Love of the Wilderness

“But the love of wilderness is more than a hunger for what is always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and sustains us, the only home we shall ever know, the only paradise we ever need- if only we had the eyes to see. Original sin, the true original sin, is the blind destruction for the sake of greed of this natural paradise which lies all around us – if only we were worthy of it.”
Edward Abbey (thanks for the quote, Barbara Woyt)

That is why my heart hurts when I see so much of this:

A once beautiful wildflower meadow gone forever
Where have all the flowers gone?
Notice the “No vehicles” sign they drove around? People don’t realize what flowers and plants they destroy when they go off road and the erosion they cause.
If people could just stay on the road….the view is the same and so much damage could be avoided. Each year more and more wilderness is being destroyed.

These are just a few examples through photos taken this past Saturday. I took dozens more that same day — over 100 cars in 5 miles. If only we could see. We are not worthy of the beauty. We miss so much while thinking we are enjoying the wilderness, when we are in fact destroying it.