Melissa Morewitz- Landscapes of the Sacred #3

In reading on page 94 of Landscapes of the Sacred, "The Mountain That Was God," I found something to be really interesting. We always talk about how we must be out in wilderness to feel it's full presence around us, but this man, I'm assuming it's Lane, drove up and around the mountain in his man-made car, only to get out and experience wilderness a couple times on his trip. Why would he drive up Mount Rainier when he could have hiked it and experienced it more closely? How was his experience so moving and spiritual with the presence of his made-made car?