The trail is like a highway. Major trails feel like being on an interstate route - quick but somehow not quite wilderness nor satisfying. Secondary trails feel like state roads - local and more interesting, but still not wilderness but a bit more satisifying. The real wilderness feeling comes only when getting completely off the trail. You now follow the path of the deer, elk, bear. Your mind engages in every step. This is not only walking, but thinking, strategizing, and not without some anxiety. No guarentees. You dead-end, back up, rethink. I prefer my wilderness off-trail; I prefer my life off-trail. I do not want to walk a path constructed by a trail crew; I do not want to live a life path set out by society thinks I should do.