全球首條寧靜步道－翠峰湖環山步道
宜蘭縣太平山與大元山之間翠峰湖，是台灣面積最大的高山湖泊，周邊檜木森林蓊鬱，並被厚重的苔蘚包覆，彷彿一層天然的吸音海綿，翠峰湖環山步道在沒有人為干擾下，測得最低音量不到25分貝。 （林務局提供）
2022/07/18 14:28 https://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/3995871
〔記者邱芷柔／台北報導〕在地狹人稠的台灣，很難想像會因為「寧靜」而獲得國際非營利組織認證，位於宜蘭縣太平山與大元山之間翠峰湖，是台灣面積最大的高山湖泊，周邊檜木森林蓊鬱，並被厚重的苔蘚包覆，彷彿一層天然的吸音海綿，翠峰湖環山步道在沒有人為干擾下，測得最低音量不到25分貝，比講悄悄話還小聲，國際非營利組織Quiet Parks International（國際寧靜公園，簡稱QPI）特別選在「世界聆聽日」的今天，授證台灣翠峰湖環山步道成為全球首條「寧靜步道」。
林務局羅東林區管理處處長蕭崇仁指出，翠峰湖環山步道循著昔日運材軌道路線整建，環繞翠峰湖一圈，遊客可以近距離欣賞翠峰湖的湖光水色，步道全長3.95公里，不過因為路途遙遠，多數遊客僅短暫停留，走完300公尺木棧道，欣賞翠峰湖後便離去，因此保留步道中的寂靜。
不過要獲得國際認證並不容易，促成全球第一條寧靜步道的范欽慧，是台灣著名的野地錄音師，她10年前開始頻繁到太平山錄音記錄，2014年6月起與林務局羅東林區管理處合作，展開太平山聲景現場調查與錄製，為期一年多，錄製了太平山各步道獨特的聲景，最終在翠峰湖環山步道的檜木森林，找到了台灣森林「寂靜」的代表，在科學精密儀器的測量下，翠峰湖環山步道內的奧陶紀苔原區僅有25分貝，幾近無響室的狀態。
范欽慧分享，2012年她因為美國野地錄音師戈登．漢普頓的《一平方英寸的寂靜》一書開始關注聲景保護，戈登花了30年在美國奧林匹克國家森林公園的霍河雨林找到美國最安靜的地方，並放下一顆印地安酋長送他的紅色煙斗石作為標的，誓言捍衛這一平方英寸，保存最原始的生態及聲音，以行動保護大自然，更有航空公司因而改變航線為雨林留下珍貴的寂靜。
范欽慧說，深受感動之餘她與戈登有了書信往返，戈登請她寄一顆台灣的石頭去美國，要將它放在「一平方英寸的寂靜」地點，她將來自花蓮的白色線條石頭寄去，沒想到兩個月之後，戈登把石頭寄還給她，並在信裡寫下「這是台灣的寂靜之石、台灣的許願石，寂靜將會回家。」因此換她展開了這趟寂靜的旅程。
授證典禮由南澳鄉泰雅族人揭開序幕，戈登也特別錄製一段影片祝賀，QPI代表也透過線上見證。林務局長林華慶表示，所謂寧靜並不是死寂，寧靜步道所散發的是自然的聲音，地狹人稠的台灣可以擁有全球第一條寧靜步道，別具意義。
除了台灣，美國內布拉斯加州（Nebraska）的尼奧布拉河荒野區及芬蘭茂宜島上的哈萊阿卡拉國家公園，也將接棒成立美國及芬蘭的第一條寧靜步道。
不過外界也憂心，翠峰湖環山步道知名度大升後恐吸引大量人潮破壞「寧靜」。蕭崇仁表示，太平山森林遊樂區內的住宿房源有限，目前只有50間房，今年已爭取到經費將於9月進行管理中心整修，預計可再添10間房，透過有限的住宿房源，將可有效控管入山人數，也期待此次授證能啟發遊客對山林環境保育意識，將對自然的干擾降到最低。
全長3.95公里的翠峰湖環山步道，循著昔日運材軌道路線整建，今獲國際非營利組織QPI授證，成為全球首條「寧靜步道。（林務局提供）
著名野地錄音師范欽慧與林務局羅東林區管理處合作，促成全球首條寧靜步道坐落台灣。（記者邱芷柔攝）
World's First Quiet Trail
Cueifong Lake Circular Trail, Taiwan
Cuifeng Lake Circular Trail, Taiwan, was Awarded the World’s First Quiet Trail Status on July 18, 2022 - World Listening Day
Cuifeng Lake Circular Trail, the world’s first Quiet Trail, is located around the Cuifeng Lake between Taiping Mountain and Dayuan Mountain in Yilan County. It is the largest alpine lake in Taiwan.
