01 Feb Passing Time while Hiking – Sounds we Miss

So often we just plod along the trail with our eyes on the trail ahead, staring at rocks and roots as we pick our way step by repetitive step. We might be listening to a recorded book or music or perhaps having a conversation with another hiker or even with ourselves.

Take some time to turn off the music and look up into the trees (without tripping over a rock). Looking around will force you to slow down for a while. Take that opportunity to tune into the sounds around you. You are probably already tuned into a sound or two, but try concentrating to see how many sounds you can listen to at once. Once the louder sounds are identified, try listening for the quieter sounds, our feet pressing the earth, a leaf rustling nearby, other leaves that are fainter and farther away.  Expand your horizon. Maybe you were concentrating so hard on trail sounds that you didn’t consider the sky. Hear that distant plane passing so far away. See how long you can continue to hear that plane. For once, the hidden sounds will be revealed and you will see that all sounds on trail aren’t the attention grabbing squeak of a chipmunk or the rustling squirrel, so loud that you could swear it is a bear.