On my second day I was on the trail early (before other visitors) and was enjoying the solitude there and the amazing quiet that goes with it. Every 20 minutes or so I was stopping along the trail and soaking in what I described in my journal as a “powerful” silence. While I was nourished by those moments in nature I also recognized a “torrent” of noise coming from inside myself (voices, music, images from t.v. or film, encounters with other people...). Sometimes it seems impossible to quiet myself and it reinforces my need to practice silence and meditation more often in my city life. A strong commitment and dedication are needed to achieve such a internal quiet because there are so many distractions around us which are constantly wooing and bidding us to enter in (for example every variety of media and electronic devices).