Recent Mountaintop Parties

Apparently, having a keg party on top of Adirondack mountains isn't allowed.  Who knew?  Raja Bhatt of New York City (representing my city well!) and his friends tested this endeavor.  Because of their fun times, those of us over 21 now know that a hefty keg party (they carried the keg up the 4,161-foot Phelps Mountain) may bring with it a hefty fine — Bhatt is facing a $250 fine and up to 15 days in jail.  Despite not organizing the hike and "a friend of a friend" bringing the keg, Bhatt is the one facing the penalties because he posted photos of the event on Facebook, some of which presented a joyous woman doing a keg stand.  One of the main reasons for the ticket seems to be the surpassing of the legal limit of people on a day hike together in the High Peaks Wilderness Area, which is 15 people.  Bhatt, who had finished his 46th Adirondack peak to become a member of the 46er club, was not welcomed warmly into the club.  Brian Hoody, president of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers, told the Adirondack Explorer "We neither need nor want members who behave in this fashion."  Neil Woodworth, executive director of the Adirondack Mountain Club, condemned the actions of Bhatt and co as well, saying: "I am appalled at the idea of a keg party on the summit of Phelps.... In my opinion, this kind of behavior is certainly inconsistent with the character and respect for the mountains that I expect of a 46er."

While this behavior is not expected of a 46er, neither is it expected of Scott Jurek, a world-class ultra-runner.  This story reminded me of Jurek, who upon setting a new time record on the Appalachian Trail (walking for 46 days, 8 hours, and 7 minutes for an approximate average of 50 miles a day) popped open a bottle of champagne atop the summit of Mount Katahdin, the trail's terminus.  A park ranger was there to cite him with a $500 ticket for having more people than the legal limit—35 in some photos, whereas 12 is the limit in Baxter State Park—and drinking and littering.  According to Runners World, "The littering citation came because champagne spray hit rocks at the summit."

Scott Jurek drinks his celebratory champagne atop Mount Katahdin

While drinking parties are not ideal for the climate on mountain summits, especially those within protected wilderness areas, they are also not really that bad—if they number below the legal limit.  If a group wants to go through the trouble of transporting a full keg from New York City to the summit of Phelps Mountain, I say they can as long as they keep their group small especially if, as Bhatt claims, the party was well-mannered and nobody on the summit complained.  Stopping the real problem of overuse that poses severe threats to the alpine environments is a real challenge.  If one of the best ultra-runners in the world wants to pop a bottle of champagne after setting a record for fastest time completing the Appalachian Trail, I would say let him, as long as his entourage is under the legal limit.  There is a difference between environmentally conscious people enjoying celebratory beer or champagne and a Hamilton annex-party.  I would understand shutting down the latter completely, if it were in a protected wilderness areas.  However, if you have an entourage of 35 people, an alpine summit is simply not the place to stop for a party.

Sources:

http://www.adirondackexplorer.org/outtakes/dec-tickets-hiker-after-keg-party-on-phelps

http://www.outsideonline.com/2001076/scott-jureks-champagne-problems

http://www.runnersworld.com/scott-jurek/scott-jurek-to-pay-500-fine-for-public-drinking-in-baxter-state-park