[pct-l] re: Congrats to Brian

[buzz@dimensional.com (Buzz Burrell)]

On 10/30/01 2:03 PM CMountainDave@aol.com wrote (in part):

>So, Buzz perhaps you can enlighten me as to why the 1964 Wilderness act was 
>passed to begin with. While marathoning in the wilderness (And there are 
>many 
>who would LOVE to in wilderness areas) affects it in no significant way 
>physically ---- I'll let you ponder how it would affect it spiritually and 
>mentally for those of us who wish to escape the go go go of our culture.

Thanks for your question, which was asked with politeness and sincerity.

First, I'm not sure how your concern relates to the Wilderness Act.  The 
Act preserved large tracts of land from development and barred mechanical 
incursions, in order to maintain a "wild" character for current and 
future generations to appreciate.  That's why it was passed.  There 
naturally is no language or intention mandating it be appreciated in any 
particular style.  (The Act was Godsend, and we should be very thankfull 
to live in a country with this foresight!)

Whether a person is moving fast, slow, or standing still and not moving 
at all certainly doesn't affect the wilderness area itself, spritually or 
otherwise ... the earth doesn't care what we think!  Thats one reason we 
like to go there.  It does care what actual impacts we impart however, 
but as you said, the pace at which one is travelling is not a factor, 
except that fast paced people might have less impact, because their 
transit time is minimal and they are not trampling anything down during 
their quick camps.  

So your concern is not for the wilderness, it's for you.  How you feel 
when you go there.  Which is fine;  we're all concerned about our own 
experiences, and want them to be good.  So what I'm guessing you are 
saying is that encountering people who have a different style than your 
own might negatively affect your experience.  And that you go there to 
have a great experience, relax, and do this by taking your time.  My 
response is:  Good!  Sounds great!

I am in Wilderness Areas a lot ... and I go there to have a great 
experience, relax, and do this by moving really fast.  So, uh ... any 
problem with that?   :-)

In simple terms, I think what you are doing sounds really nice, I support 
it, and it also seems you have a spiritual perspective, which is 
wonderfull.  I'd like to hear more about your experiences.  My style is 
different than yours.  Technically speaking, my style could be considered 
more advantageous because it's impossible to detect any trace of my 
passage;  its the ultimate LNT camping, but the difference is so slight 
as to not be meaningfull.  So we can have a nice discussion about it next 
time we see each other, we can compare thoughts and feelings on the great 
places we've been, and if you're ever out this way, please have a look at 
the fun slide shows I do on some backcountry trips.  And most of all, I 
hope you can appreciate my experience as much as I appreciate yours.

Happy Trails,

Buzz Burrell
Boulder