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Backcountry activities have become extremely trendy, a fad that
has been eagerly abetted by Madison Avenue. These days it's
impossible to turn on a television or open a magazine without
being assaulted by a barrage of ads that use skillfully packaged
images of wilderness activities to rev the engine of consumerism.
In 1851, when Henry David Thoreau declared, "In wildness is the
preservation of the world," he could not have foreseen that
wilderness, as an idea, would one day be used to sell everything
from suvs to soda pop. Disconcerting though this development may
be, it happens to come with a substantial upside; because
wilderness is now esteemed as something precious and/or
fashionable, wild places are more often being rescued from
commercial exploitation. But if the wilderness fad has made it
easier to protect wild country from development, it has made it
harder to protect wild country from the exploding ranks of
wilderness enthusiasts. Increasingly, places once considered
enduringly back of beyond are now crowded with solitude seekers.
As more and more people flock to the backcountry, habitat for native plants and wildlife is inevitably compromised. To safeguard natural habitat, it becomes necessary for government agencies to exercise intervention and control. Inevitably, and justifiably, strict limits are placed on backcountry use. Camping, hiking, boating, hunting, fishing and climbing are restricted. Campfires are forbidden. Dogs must be leashed or are simply banished altogether. In the mountains above the Colorado city where I make my home, dog owners are now required by law to collect their pets' excrement and carry it out. In a growing number of places, as previously mentioned, responsible behavior now dictates that humans carry out their own excrement as well. Of course, when wilderness is so intensely managed, it ceases to be wild. It becomes a toothless simulacrum. It becomes a park. On an increasingly crowded planet there is probably no alternative. It is simply an unhappy fact of life on the cusp of the 21st century. As wilderness dwindles and disappears, more is at stake than the fate of endangered species. Other, less tangible things stand to be lost as well. Empty places have long served as a repository for a host of complicated yearnings and desires. As an antidote to the alienation and pervasive softness that plague modern society, there is no substitute for a trip to an untrammeled patch of backcountry, with its attendant wonders, privation and physical trials. In 1945 the influential forester Aldo Leopold wrote, "I am glad I shall never be young without wild country to be young in. Of what avail are 40 freedoms without a blank spot on the map?" Fifty-four years later, it's not so easy to find wild country to be young in. For now, however, a few tracts of wilderness still endure. We should be grateful for this and appreciate them as long as we can. Jon Krakauer is the author of "Into Thin Air" and "Into the Wild." |
Back to Question Page What Would a Green Future Look Like? What Will Happen to Alternative Medicine? Will Christopher Reeve Walk Again? Will There Be Any Wilderness Left? What New Things Are Going to Kill Me? Can We Make Garbage Disappear? What Will Be the Catch of the Day? |