Travis
Trail Wise!
WYOMING NATIVE
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Post by Travis on Dec 1, 2020 17:02:52 GMT -8
I don’t know if I’ve ever “heard” silence because when I get far enough away to no longer hear the sounds of civilization, what I may hear are the tiny sounds of nature. A bird flutters between limbs of trees. A squirrel makes short, quick scampers upon pine bark. And even the slightest breeze has a voice of sorts.
In college nearly 50 years ago, aspiring Zen Buddhists would advise someone to “empty your mind.” But when I begin to empty my mind of conscious thoughts, I find unconscious “thoughts” emerge. They may be comprised of oddly-connected words or sights as in a dream. I see and hear things my ego-based consciousness would consider illogical. But my unconscious mind feels no compulsion to be logical. Dreams don’t have to "make sense."
I cannot explain all those tiny sounds I hear in the silence of nature. And I cannot explain why my emerging unconscious mind seems a steady but quiet current of often illogical ideas. I don’t need to explain everything. I can be content with the music of silence. Eventually I will stand up, hoist my backpack up, and continue walking. Much more relaxed.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Dec 1, 2020 18:50:48 GMT -8
Boy does this resonate with me! 47 years ago, the year after I graduated from High School, I bought a VW bug and drove cross country. One of the places I stopped was an intriguing dot on the Rand McNally road atlas called Island In the Sky. I wound down an endless dirt road in the canyonlands and found it, and to this day, I vividly remember not only the endless vast landscape, but the huge, almost absolute silence. That vast place just seemed to absorb sound. My breathing, even the pulse in my ears seemed an intrusion. I'm glad I made that trip. Probably overrun by selfie-takers now, But I have a memory they will never now experience.
On current BP trips in WV, I still find some small areas where I can enjoy the 'silence' of nature, but I have to hunt for them.
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Post by Coolkat on Dec 2, 2020 4:58:00 GMT -8
I don’t know if I’ve ever “heard” silence because when I get far enough away to no longer hear the sounds of civilization, what I may hear are the tiny sounds of nature. A bird flutters between limbs of trees. A squirrel makes short, quick scampers upon pine bark. And even the slightest breeze has a voice of sorts. This is another advantage of solitude and one that I greatly enjoy. The sounds of nature are therapeutic also. Along with the all the smells. I love the smell of walking through a conifer forest or the wind bringing the fragrance of honey suckle to my nose. But if you desire to hear silence I suggest you go deep into a cave, turn off your light source and just sit. The silence is so loud it roars (and no I didn't have tinnitus then).
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tigger
Trail Wise!
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Post by tigger on Dec 2, 2020 9:30:12 GMT -8
There is only one place I have truly heard silence in nature, and then it was only for a short while. Occasional birds that would fly over became a beacon of sound. It would be completely silent, short of the crunch of the snow under our boots for hours on end. You could see the warning of the upcoming storm, The afternoon heat would bring the deafening roar of the wind alone, sounding like a freight train as it ripped through camp, like white noise at another level.
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ErnieW
Trail Wise!
I want to backpack
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Post by ErnieW on Dec 4, 2020 17:13:41 GMT -8
Ages ago I did a session in sensory deprivation tank. No sound, no light and immersed in skin temperature brine floating me easily and somewhat numbing the skin. Very interesting what my brain did in response. I "saw" and "heard" all kinds of stuff.
Some of the most quiet I have been in nature is winter camping when there are stable temps, snow cover and no wind. Almost feels like the quiet presses in on you.
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Post by swimswithtrout on Dec 4, 2020 17:28:52 GMT -8
I don’t know if I’ve ever “heard” silence because when I get far enough away to no longer hear the sounds of civilization, what I may hear are the tiny sounds of nature. A bird flutters between limbs of trees. A squirrel makes short, quick scampers upon pine bark. And even the slightest breeze has a voice of sorts. That's why I've "heard" that the SW Utah canyon country is the quietest place in the US..
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reuben
Trail Wise!
Gonna need more Camels at the next refugio...
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Post by reuben on Dec 5, 2020 1:44:11 GMT -8
A personal view of the Salar de Uyuni, 2015.
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