Center educates hikers on regulations

By Aislinn Sarnacki
BDN Staff

MONSON — As numbers of hikers continue to climb on the famous Appalachian Trail, a newly-expanded Appalachian Trail Visitor Center opened recently. Strategically located in the last town northbound hikers encounter before entering Baxter State Park, the center will provide hikers with information about the park’s regulations and resources.

“It’s a one-stop shop for the thru-hikers to plan the last one or two weeks of their thru-hike, and the end of their thru-hike and getting off the trail,” said Claire Polfus, Appalachian Trail Conservancy Maine conservation resources manager. “So hikers can come in and learn about the unique management and special place of Baxter State Park.”

Located at 35 Greenville Road, the visitor center will be staffed seven days per week through Oct. 16 by the Appalachian Trail Conservancy and Maine Appalachian Trail Club.

In addition to providing hikers with information about Baxter State Park regulations, the visitor center gives hikers the opportunity to pre-register for the new Baxter Long Distance Hiker Permit System. Starting in 2016, all Appalachian Trail northbound thru-hikers, section hikers and flip-flop hikers entering Baxter State Park are required to secure a free Appalachian Trail Long Distance Hiker Permit Card.

“We understand why Baxter is creating this permit system, which is why we’re working collaboratively to explain to thru-hikers what’s required of them,” said Ron Tipton, executive director and CEO of the Appalachian Trail Conservancy.

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy has recently worked closely with Friends of Baxter State Park, Appalachian Long Distance Hikers Association and Baxter State Park staff to develop smart hiking guidelines to help preserve the Appalachian Trail experience, Tipton stated in a recent press release.

“Our three big messages are: to celebrate quietly, respect the sacred place that is the top of Katahdin; to save the alcohol for later if you need alcohol to celebrate, like in Millinocket or other places; and to hike in small groups,” Polfus said.

The Monson Appalachian Trail visitor center also will serve as a place for people to learn about what’s known as the “100-Mile Wilderness,” the most remote section of the Appalachian Trail, spanning from Monson to the edge of Baxter State Park. Also, visitor center staff and volunteers plan to provide visitors with information about other sections of the Appalachian Trail in Maine, as well as other outdoor recreation opportunities in the area.

“The center is open to all hikers and visitors in our area,” said Polfus. “We have two representatives working here that know this area well.”

The effort to educate Appalachian Trail hikers before entering Baxter State Park is in response to recent violations of Baxter State Park regulations, including a high-profile incident last July in which ultramarathon runner Scott Jurek was fined by the Baxter State Park Authority for drinking champagne, littering and having an oversized group at the summit of Katahdin in celebration of his record-setting run of the Appalachian Trail.

But even before that incident, Baxter State Park officials were working with the Appalachian Trail Conservancy to try to address problems Appalachian Trail hikers were causing in the park.

In November 2014, Baxter State Park Director Jensen Bissell sent a letter to the Appalachian Trail Conservancy laying out chronic violations by Appalachian Trail hikers, which included congregating on the trail in groups exceeding the Baxter State Park group limit of 12 people or less, drinking alcohol and using recreational drugs at full view at the summit of Katahdin, and claiming dogs are service dogs (so they can enter the park) when they are not.

“Of principle concern to us is the conflict between the management models of Baxter State Park and the [Appalachian Trail Conservancy],” Bissell wrote in the letter.

The opening of the Monson visitor center is one way that the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is working to solve this disparity and decrease the number of violations by Appalachian Trail hikers in Baxter State Park.

“The vast majority of people who hike the entire trail are doing it for the right reasons,” said Tipton. “They’re respectful, [and] they understand and attempt to abide by all rules and regulations they’re aware of. But there are occasional groups that decide to hike their own hike and area either oblivious to the rules or don’t care.”

A unit of the National Park System, the Appalachian Trail is one of the longest and most popular hiking paths in the world, spanning 2,190 miles from Springer Mountain, Georgia, to Katahdin, Maine. Established in the late 1930s, the Appalachian Trail has gained popularity over time, and in recent years, the trail has seen a spike in visitation.

It’s estimated that about 3 million people visit the Appalachian Trail annually, and this year, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy estimates that about 1,000 people will successfully complete the trail as thru-hikers (those who hike the entire trail in 12 months or less) or section hikers (those who break the trail into sections to hike its entirety over multiple years).

To spread the word about Baxter State Park regulations and permitting system, the Appalachian Trail Conservancy is providing information at locations along the trail from Georgia to Maine, including the Appalachian Trail Conservancy’s four regional offices and the Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters and Visitor Center at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.

“Friends of Baxter State Park have distributed posters that are showing up everywhere,” Tipton said. “I saw one this weekend in a shelter in Virginia.”

The Appalachian Trail Conservancy also provides information about Baxter State Park through its website, which has recently been revamped to provide hikers with more information about long distance hiking, trail etiquette and Leave No Trace principles.

For more information, visit appalachiantrail.org.