Nature's Radio: Tune In to the Outdoors

Have you every heard nature’s radio? No, I am not talking about some radio show on NPR or a podcast on iTunes. I am talking about the unadulterated sounds of Mother Nature that you only get to experience as you are fully engulfed in her beauty and majesty.

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Wall in The Narrows - Zion NP, Utah

Today we are constantly bombarded with auditory stimulation 24/7 and it can be overwhelming at times. Whether it is music from our phones, traffic on our roadways or the whine of our home’s HVAC, we do not live in a silent world.  We live in one surrounded by artificial noise that we have come to normalize.

The unintended consequence of this modern phenomenon is that when we opt outside and find ourselves immersed in nature, where the nearest car, person, or building is miles and miles away, we can often be overcome with deafening silence. Without those artificial noises surrounding us, we can find the quietness of Mother Nature maddening if we expose ourselves to it for too long- almost like cabin fever.

The Narrows - Zion NP, Utah

But maybe it’s not that the outdoors is silent at all, but that we simply need to tune our ears to a different station and listen to nature’s radio. One that is not engulfed by the sounds of cars honking, the ring of our iPhones that we got a message, or Taylor Swift singing Red, but the sounds of our natural world. 

Upper Lehman Creek - Great Basin NP, NV

Put yourself in one of those outdoor places you visited recently. Can you recall hearing the sound of the wind as it impacts leaves that blocked its flow? Hear it rustling them in a soft crunchy clamor? You may not be able to see the wind, but you sure can hear it. Off in the distance, the noise of water in a river that flows ever so peacefully over rocks at a constant, yet subtle, grumble can just be made out. Get too close and this hypnotic sound, can put many of us to sleep with its serenity. Similarly as you hike, beneath your feet can be heard the cacophonous clamor of your shoes rhythmically stepping on gravel or other surfaces, crushing it with every step. Suddenly above you can be heard the delicate sound of a bird chirping as it calls to its brothers and sisters. These are the sounds of nature and its radio, which is chalk full of sounds that are natural, biological and that we often do not experience in our everyday lives.

Teresa Lake - Great Basin NP, NV

Because of this, in most cases, we have to purposefully listen for these natural sounds and focus on them in order to fully experience or appreciate them. As human being, we have become a product of our man made environments we inhabit everyday. As a result, we are simply not accustomed to these beautiful environmental sounds. Consequently, being able to fully experience and take in these sounds can often be a rewarding experience and enhances our time outdoors. It can make our experience or adventure that much more enjoyable by actively and intentionally engaging another sensory outlet that we have and often underutilize in these types of settings.

Sol Duc Falls - Olympic NP, WA

So next time you find yourself opting outside going on an adventure or exploring what Mother Nature has to offer try tuning into nature’s radio and experiencing this side of our natural world we don’t hear very often. It may not be easy at first, or you may pick it up right away, but I would bet that it will make your experience that much more enjoyable if you give it a shot and embrace it.

The Narrows - Zion NP, UT 

Grab your gear, and in this case your ears, its adventure time.