Quiet Solitude

Three of us just recently returned from a backpack adventure in the reaches of Happy Canyon. We found the solitude we were after, whole days not seeing another person's footprint. Yet the sounds of croaking toads by the spring, the howling of the coyotes, the sweet song of the canyon wrens were frequently drowned out by the sound of jets overhead. I suppose the complete lack of other human initiated noise raised the sensitivity to the frequency and loudness of air traffic.

So I just wonder, was the weather just right to highten the noise level? Did we just happen to be in a place where more air traffic occurs?

We don't backpack very often, just getting into it, my question is "in planning a backback route seeking silence, are there ways to factor in the air traffic noise, or is this just a hit and miss kind of thing?"

I am sure it was hit and miss. I do hear planes once in a while when backpacking, but most of the time I dont. You may have been camped in a flight path... :ne_nau:

I seem to notice planes quite a bit too. Like you contemplated, I think it's just because of the lack of other human-made sounds to drown them out.

What part of Happy Cyn were you in? How much water was there? I'm headed there next month so I'm curious.

Thanks,
- Jamal

Flight routes are often over very unpopulated areas. (meaning wilderness areas). At least they seem to be. I noticed planes going across the night sky at Stateline CG (near the Wave) one night. For well over 2 hrs, there was not a time, that I couldn't spot at least 1 plane's running lights somewhere in the sky. Same in my area (NW Colorado) over the Flattops Wilderness. Yah, a little bothersome. What can you do. Crank up the AC/DC!

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So I just wonder, was the weather just right to highten the noise level?

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Probably not. More than likely you heard the jets because there was a lack of any other noise around and as you say your sensitivity to noise was raised.

Could always take up Caving :naughty:. I find that when in a cave, it is the biggest form of solitude you can have, especially when you turn off your lights.

Kind of funny... One of my primary reasons for going into the backcountry has always been to get the hell away from civilization, but the neverending contrails, running lights and the jet noise were a constant, irritating reminder that I'd never be able to truly escape. However, I had friends who were doing the Teton Crest trail when 9/11 occurred and with nothing more than an occasional satellite or meteor at night, they knew something really terrible had happened. It freaked them out so bad they cut their trip short just to find out what was going on. I guess their story has made me a bit more tolerant of hearing and seeing planes when I'm in the backcountry now.

I backpacked down the virgin river george once thinking man I got this place to my self.
There was a reason and I swear every drunk pilot coming home from Vegas used it as a pointer to get to St.George,UT.:facepalm1:

But I did find tons of beads and arrow heads. Beeds were had carved sand stone loops.
I never in a million years guess that beaver still use that river but at night they swam up it.
Not sure what the hell they ate? Not a tree for miles as in a cottonwood just tamerask.
Never keep relics-Bad mojo very bad mojo.