ABSTRACT
John Muir was actually a promoter of recreation, encouraging people to come for their share of wilderness, providing they accepted it on its own terms. The effect of a single wilderness traveler is very small, but as the number is multiplied it becomes large and lasting. Some activities are more compatible with wilderness than others, and some with more places than other places or time of year. The destruction of animal communities, plant communities, the soil, and watershed of wilderness through overuse by recreational visitors has posed as much a threat as the bulldozer or commercial logger or miner. Wildlife in winter retreat has been a special target, though in that time of year most browsing and grazing animals are in poor physical condition. They live largely on the body fat stored during summer months and cannot tolerate extreme exertion.
