I stepped on a sound!!!

For many years, I have hiked to LeConte Lodge in the Great Smoky Mountains in near silence. Once I wore hearing aids and had a frightening experience with a jet that sounded like a bear to me. My aids had over-amplified an already loud and too close jet (I was at 6,593 feet altitude - the jet, at maybe 6,800 feet (way to close)). The aids did nothing to very little, in the way of helping me understand my hiking buddies. After that, I gave up on hearing my friends when we hike. Once we arrived at the lodge I could face them and speech read until night fall; the rest of the evening would resemble scenes from the "Blair Witch Project". (I would have to have a flashlight shining on their mouths).

Ok, I understood I was missing out on conversation but I had no idea I was missing so many wonderful sounds of nature. I did two hikes to the lodge this summer, one week apart. The first trip was with Mark, Matt, the Whites, a bunch of Matt's friends and Hurricane Dennis. Dennis showed up for the last leg of our hike, the steepest 2 miles of a five mile trip. The hike was rich with new sound experiences; birds, mountain streams and water run-offs. I loved being a part of the chit-chat in our group as well as descending hikers. When the rain started I suited up to protect my processor (hat and poncho)then I heard the rain "splatting" on the brim of my rain hat. It sounded so great and I was washed in memories of my childhood.

My next trip was with "the girls", Beth joined me for her first stay at the lodge. The sound that stood out to me the most, was the sound of my own steps. The stones under my boots, the squash of the earth & water under my feet, no matter where I stepped.... I just kept stepping on sounds! :~) It's amazing to me how much I forgot about sound and what makes it. There is a rock cliff where red squirrels come for handouts and I was able to hear their chatter! Evening at the lodge is rich with sound, from the noisy dining room, the roll sounds of the wooden rocking chairs, to the slam of the screen door and the squeak of the swing. I am delighting in all this familiar newness.

After our hike, Beth and I stayed a night in Cobbley Nob. The next morning I was up early on the porch reading, when I heard what sounded like a snake moving over the ground and to my surprise my ear was right!