THE WILD 79 



A "scenic area" is a spot of extraordinary beauty, requiring special pres- 

 ervation. All of such spots are relatively small. Forest wildernesses are much 

 larger. 



Because of the necessity of fire control, forest wilderness areas and the 

 smaller wild areas are equipped with lookout towers and telephone lines. 

 With the development of radio, telephone systems are becoming less im- 

 portant. Simple trails are permitted, not differing greatly from the Indian 

 trails that were the highways of the forest before the white man came. These 

 are built primarily for fire protection. They also help to bring safely into the 

 wilderness some who would not otherwise venture that far back. 



Here and there sizable areas will in the future be set aside as trailless 

 wildernesses where those who dare may enjoy the adventure of finding their 

 own way. 



Off the Trail you are on your own. Goodbye to the endless repetition 

 which machinery imposes; goodbye to a life where the same events are 

 certain to be repeated, to the world where you know exactly what lies down 

 the street or around the corner. 



Here is a new world, clean and shining; a new life! Mustering all your 

 knowledge of woodsmanship, you may be seeking blazes along the dim trail 

 which winds among the ancient hemlocks and cedars on the slopes of the 

 Selway Mountains; you may be searching the alpine meadows of the lofty 

 Absarokas for the old, crumbling cairn which marks the only route of 

 descent through the encircling rimrock; you may be trying to guess whether 

 the channel you are following through the dense fir of Lac La Croix is 

 leading toward your destination or merely to the foot of some dead-end bay; 

 or you may be climbing some trailless ridge among the Maroon Bells 

 of Colorado and conjecturing on what world lies beyond the Conti- 

 nental Divide. Such experiences are dominated by a jaunty feeling 

 of uncertainty. 



The experienced wilderness traveler faces uncertainty calmly, with 

 confidence and an exultant spirit. He walks alertly, the master of his destiny. 

 Skillfully he packs his food and bedding on a horse or carries it on his own 

 strong back. He carries some food, but eats the better by whipping mountain 



