Wilderness is in the eye of the beholder

One of the most sublime places is one of the least visited and, for most people, one the least attractive, that is the western deserts of Utah. The area south of the Salt Flats is mostly flat and barren between the low hills and one of my favorite places in the whole world. In reflecting on the attraction of this area, I decided that it is real wilderness. Except for a few sheep herders, no one seems to have found a use for the area. The United States Government has used it for chemical and biological warfare testing, and accidentally killing herds of sheep in the process, but no one else seems to be able to figure out what to do with the huge empty land.

Recently, we have seen an increase in the number of all terrain vehicles and four-wheelers. But the land is so big, that even they have to plan for the distances involved.

Almost all of the areas designated as "Wilderness" possess extraordinary natural beauty like the Grand Canyon, and other places where people have traveled from around the world to visit. I would guess that virtually no one travels from Europe or Asia to the western desert. There are no bus loads of Japanese tourists, no French and German campers, no car loads of Chinese. There is just miles and miles of solitude and beautiful empty desert. There are animals. In the picture above, if you look closely, you can see mounds of dirt. These are ancient ant hills scattered across the valley floor. From their size, it is obvious that they are thousands of years old. There are also antelope, actually Pronghorns. They run in small herds across the plains at speeds in excess of thirty miles an hour. If you do not know where and how to look, they are almost invisible.

Now, what are the chances that some environmentalist group is going to throw themselves in front of the bulldozers to protect this desert. The chances are vanishingly small. Why? Because, for all the hand wringing and angst of the environmentalists, they are only really interested in preserving the outstandingly beautiful parts of the land, the Yellowstones and Yosemites, where there are thousands or millions of visitors. But if you really want to have a wilderness experience, you need to go into the western deserts of the world. Then you can really begin to understand the meaning of the word, wilderness.

Now, don't get me wrong, I am certainly in favor of National Parks and Monuments. I certainly recognize the need to "preserve" the physically attractive places of the world from dams and development. But, that isn't the same as wilderness. In hiking across the Grand Canyon, I probably passed thousands of people. In driving out into the western desert, we might pass a few cars on the road. Off the road, you may never see another person.

More later.