I love the forest.
I love the wilderness and the mountains. I go out for trail jogs, hikes, walks with my dogs, photography—the list goes on. I get so much peace and stillness from it.
I’m not hurting anything.
It’s other people.
How many times have you heard that you should go out into nature for the incredible benefits you can get from being in it? Or that the forest should be protected from people who want to actively destroy it?
But do you play a part?
When we view the wilderness as a commodity for our own purposes, things get a little murky. I have written before about how part of being a protector of vulnerable places is showing them. But what is the flip side of that?
When the only thing we demand from the forest is what we can get from it, then it becomes a commodity.
A place to exercise.
A place to recreate.
A place to find peace.
A place to take photographs.
A place to escape to.
And in every single one of those cases, we are the beneficiary.
Now, obviously, I am not saying you shouldn’t go out into our wilderness areas. Quite the opposite.
I do think we should realize that we are all leaving a footprint.
Photographers using unethical methods to take a landscape or wildlife photograph. Hikers leaving trash or spreading noxious weeds. Even bringing your dogs potentially introduces harmful, non-native parasites and can disturb wildlife, even while they are simply enjoying a walk with their owner.
And of course, the list goes on.
None of these things are necessarily done out of malice. People who go into the wilderness to recreate generally aren't going there because they want to see harm done.
So where is the line?
What is okay, and what isn't?
The truth is, I don't know.
It’s a question I think about often.
Am I using this place purely for what it can give me, or am I moving through it with intentionality?
I think, for me, I would like to treat it as I would my own home—or as I would if I were a guest in someone else’s.
Of course, you aren't going to be perfect all the time.
But you can be respectful.
You can leave when you need to.
You can recognize that there are places you shouldn't go.
You can consider the consequences of your presence.
And you can do what you can to leave it better than you found it.
Loving the wilderness isn't about being perfect or never leaving a footprint. It’s about realizing we all have an impact, and caring enough to notice.