>>1374950>how could you americansis not a usa problem, is EVERYWHERE. it's called overpopulation, and you and i are part of the problem.
i walked the inca trail in perú in the early 80's and it was almost no one around. the trail was clean, native population beeing friendly and receptive, plenty of place to camp.
went back again in 2002 and the trail was an endless line of backpackers and tourists, having a guide was mandatory, camping sites were cramped an dirty, shitting places all along the trail, all native population trying to sell you something.
been to thailand in the late 80's and went back in 2001 and it was the same shit, i don't even want to think how can it be now.
i've travel a lot on argentinian patagonia and altiplano in the 80's, plenty of free camping sites, super friendly locals, almost no backpackers, and the ones you could find where all nice people, eager to keep the camping places clean and leaving no marks.
now there's people everywhere, from poor guys trying to get a cheap vacation camping free and blasting music in portable stereos, to rich pricks driving suv's and atv's into the woods. noise and fumes and blasting stereos too.
free camping places are cramped and thrashed, pay campings are expensive and cramped. there's a lot of ecological problems and everything has an oily patina of tourism instead of /out/ism.
you can go farther, of course. you can aim to more extreme places, like Torres del Paine in Chile for example. i've been there in early 90's and it was almost deserted. now you'll find hostels, campings and boutique hotels and hordes of every level hikers and climbers, and prices skyrocketed like hell.
the solution is not better park and tourism administration, but a smart population management.
