Scott Jurek will pay Baxter State Park $500 for drinking champagne at the summit of Mount Katahdin on July 12, according to his attorney, Walter McKee.

McKee met Wednesday with the Penobscot County District Attorney R. Christopher Almy and a judge to settle the penalties associated with three citations Jurek received following his record-breaking Appalachian Trail thru-hike. The citations for littering and traveling in a group larger than 12 were dismissed. Each citation came with a fine ranging from $200 to $1,000.

“Scott always acknowledged that he had consumed alcohol at the top of the mountain, so he was always willing to be accountable for that,” McKee told Runner’s World. “He was never going to admit to littering or hiking with a group larger than 12 because that just never happened.”

The littering citation came because champagne spray hit rocks at the summit.

Almy, who prosecuted the case, said it would be hard to convince a judge that champagne spray constitutes littering and to prove that Jurek traveled in a party larger than 12, which is why he dropped the other two citations.

According to Almy, the typical fine for drinking in public at the park is $200. He said he is satisfied with the larger penalty because it, “reflects the inappropriate conduct that Mr. Jurek engaged in.”

Reached by phone from his home in Boulder, Colorado, Jurek said he found the littering charge especially troublesome because he wants to set a good example to other runners. “There’s people who don’t know who Scott Jurek is who got this picture that I am someone who disregards nature,” he said.

In a previous Runner’s World article, Jurek said he packed out nearly 4,000 wrappers during the more than 2,000-mile trek.

Jurek also countered the group-size citation on a blog post, saying he checked in a party of 12—the maximum allowed—with a ranger at the trailhead. “There have been reports of a ballooning group size, but my group always remained at 12,” he wrote.

Almy also said the increased fine reflects the beliefs of the park’s founder, former Maine Governor Percival Baxter, who donated the land from 1931 to 1962 in a trust and created a set of guidelines for the park to follow.

Almy confirmed that the fine has already been paid. Jurek said he is happy to move on.

“I am just grateful for all the support people gave me throughout this endeavor,” Jurek said. “I think Percival Baxter would have been pleased with what I did and congratulated me at the top of Katahdin.”

Kit Fox Special Projects Editor Kit has been a health, fitness, and running journalist for the past five years.

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