I had the opportunity to spend a couple of days in the northern Adirondacks this week.  We were in the Elk Lake – Clear Pond Nature Preserve, 12,000 acre private forest preserve, staying at Elk Lake Lodge.   

It has been years since I have heard such utter silence.  We forget how much noise fills our lives.  As I sit in my office in our home at the end of a cul-de-sac in a small village, you would think it would be quiet.  Yes, it’s relatively quiet, but I can hear the hum of my computer, the click of the keys, a truck making a delivery on our dead end street, my husband moving things in the basement, an occasional plane way overhead, the dryer running downstairs, children playing in the street, and on and on.  Little bits of sound that fill our lives and we, for the most part, are not even aware of them anymore.

While kayaking on the 600 acre private Elk Lake, I stopped and just sat in the water and listened.  What I heard was silence, complete silence. It was the middle of the afternoon and I was in the middle of the lake so wildlife sounds were not even apparent.  Utter silence.  I encountered the same thing when we hiked to Clear Pond  (image below) the following day.  It made me realize how seldom, if ever, we hear that.  And I realized, or just was reminded, how good it felt.  That’s been on my mind ever since and I’m now keenly aware of all the little sounds that fill our days.

How long has it been since you’ve heard the sound of silence?

“The trees, the flowers, the plants grow in silence. The stars, the sun, the moon move in silence. Silence gives us a new perspective. ”  Mother Teresa

Clear Pond, Northern Adirondacks, NY ©Gail S. Haile

Clear Pond, Northern Adirondacks, NY ©Gail S. Haile: Click to Enlarge image