Usually, we hear so much sound that we’re burdened by it. But when you’re out in the wilderness, camping, some things – little things – just sound nice.
We don’t mean birds and squirrels and the like. Sure, animals can be cute, but they’ve been talked about to death. Speaking of which, animals can also be deadly. The baritone purr of a tiger probably wouldn’t be easy on the ears when you’re sitting around a campfire. So we decided to leave out talking about animals altogether.
So what else does sound good in the wilderness? Let’s find out.
1. The Sound Of Water
The sound of water when you’re out camping is oddly soothing. Whether it’s the constant roaring waterfall in the distance, chaotic waves of the sea or the buzz of a baby stream nearby, water sounds bloody brilliant.
2. The Sound of Fire
A campfire burning on low is a thing of beauty. Campfires are what keep the outdoors a good time and prevent it from becoming over rated. You could watch those flames running and hear the embers crackling all night long.
Unfortunately, you have to put it out before going to sleep.
3. The Sound of Ice
Okay, this one is pretty out there. But if you’ve ever been anywhere colder than a freezer, you’d agree that the sound of glaciers shifting is calm and terrifying in equal measures – it’s what fancy people call sublime.
4. The Sound of People
Normally, people are loud, obnoxious, intimidating, charming, likeable, and all those social adjectives. But when you’re out camping, and you hear them working, walking, breathing, sighing, laughing – all amidst the silence, that’s when you really feel their presence, their comfort, their warmth.
There you have it. Four mundane sounds that sound beautiful when you’re in the wild. All four are predictable enough to sound calming but not predictable enough to get boring – a kind of system that engineers would call non-linear.
Perhaps it highlights some trend in human nature, an evolutionary mechanism to love systems that are chaotic.
Or perhaps we’re overthinking.
Who knows?
About the author
A Neuropsychology and Computer Science major who currently seeks to advance neuroprosthetic and machine learning R&D. He also sporadically writes silly things, usually for blogs, online publications and his naively abstruse YouTube channel.
Long-term goals:
1) Neuroprosthetic R&D in India
2) Eliminating poverty in India
3) AI development
