Anything about the long distance trails does more than directly affect the trail mentioned. It affects other trails, too.
* The Wonderland Trail, for example, has permits capped for this year (walk-ups excluded).
* JMT has a new permit system due to the surge in people interested in hiking the JMT.
* I know of, personally, a few people hiking The Colorado Trail this year due to reading "Wild".
* The ATC is performing voluntary registration this year
* The PCTA is, of course, instituted a daily quota this past season.
Wild and "A Walk in the Woods" is part of it..but all the articles, movies, and websites (possibly including one from a short-ish, bald guy of Mediterranean descent ;) ) talking about the trails add to it.
I am not going to say if the popular media attention is good or bad (to be truthful, it is both IMO for different reasons ), but it does make a difference in terms of use *IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME* for towns, camp sites, resources and so on.
For the longer trails such as the PCT or the AT, I've personally been encouraging people to do alternate itineraries *unless* they want a more Camino-like experience. Not my thing, but I can see certainly see the allure of it for some (a community of people, shared experiences, being part of something interesting). I am just not one of them.
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