandMart]

I guess I'd better leave my Nike shorts and my Brooks shoes at home the next time I hit the trails up there.

Logos on shorts & shoes are OK; it's trucks & headbands they're worried about

Let's be clear and concise, Scott Jurek's physical abilities were recognized by corporations engaged in running and outdoor related products. The race vehicle used to support Scott in his run, as well as Scott's headband, clearly displays these corporate sponsors.

Besides, you're not sponsored by them, really

If you consider who pays for your gear, training and race fees, then I guess I'm sponsored by Lockheed Martin [in exchange for 40-something hours per week of goofing around in Excel, SAP and Hyperion]; and by extension, YOUR tax dollars

So I'd like to thank you ALL for funding my personal mediocrity

[Ice Cream]

Great post

[radial]

Great post

And an awesome subject!  I can't imagine running the AT in this day and age let alone doing it when you had to pack your own stuff in a bag and protect yourself from the elements with a re-purposed shower curtain.  That's some real moxie. 

[nadra's babydaddy]

lol....this was posted just a week before the Jurek smear job with all sorts of praise being heaped on the group by BSP.....




Tell me more about how big groups are not okay 

[merigayle]

Nice.

[RandMart]

A Walk in the Woods Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Nick Offerman, Emma Thompson Movie HD








* I'm sure they got their permits in order ahead of time, and only filmed in small groups ... no champagne at the wrap party. either

[merigayle]

Here is a great blog post by Jurek about some of the accusations against him towards the end.

http://blog.scottjurek.com/post/124919853524/reflections-on-the-appalachian-trail

[nadra's babydaddy]

When I arrived at the base of Katahdin, two park rangers counted my group and registered our number as within the authorized limit of twelve people.  I stopped to pose for pictures with several large groups of people, including a trail work crew, to thank them for their support and invaluable efforts. There have been reports of a ballooning group size, but my group always remained at twelve. One friend decided to surprise me with a bottle of champagne.  He asked the two park rangers at the trailhead if that was okay and was advised to keep it away from families and children. To him, that sounded like alcohol was acceptable within reason. When I reached the summit, two different park rangers watched my friend hand me the bottle to celebrate. We were not aware of any rules against alcohol and I own that- I should have been better informed. Neither of the rangers said a word about it. If they had, I would have immediately put the bottle away. No citations were issued to any of the people with alcohol and no warnings were given. It was only four hours later, after we had hiked down with all our trash and reached the parking lot, that I was surprised to be met by three more rangers who now issued me three summonses. I am certainly willing to accept responsibility for any rules that I may have broken, but I have yet to be fined.

Since then, the Park administration has chosen to paint a disparaging and inaccurate picture of what truly happened. Several objective parties whom I’ve never met tried to set the record straight with their own accounts of what they saw that day but the Park has removed those posts from its Facebook page.  I’m not sure why a Park so opposed to media and fanfare decided to push to the media a view of what happened that was not accurate and a personal attack on my character.

Boom goes the dynamite!!

[merigayle]

Boom goes the dynamite!!

yep

[iwuzwilson]

They don't call them crick pricks for nothing. They should have anticipated this and provided some guidelines ahead of time, as well as told them no champaign on the summit. Hopefully they'll just let it go. As for the Baxter State Park, writing up their "coup" on Facebook is very poor form if not outright unprofessional.

[iwuzwilson]

Here's the Facebook post from Baxter State Park:

Several paragraphs lauding his accomplishment...
When Scott arrived at Baxter Park to complete his run at the northern terminus of the Appalachian Trail, he brought all of this to Baxter Peak, in Maine's largest wilderness.

 Mr. Jurek and the corporate sponsors were careful not to mention in the media coverage that one of the unfortunate outcomes of the celebration party at Baxter Peak at the completion of the event were the three summons issued to Mr. Jurek by a Baxter Park Ranger 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. Not much to be proud of there.

 An additional discouraging observation. The Appalachian Trail provided the challenge and backdrop for this event and consequently, provided the conduit for this event to land in Baxter Park. The profile of the AT is large enough to attract the corporate sponsorship necessary to support and carry such an event. The AT is apparently comfortable with the fit of this type of event in its mission. The formal federal designation and authority of the Appalachian Trial does not extend into Baxter State Park. The AT within the Park is hosted at the consideration of the Baxter State Park Authority. The Authority is currently considering the increasing pressures, impacts and conflicts that the Appalachian Trail brings to the Park and if a continued relationship is in the best interests of Baxter State Park.

 Thousands of people, including Mainers and others from all over the world, visit Baxter Park and hike in the Park's wilderness, including a climb to Baxter Peak. People celebrate their accomplishment, often with their families and often many times over, quietly and with appreciation for this precious gift left to us in perpetuity by Percival Baxter. These “corporate events” have no place in the Park and are incongruous with the Park's mission of resource protection, the appreciation of nature and the respect of the experience of others in the Park. We hope for the support of the AT and BSP communities to help us steer these events to more appropriate venues in the future.

Sounds like someone has an agenda

[RandMart]

... outright unprofessional.

Of course they're UN-Professional

They're volunteers, aren't they?

I could be wrong