Whispers Of The Wild

Searching for quiet in Saskatchewan’s Grasslands National Park.

- Jessica Wynne Lockhart

WE’RE WELCOMED by a cacophony. It starts with one small head poking above ground, but soon we’re surrounded. Their holes are spread out like craters on a moonscape, and as the prairie dogs pop up and then dive to safety, they call out. Normally, I’d be thrilled to encounter wildlife, but we came here looking for silence.

This is my first real vacation in more than a year. Desperate for a break, my then-partner Jules and I chose Grasslands National Park as the ideal place to switch to airplane mode. We’re on a quest for literal silence, too; as part of his Ph.D. research, Jules is recording the resonance of natural spaces for a contemporary art and music project. This park is reportedly one of the quietest places in the world.