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View Full Version : Citico Creek Wilderness...very quiet???



David S.
07-31-2005, 22:26
I just returned from a weekend backpacking trip in the Citico Creek Wilderness area here in TN. Three friends and I did a 15 mile loop consisting of the North Citico Creek trail, to the Fodderstack at the TN/NC line and then back down the South Citico Creek trail to arrive back where we started.

One thing that we all noticed was how almost painfully silent the whole area was. Other than the sound of water near the creeks, up on top of the ridge, everything was just absolutely silent. Not any bird sounds or the scampering of rodents through the woods. No wind. Nothing. It was the oddest thing. Early this morning we did hear just a few birds in the distance...which we immediately noticed with a bit of novel enthusiasm. We did see a bunch of bear scat near some areas with lots of berries...but still, complete silence. We didn't see any wildlife whatsoever...other than some crawdads and salamanders in the creeks.
We weren't a rowdy bunch either...mostly quietly walking and not conversing as we walked.

It was a beautifull and enjoyable trip. But the dead silence of the place was just kind of odd to me. I expected the place to be teaming with all sorts of sounds of critters, birds, the scitter of rodents through the forest...but I felt like I was the only critter out there! Almost as if all the wildlife was on strike or something. Maybe I'm just not in touch with my surroundings yet. David S.

DLFrost
08-01-2005, 00:19
I just returned from a weekend backpacking trip in the Citico Creek Wilderness area here in TN. Three friends and I did a 15 mile loop consisting of the North Citico Creek trail, to the Fodderstack at the TN/NC line and then back down the South Citico Creek trail to arrive back where we started.

One thing that we all noticed was how almost painfully silent the whole area was. Other than the sound of water near the creeks, up on top of the ridge, everything was just absolutely silent. Not any bird sounds or the scampering of rodents through the woods. No wind. Nothing. It was the oddest thing. [...]

It was a beautifull and enjoyable trip. But the dead silence of the place was just kind of odd to me. I expected the place to be teaming with all sorts of sounds of critters, birds, the scitter of rodents through the forest...but I felt like I was the only critter out there! Almost as if all the wildlife was on strike or something. Maybe I'm just not in touch with my surroundings yet. David S.
It gets like that in the mountains sometimes... So quiet you think God shut off the nature machine for repairs or something. Over the years I've experienced that in a number of places.

It's a shame you didn't get to Hangover Lead and the view from there. It's the best in the area and one of the notables in the Southeast.

Doug Frost

Frolicking Dinosaurs
08-01-2005, 07:17
I've notice Citico Creek being unusually quiet several times. I figured it was because hunting is allowed in the area and quieter critters are critters that survive to reproduce. While I've seen lots of scat there, I've rarely seen an animal of any kind (except northern water snakes in the creek and black snakes sunning in the trees :D)

Echoing DLFrost's comments re: Hangover Lead.

dperry
08-01-2005, 21:18
One thing that we all noticed was how almost painfully silent the whole area was. Other than the sound of water near the creeks, up on top of the ridge, everything was just absolutely silent. Not any bird sounds or the scampering of rodents through the woods. No wind. Nothing. It was the oddest thing. Well, just so long as there weren't any stick figures hanging from the trees. . .:eek:

Tipi Walter
02-19-2006, 22:33
I'm glad to see the boys and girls of Tennessee backpacking the Citico and I guess we can't keep it a secret forever. I've hiked it all dozens of times and at rare moments I did find it to be quiet but most of the time after I left the sound of the creeks and reached the Unicoi Ridge and the Fodderstack trail to set up camp I would painfully notice the almost constant jet noise pollution and airline drone. I guess it's a dull ache all along the AT too, anywhere a trail leaves water and follows the high ground. I should start a separate thread about Human Noise on the AT cuz last summer I was on the AT south of Fontana by Walker Gap and all I heard from there to Brown Fork Gap shelter were the motorcycles down below on Hiways 28 and 143.

The Citico is no exception to human generated noise and in my opinion nothing at this time can be done about it. My solution is foam earplugs which I infrequently use when the levels get on my nerves. The only time I get to experience true QUIET is after a big snow storm when the roads are blocked and the airports closed. Of course, Miss Nature gives us high wind and rain to block out these other sounds and for that I am thankful.