pira, I know that eventually the land would recover. But in the meantime, other folks would have to look at the mess I've made. I don't like to look at other people's mess, so that is why I am trying to minimize mine.
We all have to realize, though, that whenever we boondock, we are adding to the mess, even if it is only a little. I am ok with that -- the national forests were designed for multiple uses.
For the same reason, when I hike above timberline, we try to stay on the trail to avoid killing the tundra, which takes a long time to recover. That is one of the best things about snow-shoeing, by the way -- we can go off trail without messing up the landscape!
