You're preaching to the choir here. There are Sierra wildernesses where literally every trail leading in has been rendered a horse superhighway--yards wide in places and a sea of foot-deep dust and cobbles, not to mention the smell and the flies. And for what? So a small percentage of backcountry users get "easy" access and the comforts of a car campsite, without the pesky cars.

Grrr.

If anything I think you understate the impact of a typical trip. Here what I've observed: 1. Packer brings in clients, gear and supplies (let's give it a 5:1 ratio of head:client). 2. Packer sets up camp and returns to the pack station with the whole string. 3. Packer returns to the camp with string to pick up clients and gear. 4. Packer returns with clients to pack station.

That makes two round trips for every party, with is probably more wear and tear than committed by all backpackers the entire season.

Maybe it's a "legitimate" commercial use of the backcountry, maybe not. Maybe they do some trail maintenance, but it's not nearly enough to counter the damage done. And yes, I've had to pass up some real pigsty campsites made that way by packed-in clients.

Not all backpackers are backcountry angels but they'd have a hard time matching the things I've seen from packer groups.

/rant.

p.s. I know some endurance riders and they're a completely different group. They do tread lightly and respeoct the surroundings. (They also collect some gruesome injuries.)