Morgan Pritchard- Chapter 4 Reflection

 Chapter 4 of American Camino discusses wilderness and whether it is possible to find it. At the start of the chapter, it uses several definitions and explanations to describe what wilderness is. One is from the Wilderness Act of 1964 which states that “[wilderness] is hereby recognized as an area where the earth and its community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain” (pg 161). It also states that an area of wilderness is to be preserved with its natural conditions. With this definition in mind, I think it is almost impossible to find wilderness.

 Humans leave their mark on landscapes all the time, even if unintentional. Preservation of nature means non-use or non-consumptive use which includes hiking, camping, kayaking, etc. But I think all of these still leave minor impacts on the ecosystem. Hikers and campers are advised to ‘leave no trace’ and pick up all trash and equipment, but there are plenty of people who do not. Trail markings are also left on hiking paths which leave human impact. I also think humans in the wilderness take away from its preservation because, if visits become frequent, the animals will grow accustomed to human presence which alters the ecosystem. Because of this definition of wilderness given in the book, I think that wilderness is no longer wilderness when found by man.

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