I was surprised by how nervous some of the people who visited me from the city were when I lived in a slightly rural area. It wasn’t even that remote - I had a neighbor across the street! Telling people that there were no bears and a lot less crime didn’t convince them to relax.
A moonless night away from any artificial light is dark. Can’t-see-your-own-feet dark, and also so quiet that you start hearing a lot of noises that you aren’t used to hearing.
It’s really unsettling. But of course I just carried a flashlight.
It’s not that dark once your eyes adjust. Use a ranger trick and keep one eye closed as you enter and exit light pollution and your closed eye will stay light adjusted.
Believe me, I miss it too. I actually grew up in a big city, moved to a rural area for work, and then had to move back to that same big city. Crowding, noise, smells, terrible commutes - all the bad stuff about city living that I just took for granted before bothers me constantly now. I fantasize about being back on my own land with my own house, my own pickup truck, my own trees, and no strangers. All the people I care about are in the big city, they refuse to leave, and ultimately being close to them is more important to me, but I really wish they were country folk.
I was surprised by how nervous some of the people who visited me from the city were when I lived in a slightly rural area. It wasn’t even that remote - I had a neighbor across the street! Telling people that there were no bears and a lot less crime didn’t convince them to relax.
A moonless night away from any artificial light is dark. Can’t-see-your-own-feet dark, and also so quiet that you start hearing a lot of noises that you aren’t used to hearing. It’s really unsettling. But of course I just carried a flashlight.
It’s not that dark once your eyes adjust. Use a ranger trick and keep one eye closed as you enter and exit light pollution and your closed eye will stay light adjusted.
Just use an eyepatch YARR
You joke but some actually do tape one closed if it’s towards dusk and things are expected to get spicy.
Rescue or Space?
I trust Chip to the end of the earth, but I don’t know about that Buzz guy.
Army rangers, that’s who taught me.
I grew up in a more rural area than where I live now, and I miss the quiet and the stillness. And of course the space.
The tinnitus though… It’s so quiet I can’t hear anything but ringing.
https://trudenta.com/this-simple-trick-may-help-with-tinnitus/
Good ol’ tinnitus taps might help.
Believe me, I miss it too. I actually grew up in a big city, moved to a rural area for work, and then had to move back to that same big city. Crowding, noise, smells, terrible commutes - all the bad stuff about city living that I just took for granted before bothers me constantly now. I fantasize about being back on my own land with my own house, my own pickup truck, my own trees, and no strangers. All the people I care about are in the big city, they refuse to leave, and ultimately being close to them is more important to me, but I really wish they were country folk.
I feel the same way. Maybe that’ll be a retirement plan for me, if I can’t make it work sooner.
I also worry about stuff like air quality, and studies that show that constant ambient noise isn’t good for you.