Don't be too despondent. I have spent a career in the National Park Service and I guarantee you there are lots of wild places out there. Some of the best are not run by the NPS, but are administered by the Forest Service.

In some cases, "wilderness" is spreading. My last posting, Channel Islands National Park' is five islands offshore from Santa Barbara. All five at one time were ranches and at least three were heavily overgrazed, by any definition. Just in the time I worked there, I have seen remarkable changes as nature has healed some pretty serious wounds. Many other parks are going through similar processes, so I don't believe that all is lost, which is not to say that complacency is in order.

I too have benefited from my time in the wilderness and the outdoors has shaped, inspired,and improved me in ways that I don't even realize. We do need to keep and cherish our wild places.