Cole Tyler wrote:
I moved rural several years ago and at first it seemed like heaven compared to the suburb, but over time things happen and adaptations shift. My eyes and ears are extra sensetive now, and without a steady city "white noise" EVERYTHING is amplified and carries long distances.
Neighbors got new LED lights...even from 1/2 mile away it's blinding at night!
I can actually hear dogs from 3/4 mile + away.
Gunshots, often.
Loud exhaust especially motorcycles.
1/8 mile away a noisy air conditioner.
Someone a bit over a mile away has been logging so chainsaws singing often especially during early morning hours.
It's wild and I too have been frustrated but learning to accept this as just life everywhere I go. I mean, sometimes I'm making noise too since Im trying to farm (pounding in fence, tractor work, etc).
James Bridger wrote:Interesting post. I cant help you with finding a place, but I have a question. Could it be, possibly, that you're not really looking to get away from noise in general, but just to get away from man-made noise? Sometimes I find it very soul-refreshing to find a wild place to sit quietly with my eyes closed and listen to the noise. Places that seem quiet at first become filled with sounds-birds (always the first thing I notice), perhaps rushing water, wind in trees, broken tree branches creaking against each other, maybe a squirrel barking in the distance. It's amazing how a quiet place can turn quite loud, when you're used to listening to man-made noise all day, and have to adjust your hearing to nature.
Adam Pine wrote:Totally agree, I've been trying to start a community in TN that might be a good fit. Quietude is not a stated goal but definitely a by product of living a simple, largely self sufficient life. Honestly, once you give up fossil fuels, reliance on machinery and living near anyone that hasn't, humans can be very quiet. I've been living about a mile from anyone else for almost 3 years and rarely hear anyone else. The trees and terrain help to isolate the noise, in the summer the underbrush and canopy is thick enough to block almost all noise except gunshots about once a week and a car or two a day. In the winter I definitely hear domestic dogs (sometimes) and coyotes (more often) from a mile+ away. Logging operations (several days a year) and chainsaws from maybe 2+ miles depending on direction/terrain. I'm deep enough in the forest that light pollution is basically non-existent (when I turn my lights off). I like the idea of limiting noise to certain hours a week but I'm struggling to think if there are enough loud tasks to even warrant that.
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