Mount Katahdin in Maine’s Baxter State Park.
A recent editorial in the Bangor Daily News says it is reasonable to expect a negligent hiker to pay for search and rescue costs. And the editorial suggests a system for considering if a hiker is negligent and for handing out fines.
The editorial comes after two Canadian hikers failed to register in Baxter State Park last month, and an attempt by one of the hikers – who was reportedly unprepared – to hike Katahdin resulted in a massive search a rescue effort.
“Asking someone to pay $10,000 for a rescue seems a bit extreme,” states the editorial, “but fining those who fail to heed warnings — such as those who knowingly ski out of bounds or those who act irresponsibly by, say, drinking and canoeing or snowmobiling, especially at night — is reasonable.”