Bushwalk Australia

If you pipe on a mountain and there's no-one there to hear it, did it really make a sound?

That sound probably has visible effects on nearby vegetation.

The wildlife might not be too impressed either.

I had a little altercation in Banff NP recently when a family was playing loud music on a mountain lookout. I even did a little rant on Insta about it

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmJE6CfgzNj ... chjoshwood

I'm stunned at the sheer volume of threats of wanton vandalism and personal violence that have been expressed in this thread. Here's how I see it.

Some people, mostly young folk, can enjoy the bush if they can get into it gradually. So we see the music-toting, jeans-wearing, rock-tower-building crowd enjoying the bush. If we "have words with them" or worse, they may not return to the bush. If we welcome and encourage them, in time they will learn how to appreciate the bush more intimately and will realise that they get a better experience without the bluetooth speakers.

As long as we are not prohibited from walking off-track, we will always be able to go somewhere away from the bluetooth speaker toting crowd. We should welcome all-comers to the less remote areas, then when they have learned how to interact with the bush we can invite them into the inner sanctum of the remote areas.

Thats true ribuck and in most cases, we walk less visited places, so it's not an issue.

Walk your own walk goes both ways.

The search doesn't deliver you to places like that anyway.

Sent from my SM-G965F using Tapatalk

ribuck wrote:If we welcome and encourage them, in time they will learn how to appreciate the bush more intimately and will realise that they get a better experience without the bluetooth speakers.

That's one possibility. Another is that it will become increasingly accepted as normal.

One can welcome and encourage whilst pointing out that they are creating noise pollution that negatively affects both other walkers and wildlife.

No need to encourage everyone, revoke the parks permit from those who can't comprehend or don't respect 'minimal impact'

Isn't it all a question of degree?

Just as we rarely see 'cool duds' shouldering a loud boom box on the streets these days, I think that most people are aware of the basic social etiquette when out in public. The occasional offenders could most likely be handled with a tactfully handled comment. Otherwise, around a few more corners on the track, they are no longer heard. Portable music boxes have been around for a long time now, in practice, few people/groups use them outdoors these day except possibly at some camps where certain cohorts of campers gather. No need to get too uptight about.

I think "basic social etiquette" is just a mental construct. It doesn't actually exist as an unchangeable concept. The notion of "don't do to me what you wouldn't want me to do to you" only works when we all want to avoid similar things. What happens when a significant fraction of people think it's great to have tunes in the wild?

It also seems to be the case that technology tends to advance rather than retreat. Boom boxes are unwieldly and outdated whereas modern bluetooth speakers are small, light, and fashionable. As time goes by they are only going to get better for carrying around. I expect to see more of them in the future.

It's a sad day when we no longer have this basic faith in our fellow human beings, which our civil and democratic structure of governance is based on. I am still hopeful.

Whilst these modern bluetooth speakers are getting smaller, but have you also noticed how our smartphone's built-in speakers are also getting louder for sharing. At the same time, bluetooth earphones are also becoming more popular and people prefer individualised music. I'd think that those portable speakers will never really take off but a short lived trend for those active in outdoor pursuits. I can see how there'll be a few floating on touristy tracks where the picnic crowd would bring them. For the more serious walking tracks, those units are just dead weight and one off. No next time.

I understand the idea that tolerating amplified sound might have some value; in that it could possibly encourage a new generation to take up bushwalking.

But I suspect that those most likely to hike with speakers are probably also more likely to be in constant connection with the digital world. The idea that you would hike in order to disconnect might be alien to some people. I've observed groups whose sole purpose for hiking appears to be the opportunity to advertise to the rest of the world the very fact that they're doing it (constant blogging and social media posts). I wonder if constant connectivity might indicate a lack of appreciation for the more meditative aspects of hiking. But we can live in hope, and people are capable of change.

The girl guides we encountered inspired me to think about this, and find a leash for my impatience. Surely the fact that they were in the bush (even with all their noisy gear) was a better thing than their not being there at all? I think I'd rather that they get into nature and enjoy it than never encounter it. Perhaps one day they might meet the hiker who gently shares with them the notion of hiking for tranquility; and they might be inspired. (Unfortunately I won't have been that hiker. I'm sure they'll remember me as the cranky, wet blanket who spoilt all their fun.)

With regard to drones, I'm a fan of the fishing rod approach:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4nVRoXbbSGc

All human made noise in the wilderness sucks. Playing music through speakers is probably the worst but I hate people playing musical instruments almost as much.

Birdman wrote:All human made noise in the wilderness sucks.

Ironically, when there are absolutely no humans around my brain has the tendency to interpret ambiguous natural sounds as coming from people. One night I heard a woman laughing by a lake as snow was beginning to fall. It was kind of late in the season and I was pretty sure nobody was around. But the sound seemed unmistakable. I never saw signs of anyone in the morning. I think it was some kind of bird.

One time I was camped and a couple of people arrived after dark. One of them was carrying a guitar. I thought: Oh no! He took it out and began to play and I was furious. He was good, but I still didn't want to hear it. Then the woman he was with began to sing so beautifully that it brought tears to my eyes. Ten years later I still remember her voice. An example that there's an exception to every rule.

A solitary kangaroo enjoying a nibble and rest in the afternoon sun near my camp. Council spot. I like to think it is also enjoying the mello house tunes on a Sunday arvo. Who really knows?

"One time I was camped and a couple of people arrived after dark. One of them was carrying a guitar. I thought: Oh no! He took it out and began to play and I was furious. He was good, but I still didn't want to hear it. Then the woman he was with began to sing so beautifully that it brought tears to my eyes. Ten years later I still remember her voice. An example that there's an exception to every rule"

Nope, unless it's Jesse Norman or Ricky lee Jones accompanied by Jimi Hendrix -forget it.