Wilderness hikers with an appropriate sense of nature follow the practicel of leaving no trace of their presence in the wild. There is a skill in learning not to destroy, break, or tred heavily around trees, underbrush, or paths, or leaving campsite use invisible to others. A satisfaction results from the notion that a sucessor-hiker will not have realized that someone else recently passed this way, just as the original hiker will appreciate the same ennobling experience. To be the first or to be the last — it would have made no difference.
Shouldn’t it be the same in life, especially for the solitary?