09/20/2026
Peace + quiet π€«
He placed a small red stone on a log and argued that protecting that one point would protect the silence for miles around it. πͺ¨π€«
Gordon Hempton, an acoustic ecologist, designated One Square Inch of Silence in the Hoh Rainforest in 2005. The idea was that a single aircraft overhead ruins natural quiet across a huge area. βοΈπ²
The Hoh receives up to 14 feet of rain a year, and moss hangs from every branch. That density absorbs sound, which is part of why it is as quiet as it is. π§οΈβ¨