Trail music - Appalachian Trail

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#1

Appalachian Rain

Don Norton

#2

it’s great to see so many responses to ‘trail music’!..it seems to me that ‘song’ gains a new dimension in the woods and on the mountaintops! (as does ‘eating’…or ‘conversation’…or many other of the ‘normal’ aspects of life)…i have never quite been able to wrap my head around the complaint by some that ‘they were BORED’ out on the trail…for us there was always SOMETHING new to discover!..and often that discovery came through song! (perhaps the ‘song’ of the woodthrush in the evening…or the song of ‘helium ‘06’ , belting out some ‘rock n roll’ to the the top of his lungs when he thought no one was listening but freckles…or a hymn whistled by paw-ee as he made his way through the mossy north woods)…somehow, a TUNE always helped to elevate our moods and transport us to an awareness beyond ourselves and the whole ‘pain/rain/maine’ mentality!..music allows you to linger where you are…it helps you slow down (even more so than your 2 1/2 mph thruhiking pace!)…phoenix rising’s comment about the graceland album made us nod and smile…that was paw’s favorite, too, back when he was training for marathons!..we are presently trying to memorize some of our favorite hymns for our trek this year on the pct…but if we WERE to accommodate ourselves with the latest technology for tunes, i’d have to definitely download music from our friends, ‘the psalters’, or, epecially, my ‘sister’ aimee wilson who has the most haunting and unusually beautiful voice (and compositions) i have ever heard!..of course, good ol’ billy goat has recommended to us, ‘the Bible’!..gee!..what a concept!

maw-ee

#3

don’t wanna hog the forum, but our good friend bill ristom says he bests appreciates the songs of nature (the UNrecorded type!)…yep!..i’d have to agree!..you just can’t beat that good ol’ “music of the spheres”!

maw-ee

#4

If you listen with one headphone on & one off, you can still hear nature the 1% of the time there’s actually something new to listen to. Perhaps not on the AT, but the Cdt & Pct are lonely & boring enuf at times to require a radio or mp3 to provide background. Unfortunately, mostly country music in the Rockies when you can get a station; but catching Prairie Home companion a couple times on a rocky ridge run in Wyoming is one of my fave memories… I also caught the tonight show a few times camped up high with my walkman.

gingerbreadman

#5

I started hiking the PCT with a small radio. On day 1, I walked right past a rattler that was trying to warn me not to, never heard it, never saw it. My partner was 20’ behind and couldn’t believe I missed it. I sent the radio home first chance I got. I decided I didn’t really want to miss nature’s music after all!

I also spent a day in the desert with a deaf hiker, who was looking for someone to hike the desert with her for the same reason. She practically sat on an angry rattler.

Garlic

#6

I nearty had the same experienceon the AT but someone warned me about rattlers warming themselves on the rocks in the early morning so I didn’t use my walkman that day. I still listen to my walkman but am more selective of when I use it. I was definitely more careful on the SoCal section of the PCT. Seemed like I ran into a rattler almost every day there.

Stryker