I recently completed a certification course that taught me how to facilitate deep sensory experiences in the outdoors. We grappled with the Leave No Trace principles a lot, discussing when it might be okay to journey off trail or pick a flower; especially if it means that we are forging a deeper connection to nature that then inspires us to take better care of it. We are trying to remind people that they themselves are nature! What are your thoughts on finding our place in Nature while still honoring conservation practices?
@sarahruth333, the difference between humans and other species is that we have the capacity to understand that we are an invasive species. We also have the capacity to correct our invasiveness. That said, a walk through the wilderness - any wilderness - is totally natural as nature itself. Millions of humans walking through the woods are no different than millions of moose, elk, buffalo, ants, squirrels, horses, dogs, cats, and beavers.
The reason trails and barriers exist is because we never stop with just a walk in the woods. We have to cut the trees down, build houses, burn the wood, pull the resources, kill the animals, create roads and industries, and pollute the land. We never stop with just a walk in the woods. That's the problem. That's why we should never get off the trail.
We leave carbon footprints...not just footprints.