I have always had a great fondness for outdoor
activity, especially for visiting "wild" places. This inevitably drew
me time and time again to the Adirondack Park, 6 million acres of "forever
wild" land. To me, the Adirondack wilderness is a place where one
must be self-reliant and often quick-thinking, with the rewards of unequaled
beauty and often solitude. However, in enjoying the land I acknowledge that I
myself cause harmful consequences to the land.
First off, driving to and from the mountains pollutes
the air and uses up lots of gasoline. Hikers wear down trails, creating ugly
mud pits and swaths of trampled vegetation. Climbers leave scars on trees, as
well as chalk marks and bolts on the crags. Last fall, I bushwhacked Lost Pond
Peak, a beautiful and seldom-visited mountain tucked between more-popular high
peaks. Dense spruce thickets give way to a stunningly beautiful mountaintop
pond and spectacular views of the peaks. However, even on this remote
mountaintop, a small, beaten-down are exists due to the footprints of hikers.
This leads to a question I have been pondering for
some time. Should we as humans cease searching for beauty due to the negative
consequences it inevitably causes? On the other hand, is it worth preserving
wilderness areas if no one is there to enjoy them? The Adirondacks are the
perfect arena to carry out this debate, with its incredible recreational
resources and the high use it gets. I look forward to discussing these issues
in class.
Interesting post; I am sure most nature lovers do not like to think about how they might actually be negatively impacting the land when they are just trying to go on a hike or get in tune with mother nature. The truth is, every time someone nowadays goes to the forest they leave indelible footprints. But I do not think that the answer to this is to leave nature alone and ignore the wilderness. Humans are inextricably part of nature and have been using forests for food and protection since the beginning of existence. It would in fact be unnatural to completely leave the wilderness alone. And not only has nature helped man survive but it has also provided humans with its beauty. Humans, as a species, are lucky to be capable to appreciate the beauty of the natural world (who knows if turtles or rabbits can appreciate the beauty of a waterfall). Instead of leaving the wilderness alone, which would be near impossible in this day and age, I think what we must do is remember that forests and nature have given us so much and we must not this for granted. We must try and undo the damage that humans have done so the wilderness will always be around to support and provide beauty for mankind.
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