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Sit back, and enjoy this compilation of images and scenes from quiet Gunnison County, Colorado

The following articles, books and videos reflect the mission and values of Silent Tracks

Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness

An autobiographical work by American writer Edward Abbey, originally published in 1968.  Although it initially garnered little attention, Desert Solitaire was eventually recognized as an iconic work of nature writing and a staple of early environmentalist writing, bringing Abbey critical acclaim and popularity as a writer of environmental, political, and philosophical issues.  Based on Abbey’s activities as a park ranger at Arches National Monument in the late 1950s, the book is often compared to Henry David Thoreau’s Walden and Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac.[1] It is written as a series of vignettes about Abbey’s experiences in the Colorado Plateau region of the desert Southwestern United States, ranging from vivid descriptions of the fauna, flora, geology, and human inhabitants of the area, to firsthand accounts of wilderness exploration and river running, to a polemic against development and excessive tourism in the national parks, to stories of the author’s work with a search and rescue team to pull a human corpse out of the desert. The book is interspersed with observations and discussions about the various tensions – physical, social, and existential – between humans and the desert environment. Many of the chapters also engage in lengthy critiques of modern Western civilization, United States politics, and the decline of America’s environment.

Seeking America’s Quietest Spots: The Quest for Silence in a Loud World

Dennis Follensbee has climbed through New Hampshire’s White Mountains trying to find somewhere — anywhere — that is quiet. He is not alone in his quest.

Welcome to the Quietest Square Inch in the U.S.

The quietest inch isn’t a sound vacuum. It represents a place with a minimum of human-made noise. The discipline of acoustic ecology, which is dedicated to understanding the natural sounds that come through loud and clear when we’re not around, outlines an important distinction between sound and noise.

Science Says Silence Is Vital For Our Brains

Studies have shown that excessive environmental noise not only decreases one’s quality of life and cognitive function, but also reduces lifespan. The good news is that spending time in silence can reverse these effects.

Americans' love of hiking has driven elk to the brink, scientists say

Studies have shown that excessive environmental noise not only decreases one’s quality of life and cognitive function, but also reduces lifespan. The good news is that spending time in silence can reverse these effects.

CAN CRESTED BUTTE, COLO. LEARN TO SHARE THE SLATE VALLEY?

Backcountry Magazine Excerpt:

Over the ensuing 25 years, traffic along the Slate has boomed alongside Crested Butte’s own population and the town’s reputation as a winter sports mecca. Today, a typical winter scene on snow-covered Slate River Road might see snowmobiles laden with skis, commercial dog sled operations with tourists in tow, cross-country skiers from the nearby Nordic center, fat bikers with hands stuffed in oversized gloves and even townspeople walking dogs on the firmly packed snow….

How can we protect silence?

As the global population soars, cities and towns sprawl out, and roads stretch into even the most remote parts the world, quiet is becoming increasingly scarce. The noise of buzz saws and trucks infiltrate deep into the Amazon rainforest. The blast of ship horns ring out over the Arctic Ocean. The U.S. has become a highly developed landscape, with just a fraction of its original wilderness remaining, split up into parks and protected areas. Now, even in these refuges, cars, planes, motorboats, helicopters and crowds contribute to the growing din….

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