The trail itself is rather narrow in this mountainous area, with the zone of soil and vegeta tion impact extending only 0.5-1.0 m on each side. This compares with an impact zone extending 10-12 m on either side of tourist trails in the flatlands of Middle Russia, for example In addition, this modified marginal zone, beyond the heavily trampled track itself, is discernible along only 2-3% of the overall length of trail between Krasnaya Polyana and Camp Kholodny. Of course, that could soon change if the number of hikers increases significantly