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Re: [pct-l] LNT 11- Stop! Thief!

I think there must be a fine line between doing all we can to preserve the
backcountry in an unaltered and protected manner and relegating all of the
natural world to the level of some cold, sterile, heavily-guarded museum
exhibit.  It is unfortunate that man has become so dominant upon the Earth
that he must now, for the sake of the natural environment, separate himself
from it and view his every action a detriment to the ecosystem - I imagine
at one time in the distant past, we fit perfectly into it, and our every
action upon it was "good" and "natural."  But can we fully rejoice in having
wild places, now, if we deny ourselves every trace of physical interaction
with it?  If we pick up a bird feather on the trail to more closely connect
with our natural world, must we return it to its exact spot afterward?
Overall, I think this Leave No Trace series is wonderful information, highly
employable credo.  Most of it pertains to the maintenance of a healthy
ecosystem, and such is good.  But I wonder if it's possible to get too caught
up in the social aspects of LNT, the idea of leaving everything exactly as is
for the sake of the next party traveling by, even when your actions are not
directly unhealthy to the ecosystem.  Must we keep our fingerprints off the
museum's glass display case?  Or our we still a part of the exhibit free to
interact and manipulate prudently, in this modern age?
(note: this note is basically philosophical rambling, full of rhetorical
questions likely with no objective answer:)
- Blister>Free, GA-? this Monday!
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