In fact, the less you do the more connected you become. As much as I respect the people at REI and Adventure 16, all that high-priced equipment just gets in the way of being with the environment. Instead of jogging on the beach, try sitting there for an hour alone. When you're out in Anza Borrego Desert, get out of your off-road vehicle and just be . Technology gets in the way of relating to the planet, regardless of what Madison Avenue would have you believe.
Technology also has a way of biting the hand that built it.
Take the Children's Pool in La Jolla, for example. In 1931, some smart monkeys decided this section of coast needed to be improved with a breakwater. Creating beaches was now the work of man. So, for the next 68 years, humans had the run of a fabulous beach, affectionately named The Children's Pool. Well, obviously not the 200 or so seals who decided to that this was the perfect spot to establish a rookery.