The surrounding cypress forest is lush, humid, and covered with thick moss, which acts like a layer of natural sound-absorbing foam. As a result, it feels like a natural audio control room. Far from the hubbub of human-caused noise, the lowest measured volume is fewer than 25 decibels, which is almost silent.
In 2018, the first national ‘Silent Trail’ was established around Cuifeng Lake, allowing tourists who walk on this trail to experience the “sonic landscape” through deep listening. This act helped preserve this piece of forest.
The non-profit organization Quiet Parks International (QPI) officially awarded Taiwan’s Taiping Mountain Cuifeng Lake Circular Trail as the world’s first Quiet Trail on July 18, 2022, World Listening Day.
The ceremony began with the prayers and performances by the Atayal people in Nan’ao Township. Collective indigenous memories are passed from the ancestral heritage of the Hakabalis tribe through the generations. Through deep listening and reciprocity, indigenous people have coexisted with and flourished in harmony with the natural world.
The ceremony was completed when QPI representatives awarded Taiping Mountain Cuifeng Lake Circular Trail the world’s first quiet trail status.
According to the Forestry Bureau, the Cuifeng Lake Mountain Trail was built along the route of the old freight track that circled around Cuifeng Lake. On this trail, visitors can enjoy Cuifeng Lake up close. The trail is 3.95 kilometers long, and is the longest trail in the Taiping Mountain National Forest Recreation Area. The trail is frequented by tourists, but many turn back at the end of the 300 meter wooden walkway. The thinning crowd preserves the natural silence of the trail, and the actual ‘Quiet Mountain Trail’ section is designated between mileage markers 2.2km and 3.7km.
In June 2014, the Forestry Bureau’s Luodong Forest Area Management Office began working with Fan Chin-Hui (Laila Fan) - a well-known Taiwanese field recordist - to conduct on-site investigation and recording of the Taiping Mountain National Forest Recreation Area soundscape. Fieldwork continued for over one year, and the representative office for Taiwan’s Forest Silence was founded.
Photo credit: Quiet Parks International
Over a three year period from 2015–2017, precision scientific instruments were used to record the Ordovician tundra area of the Cuifeng Lake Trail for five minutes every hour. It was found that the quietest of these recordings did not exceed the 25dB, which qualifies the area under QPI’s standards for designating the area as a certifiable quiet trail. These soundscape recordings are archived and open to public inquiries.
Since 2016, Luodong Nature Education Center and Luodong Forest Management Office have jointly launched an environmental education course with the theme Playing with Sound and Listening to the World so that the public can learn to understand the influence and magic of sound by opening up all of our senses.
In 2018, Young Lion Publishing House published the picture book The Call of the Silent Mountain Trail, describing how the dream of Taiwan’s first national ‘Silent Mountain Trail’ came to life. In the same year, the first silent mountain trail in the country was established.
At the ceremony, world-renowned American field recordist and acoustic ecologist Gordon Hempton encouraged the public not to play music and not to step on the moss in order to preserve the natural quiet and spirit of the ‘Silent Mountain Trail’.
About QPI
Quiet Parks International, a non-profit organisation based in Los Angeles, is on a mission to save quiet for the benefit of all life. Preserving natural quiet means preserving the natural soundscape that originally belonged to the land, thereby preserving natural life and habitat on that land.
QPI divides the world’s quiet areas into five categories: urban quiet parks, wilderness quiet parks, quiet trails, quiet stays, and quiet residences and communities. It is hoped that people will protect this land by observing the three core concepts of Listen, Learn, and Love.
Nicholas McMahan, director of QPI Quiet Trails, pointed out: “The Taipingshan National Forest Quiet Trail is a step furthering humanity’s ecological awareness; an opportunity to reflect within the natural world that surrounds us. Let the forest grow and the voice of nature sing. Walk peacefully on a silent path and listen to the earth around.”
On World Listening Day 2022, a series of sound conservation activities will be launched around the world with the theme of ‘Listening Across Boundaries’. QPI’s certification of Taipingshan Cuifeng Lake Circular Trail will mark the world’s first certified quiet trail. This occasion will set the stage for the establishment of more certified quiet trails within Taiwan and around the world, such as in the Niobrara River Wilderness Area in Nebraska, USA, and Haleakala National Park, on the island of Maui. It is our hope that the quiet trail of Taiping Mountain can conserve natural soundscapes and environments, connect people with nature, and bring them to connect even more deeply with themselves.