Ultramarathoner Scott Jurek became a target of the Baxter State Park officials as he flouted parks rules with the public consumption of alcohol and the oversized crowd he led to the summit of Mount Katahdin. Jurek became the public face of everything the park officials did not want in a hiker. As a result of this incident, he was fined hundreds of dollars for littering, alcohol and crowd size. The park officials dealing with thousands of hikers a year were overwhelmed with the ensuing problems left behind by the hikers. This is what led to Scott Jurek's formal punishment as he publicly defied rules that are meant to keep the park and hikers safe from harm. The lack of regard for state and federal laws is a common occurrence amongst hikers as they are isolated from daily life and some may even choose to bend the rules to their choosing. The increase in the population of thru-hikers has left Park officials to scrutinize their actions and its effect on the park itself. The actions of hikers such as Scott Jurek have helped to tarnish the image of fellow hikers a little bit more as his blatant violations of laws are public and call attention to the issues that come with the Appalachian Trail.