Callan: Adventure Is Being Planned Out Of Existence

[SouthernKevlar]

Yes, travel is becoming more difficult and regimented with "wilderness travel" even more so. What else is to be expected when the population of the USA increases by 65.1 million people (nearly 19%) in the 25 years from 2000 to 2025? What percentage have our wilderness and backcountry areas in that time?

As media, including Canoetripping.net, increases the knowledge of specific areas, those areas will become more attractive to travelers. I had never heard of the Sylvania Wilderness until a few years ago, now it is on my go-to list. It was on this site that I first read about it. Like many others, I hope that I make it there before it becomes too crowded.

There was a T-shirt sold by Aerostich, a motorcycle touring and commuting garment company, that read: YOU ARE NOT STUCK IN TRAFFIC, YOU ARE TRAFFIC. We are all now traffic.

 

[Black_Fly]

The idea of “industrial tourism” displacing conservation and preservation of wilderness is real, and irretractable. Abbey, Litton, Cousteau and just about every notable naturalist in the last 50 years agreed that recreational opportunities, exploitation and human occupancy will displace species and wild lands. And birth rates and immigration are only two factors in the population equation, and they are all subject to fluctuations. The argument that any country will see a long term net reduction in population (enough to re-wild the landscape) while the planet becomes overrun is absurd. Economic growth is the cornerstone of all wealth here and abroad. We’re beyond instituting sustainability as an alternative. Wild landscapes will forever become fewer and less wild, less diverse unless a rapid decline in the human population occurs and the current economic system collapses. Conservation and Preservation efforts simply forestall the inevitable trend. Wealth will always take precedence, there’s no stopping urban sprawl and natural resource exploitation regardless of intermittent trends in any factors contributing to population growth in one or more countries.

It isn’t a reassuring idea but I prefer to avoid the rose colored blindfold, look the truth right in its dark, unblinking eyeballs. We still have opportunities, but those are changing and diminishing in both number and quality, and will continue to do so into perpetuity. Next summer, we’re hoping to tour the Galapagos. As wild and remote as those islands once were, they are now part of the economic system, visited by throngs of “adventurers” on tour boats, with facilities expanding every year. Blue haired overweight people with disposable income descend on many recently wild places. We’re debating whether to take the Amazon extension or not. Teddy Roosevelt is flipping in his grave, no doubt.

 

[jdeerfoot]

Seconding what Marten has said. I am still surprised at the folks who are interested in Canada trips, some of which are pretty straightforward, such as the Turtle Rv east of Atikokan. One guy wanted gps tracks and the location of ports and campsites on what is not a large river where finding these is very easy. Hopefully, this guy’s confidence will have improved after that trip so that he is willing go out without exact location info and realize he will be okay. It’s part of the adventure.

 

[Alan Gage]

Hopefully, this guy’s confidence will have improved after that trip so that he is willing go out without exact location info and realize he will be okay. It’s part of the adventure.

Agreed. On my first trip I was a lilttle apprehensive not knowing any campsite locations. It led to paddling later than I wanted some nights and one night setting up in the bush because it was late and I couldn't find anything. By the end of the trip I was getting better at judging where to look for them.

Since then I've never wanted to know campsite locations. I try to find enough info about the trip to have an idea of what I'm getting into and the route to take but I try to avoid in depth trip reports that detail the location of all points of interest. Or, if i do look at those trip reports, I don't pay attention to those details.

For me part of the fun and satisfaction is finding things on my own. I want surprises. I don't want to know what's around every corner. The only information I transfer to my maps are rapid classifications and locations (something I don't want to be surprised by) and the odd portage if it's reported as being particularly difficult to find or not in an obvious location.

No doubt there have been times during trips where I would have loved to know where the nearest campsite was but that's been more than offset by the many wonderful sites I've found that aren't on any maps or trip reports.

Alan

 

[Keeled Over]

Wabakimi was a fun study of paying attention to campsites. Sometimes flagged, often times not, you rounded up your Spidey senses and learned to look for anything that MIGHT be a campsite or it could be missed. Don't get me started their portages.

However -

Rocks. Big rocks. As long as I've got those beautiful river-side rocks I've got a place to sleep. Can't recall a time I couldn't find a flat spot on the rocks to sleep for a nite. Sit right at waters edge. Nice view, easily access drinking water, you can fish from your sleeping bag, water pools in the cracks for filtering (avoid high population bird areas), short ports, etc. I often times skip open lean's to avoid the eyesore of the lean - and the associated mice - and take one more baby step to the "Insignificance" I crave. I would never trample new ground when an existing site or lean is available, but all things being equal my carcass will be on a site of my own choosing where I will bask in the glow of a scrap free evening. I can fish right from camp (LDR's on those - don't need a bunch of pike slime on the rocks - easy to set up, easy to break down, and provided the sun also rises, basking in my warming sleeping bag because the sun can find me faster out in the open.