National Parks Traveler Episode 174: Listening To Park Sounds

By Kurt Repanshek - June 12th, 2022

Waking up in the middle of the night in the backcountry of a national park can often be an interesting, or even unnerving, experience. What was it that caused you to wakeup? Fourteen years ago, deep in the interior of Yellowstone National Park it was the howling of a wolf, and when I think about it, it still seems like it was just yesterday. The melodic howl hung in the air, seesawing up and down as the wolf sang his song.

We go into national parks to view spectacular scenery, hike, and see wildlife. But have you ever just stopped to listen?

As much as a national park’s scenery catches you, the sounds you can pick up during your park visits are just as memorable. And, in the case of a howling wolf, bellowing grizzly, or bugling elk, I would suggest that they’re more memorable.

This is Kurt Repanshek, your host at the National Parks Traveler. This week, we’re doing away with talking and focusing on listening.

:02 National Parks Traveler introduction
:12 Episode Intro with Kurt Repanshek
1:06 Beyond the Reef - Tim Heintz & Grant Geissman - Seascapes: A Musical Journey
1:16 Interior Federal Credit Union
1:35 Yosemite Conservancy
1:55 Eastern National Passport
2:38 Great Smoky Mountains Association
2:58 Friends of Acadia
3:25 Listening to the Parks - What can you hear if you listen carefully in Yellowstone National Park?
15:27 Listening to the Parks - What can you hear if you listen carefully in Rocky Mountain National Park?
21:15 Listening to the Parks - What can you hear if you listen carefully in Everglades National Park?
24:35 Listening to the Parks - What can you hear if you listen carefully in Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park?
31:23 Episode Closing
32:04 Wonder Lake - Various Artists - The Spirit of Alaska
32:12 Orange Tree Productions
32:44 Wild Tribute
33:08 Grand Teton National Park Foundation
33:36 Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation
33:56 Washington’s National Park Fund
34:28 The Everglades Foundation
34:39 Potrero Group
35:05 Splitbeard Productions
35:15 National Parks Traveler footer

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