I agree completely! And furthermore, the magazine aims to express what the trail is, which that picture accomplishes. I for one like the picture, and don't find any fault in it being published.
Honestly, I doubt it is really that much of a problem. It's more of one in the southern states (where it is also more tolerated), but if someone is really drinking enough for it to be a problem, they aren't going to make it to Maine, and probably aren't going to take up a southbound hike. If a person celebrates with a bottle of champagne after completing such a long hike, is it really a problem? I think most of us here would say no.At that time, we did not have an awareness of alcohol being a problem in the park generally or among thru-hikers. I encouraged the editor to run the photo on the cover, and she did. I think we talked about the possible issues with the bottle of champagne in the picture, but at that time it didn't seem like too big deal because you couldn't really tell what the bottle was.
My comment above did not mean to indicate that the ATC took the wrong stance in publishing the older magazine cover, but that it seems that Baxter has been pretty rough on ATC recently. ATC is in a difficult position since there is a clear advantage in Katahdin being the northern terminus - BSP knows that and is using it. While certainly the ATC should be respectful to them and try to encourage good behavior in general, I don't think that it needs to roll over. I think that Jurek attracted a lot of attention but that BSP overreacted to it, and don't think that ATC should need to feel that increased censorship of public image is necessary. Hikers will do as they will - ATC can encourage but not control individual decisions of the hikers. If BSP wants to penalize Jurek that is their right but I really don't think they should have threatened ATC over it, nor do I feel that ATC should tolerate it. If BSP wants to close their gates to AT thru-hikers, life would go on. I doubt they would actually do that, though.
Exactly what I was getting at when I said being politically correct. Some may have objected to the older magazine cover, but it was an honest reflection of the trail. If everything is trying to show everyone being obedient to the rules, as well perhaps they should be, it doesn't seem as honest. Obviously adherence to the rules should be encouraged, even strongly with repercussions as necessary, but that doesn't mean that a false image needs to be portrayed where every hiker is strictly obeying every LNT principle, even the ones that 99% of hikers don't. I think there should be a balance between showing what should be done and an accurate portrayal of the trail, whether or not is always in accordance.Since that day, we have tried to be as thoughtful as possible in our choice of photos in the magazine, and think about all the possible ramifications and unintended consequences that could result. I don't think you'll find another one with alcohol in it. Sometimes we have to nix the "best" photo in a collection because it represents something counter to Leave No Trace, local rules and regulations, sensibilities of families, etc. We now have more people reviewing the magazine before it goes to print.
ATC has generally had a positive relationship with Baxter State Park for many years. We've worked to support the park in numerous ways, including funding the ridgerunner whose job is primarily to educate thru-hikers about unique resources, rules, and regulations in the park (until the park recently said they would prefer the position to be a Baxter employee). And of course, they have worked hard to accommodate A.T. hikers in the park, who do not have to follow all the requirements that other park visitors are required to follow.
I'll bet BSP wasn't threatening in that case.We have worked together to solve problems before. Several years ago a problem cropped up with A.T. hikers that they asked our help with. A pattern developed that more and more thru-hikers arrived at Katahdin after October 15 and created problems for the park staff. When the park asked for help to address that, we worked hard to get the message out to advise hikers to plan to complete their hikes well before October 15, and encouraging hikers to flip-flop if they were running behind schedule. Within two years of asking for our help, the average of number of thru-hikers summiting after October 15 went from about 15% to 3-4%.
Anyways, thank you Laurie and everyone at ATC - I know it must be a terribly challenging job at time trying to coordinate things across so many different state lines and parks with varying rules and opinions. It's easy to criticize but you guys make things work and keep the trail alive and well.