tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post8150408268864615028..comments2023-10-18T04:26:36.875-04:00Comments on Roundtop Ruminations: Carolyn Hhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03179182853082650546noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post-60327245425181992322011-06-24T10:02:03.394-04:002011-06-24T10:02:03.394-04:00The Vosges Mountains are not tall enough to have a...The Vosges Mountains are not tall enough to have a treeline, so the "quiet zone" demarcation is just shown on trail maps, not on the ground.<br /><br />You're right about silence above treeline--unless it's windy. The most silent place I have ever been (where it was so quiet that I noticed that the world was silent) was along a trail in Arches National Park in Utah.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443352705506509732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post-22386232095207690502011-06-23T13:21:23.440-04:002011-06-23T13:21:23.440-04:00Scott: I love the idea of a "quiet zone"...Scott: I love the idea of a "quiet zone" in the woods. I wish that was a concept we could develop more here! Is the German quiet zone above treeline?? I know when I'm above treeline the silence is so deep I can breathe it. And a single rock tumbling off a hill can be heard a mile or maybe more away. I sure wouldn't want noise to intrude on that kind of silence.Carolyn Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03179182853082650546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post-89179741462822724682011-06-23T10:06:10.176-04:002011-06-23T10:06:10.176-04:00I used to lead public night walks; I love to be ou...I used to lead public night walks; I love to be outside at night. But the presence of so many incessantly yammering people--and not just kids--has turned me off leading such walks. My entreaties, like yours, to be quiet so that you'll see more things are never heeded.<br /><br />A few years ago, I vacationed in the Vosges Mountains on the Franco-German border. They have a "quiet zone" in the forests above a certain elevation in which visitors are expected to be quiet and respectful of the natural world. What a refreshing concept.Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443352705506509732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post-64171913669103754722011-06-23T08:01:46.430-04:002011-06-23T08:01:46.430-04:00i heard about the NJ storms this morning. For once...i heard about the NJ storms this morning. For once this year the bad storms somehow missed my area.<br /><br />I set up up a sad-looking little hobo camp with one of my tent flys in case of rain. I'm going to have to work on it. What I had this past week wouldn't do much good in a downpour. I tied the fly to three little saplings. I'm starting to think I'll just have to break down and carry my tent stakes.Carolyn Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03179182853082650546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post-24647339141539021582011-06-22T21:05:23.213-04:002011-06-22T21:05:23.213-04:00Sounds like you had a fun day and the animals by n...Sounds like you had a fun day and the animals by now, are thinking about relocating elsewhere. <br /><br />However, I do hope you don't get a thunderstorm while you're out there.. Tonight, Sussex county and few other counties in NJ, had tornado warnings posted. Looks like there was some damage done. <br /><br />Where's fall?Cathyhttp://thequietone.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post-3911265061953810702011-06-22T18:37:54.245-04:002011-06-22T18:37:54.245-04:00Scott: Oh, no, I do enjoy working with the kids. ...Scott: Oh, no, I do enjoy working with the kids. I'm just continually surprised at how little they know about behavior in the outdoors. Apparently, no one has ever told them that tossing things, pulling bark off trees, picking flowers, etc. is not acceptable. And though i keep telling them that if they are quiet, they will see more, that one totally falls on deaf ears.Carolyn Hhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03179182853082650546noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15891819.post-8266571921031539512011-06-22T16:03:15.160-04:002011-06-22T16:03:15.160-04:00Carolyn, I don't know what you do for a living...Carolyn, I don't know what you do for a living, but it doesn't sound like you enjoy escorting groups of children in the woods. The kids' relatively thoughtless molestation and manhandling of the wild critters really seems to bother you (and I don't blame you one bit).<br /><br />Our organization hosts 6th-grade field days near the end of each school year. Sixth graders arrive in rowdy gangs, which then split into five smaller groups. The groups rotate among stations where the students search for salamanders, clean trash from streambanks, pull invasive plants, plant trees, and examine aquatic macroinvertebrates in a large creek. I supervise the macroinvertebrate station. I can hold the students' attention for about 10 minutes, then it's time to toss rocks, wade in the creek, and (if warm enough) go swimming. A few motivated students always hang around for more stream bugs, but I'm glad most of the kids just go off and have a good time and leave the interested students with me. I just pray that the rambunctious kids don't drown!Scotthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04443352705506509732noreply@blogger.com