You don't say where you're from, so that limits what we might tell you.

You may hear owls. You might hear coyotes, even in the east (exciting sound!). You may swear you hear footsteps close by even if there's nothing there. Or you may just fall asleep listening to the music of chirping crickets.

In the west, at least the Rockies or Cascades, in the fall you'll hear bull elk bugling. This noise ranges from a grunt to a loud squeal. One time a bull elk started bugling really close, in the meadow between my camp site and the lake. This was really exciting, until about the 5th or 6th time that he woke me out of a sound sleep. About that time I started contemplating elk stew!

If you're near a swift-running stream, you may swear you heard human voices. There's something about running water that does this to the human imagination.

If you hear a roaring, there are no waterfalls nearby and you're not at an ocean beach, it's probably the wind in the trees. If your tent is properly staked down and you haven't camped under dead trees or big dead branches (look up when selecting your tent site), just go back to sleep.

If you're visited by a mountain lion or bear, you probably won't hear a thing. If you find tracks in the morning, consider yourself privileged! The possibility of a cougar's attacking you in your tent is pretty much nonexistent. If it should ever happen (also unlikely) it will be out on the trail, especially if you're biking or running (fast-moving = prey to a predator). With a bear, you won't hear him walking but he might snuffle a bit. Hopefully you will have properly secured your food, high in a tree or in a bear-proof container away from camp, and definitely not in your tent! Last time I had a bear in camp, the only way I knew was because my dog was growling with all his hair standing on end. If you do hear a 4-footed animal, it's most likely a deer. Generally, predators have soft padded feet; prey have hard hooves. So you won't hear the predators, just their potential dinner. In lots of places, deer will congregate where people have urinated, looking for salt. It's therefore a good idea to perform that function well away from your tent, on bare ground or rocks so they won't tear up the vegetation.

If you're in an area where there are skunks, (1) hang your food and (2) don't go out of the tent at night without a light. You won't hear them, but you don't want to trip over one in the dark!

I'm usually awake a lot the first night out because I'm excited about the night sounds. After that, I sleep just fine. I did two back-to-back one week trips last month, and it was several days afterwards before I could sleep in a bedroom--I missed the fresh air and soothing natural night noises!

As finallyME said,



<img src="/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />