Contributing Writer Mark Rackay
"Old Dead-Eye"
Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse, Colorado
Listening to music has caused me some problems over the years. When I was a kid, minding my own business in my room listening to the stereo, my grandfather would beat on the door and yell at me to shut off that awful noise. I never understood why he thought Jimi Hendrix was “just noise.”
In the days when I drove a patrol car, I kept the radio on a hard rock station, and yes, very loud. I also spent much time in the Sergeant’s office getting chewed out because I missed calls on the police radio.
And yes, I am a rocker. Hard metal rock for me, as loud as possible. I hate that mellow stuff. My wife of many years listens to Country music. I don’t dislike Country, I loathe it. So, in the interest of marital bliss, she listens to her country, and I went hard of hearing.
One of the main reasons people head up to the mountains to recreate, is to be in nature and enjoy the quiet solitude. Most of us are there because we want away from the noise pollution in the city. However, we now live in the electronic device era, and nobody is ever more than inches away from their electronic device. Walk through an airport sometime and see if you can find anyone not wearing a set of headphones.
Just about everyone has a smart phone and a very portable source of music and playlist readily available, there are also portable speakers available, very powerful, lightweight, and compact. Be aware that aside from annoying other people, loud music can be distracting you from your surroundings, making you susceptible to potentially dangerous situations be it from animals, weather, or other people.
Some folks like their music when hiking alone. For some, it helps to keep your mind and body in a cadence, especially over a difficult section of trail. People love headphones when jogging, powerwalking or during sessions at the gym.
Remember getting yelled at for listening to loud music when you were studying, and told that it is impossible to learn anything with that noise distraction? Well, science has stepped in to say it is not true.
Rock music helps release dopamine, the neuron that helps lift the mood and positive emotions. The fast tempo usually delivered by rock music helps release positive energy that stimulates the brain so that the student becomes more attentive and can study more hours.
Rock greatly improves students’ emotional intelligence and helps them do tasks better and faster. Although rock music has enormous positive effects on the brain of students, rock instrumentals proved to be more effective during a recent research study.
If that is not enough to convince you, a study has shown that surgeons perform better during surgery while listening to AC/DC. Writing in journal Lagenbeck’s Archives of Surgery, lead researcher Cui Lang from Heidelberg University, Germany, said, “Our results show that both soft rock and hard rock can enhance surgical performance.”
In trials, those listening to AC/DC songs Highway to Hell and T.N.T. saw the time needed to make a precision cut drop from 236 seconds to 139, and they did around 5 percent better on tests of accuracy.
Doctors were almost 50 percent quicker stitching up wounds when rock tunes were played in the background, but the positive effect was lost if those tunes were played loudly. I guess they are saying the music is ok but keep it low or keep it to yourself.
With campgrounds especially crowded these days, perhaps a general discussion of campsite etiquette might be in order. Most importantly, respect the quiet time. Having the music cranked a little louder during the day is probably alright, but at night, it needs to be off.
The same should be said about arriving late to your campsite. When coming or going just be aware of those blaring lights on your vehicle. Lights shining through a tent wall at 2AM can make the occupant a might cranky. When you arrive late, be as quiet as possible and respect others right to some sleep.
Turn off your camp lights when you are finished with them. People are often there to get away from the lights and noise of the city. Generally, people like darkness around their camp, especially for star gazing and around the campfire.
Be aware of your kids, especially in the later hours. You hear people all the time complain about how loud and rowdy the neighboring camp’s kids were. Sure, it is all about fun, letting the kids run wild, free, and make some noise, but maybe not at night and perhaps not close to someone else’s campsite.
Personal electronics are a part of our daily lives now. Your smart phone is a camera, emergency communication device, GPS, clock, and timer, can have books stored on it, and contain a full library of music. Just remember to use it responsibly and be aware of others who don’t want to hear yours.
And, when you see me driving down the road with AC/DC playing very loudly, I am probably getting ready to go study something. Also, my wife is probably not with me.
Mark Rackay is a columnist for the Montrose Daily Press, Delta County Independent, as well as a feature writer for several saltwater fishing magazines. He is an avid hunter and world class saltwater angler, who travels around the world in search of adventure and serves as a Director and Public Information Officer for the Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse.
Mark Rackay
Mark Rackay is a columnist for the Montrose Daily Press, Delta County Independent, and several other newspapers, as well as a feature writer for several saltwater fishing magazines. He is an avid hunter and world class saltwater angler, who travels around the world in search of adventure and serves as a Director and Public Information Officer for the Montrose County Sheriff’s Posse.
