Music while hiking poll

Do you listen to music while hiking/backpacking?

  • Total voters
    33
Darwin

Darwin

Member
Joined
Mar 30, 2013
Messages
17
I love surveys and the info they provide, even if mostly useless. I am just curious how many folks listen to tunes while out on the trail. You can provide an explanation or elaborate on your answer if you care to. As for me I do not listen to music while hiking, because I find it distracting to my wilderness experience. I do however listen to music at night around the camp fire from time to time. So go ahead and take my fun little poll, and thanks for helping satisfy my curiosity :)
 
Good poll! I've hiked with some people who rock out while hiking but not very many. I've never tried but it doesn't sound even remotely appealing to me. Around the campfire on the other hand it can be great, in moderation. We used to pack portable speakers in but the built-in speakers on nice phones the lately has pretty much negated the need for them. If we're in the mood for some music it's pretty easy to just set an smart phone on a rock and let it rip. Anyone else pack speakers or just do the phone thing for in camp?
 
when i 'hiked' my 6 mile walk home from work that i did everyday when living in chicago (no matter the weather), headphones were my savior from the city sounds. since moving to southern utah, my ipod is only used in my car. to me, the silence of the canyons & the passing sounds of wildlife are intrinsic to the experience. i am out there to listen to the land.
 
I use my phone around camp for music as well Nick. The little speakers built in are more than enough for a campfire, and like slc dan usually only car camping. while backpacking I usually leave my phone in the car.
 
I'm pretty serious about my audio quality so I never use built in speakers in wife's iPad or my Kindle. I prefer a good quality set of earbuds but only for in the tent to listen to material that will ease me into sleep. I prefer silence while hiking so I can hear the wind or nature sounds or just get lost in my own inner thoughts.
 
lostlandscapes said:
In the past on long solo hikes I've been known to plug in the ear buds for a little extra "mojo" on a big late-in-the-day push. Otherwise, I prefer the silence--especially in bear country.
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This. Natural sounds are appealing, but let's be honest - after 10 miles on trail a little distraction can make a big difference.
 
I love music, but I prefer not to listen to it while hiking. I do, however, almost always have songs playing in my head. On one hiking trip the last song I listened to before starting out was by the Neon Trees--I had that song in my head for hours and hours and now I can't stand to listen to it. :D
 
Udink said:
I do, however, almost always have songs playing in my head.
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Fine point! I almost always make a point to listen to specific music on the way to the trailhead knowing that is what will likely be stuck in my head throughout the hike. I really dig melodic instrumental stuff like Explosions in the Sky for that purpose. No lyrics, just awesome melodies that seem to jive with nature so well. Last weekend we somehow ended up rocking out to Puscifer's cover of Bohemian Rhapsody TWICE right before arriving at the trailhead which had some interesting results. I'll save details for my trip report, but let's just say we put Wayne and Garth to shame on the drive out...

And on the flip side, I find when I hit low points in hiking, I have a BAD play list that tends to take over my brain. Like when I'm really tired and struggling and just plain exhausted. That's when the 80's butt rock and various other terrible pop songs find their way in from the depths of my psyche. Good thing I have a go-to list of GOOD songs that are easy to get stuck in the head to try to combat them with. I feel a little crazy telling you all this! Haha!
 
Never on a hike or when I'm walking with any people. If I'm doing a street walk by myself, I will pop on the Ipod. I'm likely to play a good bluegrass set. It gets me going.
We also play music at our car camps while fixing dinner.
 
Nick said:
Fine point! I almost always make a point to listen to specific music on the way to the trailhead knowing that is what will likely be stuck in my head throughout the hike. I really dig melodic instrumental stuff like Explosions in the Sky for that purpose. No lyrics, just awesome melodies that seem to jive with nature so well. Last weekend we somehow ended up rocking out to Puscifer's cover of Bohemian Rhapsody TWICE right before arriving at the trailhead which had some interesting results. I'll save details for my trip report, but let's just say we put Wayne and Garth to shame on the drive out...

And on the flip side, I find when I hit low points in hiking, I have a BAD play list that tends to take over my brain. Like when I'm really tired and struggling and just plain exhausted. That's when the 80's butt rock and various other terrible pop songs find their way in from the depths of my psyche. Good thing I have a go-to list of GOOD songs that are easy to get stuck in the head to try to combat them with. I feel a little crazy telling you all this! Haha!
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This is so exactly me.

UMT last year fun.'s Some Nights was in my head like a terrible migraine. I really couldn't get it out of my head.

This last weekend I had Frightened Rabbit's "March, Death March" in my head, but was able to control it and switch it up a bit with other songs.
 
Nick said:
Fine point! I almost always make a point to listen to specific music on the way to the trailhead knowing that is what will likely be stuck in my head throughout the hike. I really dig melodic instrumental stuff like Explosions in the Sky for that purpose. No lyrics, just awesome melodies that seem to jive with nature so well. Last weekend we somehow ended up rocking out to Puscifer's cover of Bohemian Rhapsody TWICE right before arriving at the trailhead which had some interesting results. I'll save details for my trip report, but let's just say we put Wayne and Garth to shame on the drive out...

And on the flip side, I find when I hit low points in hiking, I have a BAD play list that tends to take over my brain. Like when I'm really tired and struggling and just plain exhausted. That's when the 80's butt rock and various other terrible pop songs find their way in from the depths of my psyche. Good thing I have a go-to list of GOOD songs that are easy to get stuck in the head to try to combat them with. I feel a little crazy telling you all this! Haha!
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One time driving through Moab a top 40 station payed "Muskrat Love" from the Captain and Tenille (it makes the top 5 worst songs of all time, consistently). I had that song in my head for 5 fricking days (including the little animal sounds), I nearly went psycho. So I try not to listen to any music, at least radio, before a trip.
 
slc_dan said:
This is so exactly me.
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Yeah, it's me, too. This weekend, my hiking partner said something that I misunderstood, and it made me think of that rhyme, "There's a place in France..."

Yeah, after about 30 minutes of that running through my head, I had to dig out my phone and play about 30 seconds of Led Zeppelin just to push it out.
 
Udink said:
I love music, but I prefer not to listen to it while hiking. I do, however, almost always have songs playing in my head. On one hiking trip the last song I listened to before starting out was by the Neon Trees--I had that song in my head for hours and hours and now I can't stand to listen to it. :D
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When I worked for the YCC @ Zion we were camping near La Verkin Creek and my friends were in a camp a couple miles from mine so I solo hiked between their camp and mine usually late at night. I was always freaked out over mountain lions (we saw lots of sign of them) so I would belt out LOVE HURTS (must have been infatuated at the time I was of high school age) to warn the lions I was on the trail and in love apparently?
 
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