Oh, the problem is more than evident. It's evident in the trail services closing, agencies drawing a line in the sand, and it is evident in what I have seen on the trail. You will get no disagreement from me on that! BSP has their rules, their rules are not being followed/respected and they have to draw a line in the sand. I am a respectful guest when I visit someone/someplace.
My point (to the OP's post) was that the picture was not embracing the party atmosphere, nor did it even make me feel the need to carry a bottle to the top of Katahdin just because the hiker did. I guess it makes me one of the non-sheep if I can look at a picture and see it for what it is, and not take it as a message to go get drunk on a mountain.
The picture was run during another time when the partying was not the issue it is today. Times change and the ATC is ever-evolving - Just like the trail and the people on the trail.