comments from the-bright-edge:

Buckley Jensen is right to point out that not everyone can backpack. George and I neglected to describe the myriads of other ways to experience wilderness. Anyone can ride the rivers through wilderness, as the stellar organization Splore proves every year with river trips for people with disabilities.
Even more pertinent—we did not describe the primary way that my family has used to visit wilderness over the last couple of decades.
My children were born in 1988 and 1991. For years, we relied on wilderness hiking guidebooks to take us to the brink of designated wilderness or wilderness study areas. We drove our truck to the edges of those wild places, and set up a family camp—kids, dog, and all. We then took small hikes from the camp, returning to revel in the luxuries of wilderness car-camping: multi-course dinners cooked on our propane stove, Sun Showers warmed by the afternoon blast of solar radiation, the astonishment of gazing up at stars that fill skies far from the glare of cities, and the elemental pleasure of sleeping together in a big comfy dome tent. When our kids were very small, we called any walk beyond sight of the truck a “hike.” As the kids grew older, we took longer and longer walks.
No matter how short the walk, we were in the wilderness. We gloried in that wildness. And absolutely anyone can have these same experiences, which require no special knowledge, skill, or strength.
And, yes, George and I should have told this story.
--Stephen Trimble