I find myself on both sides of this debate, though not evenly, or at the same time. On the one hand you can ALWAYS find solitude, just not necessarily where you'd like to experience it (or when...you can normally find solitude on snow). I'm on the record (less lately, more so a few years ago) as saying to many people that I have no use for Facebook, but lots of use for Instagram because of its hashtag search function-so, case in point. Most great hikes I
used to find were found going down hashtag and user profile rabbit holes. Then again I've always enjoyed taking someone's unlabeled picture with even one recognizable geographic or geological feature and using GoogleEarth to find the location. Lately, I simply despise how IG users with tons of followers, people with famous dogs and trail runners and what not, posting the location of each and every hike. There's surely a duty once your following approaches a certain level, and once you start plugging major outdoor brands and manufacturers, to be more discreet.
But,....I've rambled prior to getting to my main point. Don't you think Zinke, Pruitt, Trump and Co are just tickled to death to think that a hiking forum which could pool it's knowledge to at least write letters non-stop to legislators about infractions on a scale incomprehensible relative to trampled lichen, is instead discussing left behind water bottles at Oneonta Gorge?? I completely agree with the below comment:
My worry about the impact of boot paths on "nature" has changed a bit after the Gorge fire, and I'm less worried about that for its own sake (we should be much, much more worried about uranium mines, industrial water contamination, and mountaintop removal).
Yes, there is a real impact from overuse, and also it sucks to seek mind refreshing solitude and not find it, but environmental degradation on a larger scale is a far greater danger than increasing public enjoyment of our public lands.
I recently read this article and although the focus is a little different, it talks about our distraction as individuals when it comes to perceiving how to make an impact.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... =hootsuite