The point of the book was not about backpacking. He could have written about roller skating and done the same thing. It was written to be humorous, not serious. Because it was supposedly about backpacking the non backpackers think that we should enjoy it. No necessarily so.

I enjoy most of his books but this book I found offensive because it treated what I view as a serious subject as a thing to be ridiculed. Dumping junk along the trail is not funny. He did make some good points however about government incompetence. I would not picket his house with protest signs but he could have done better. He gave a negative view of backpackers.