I thought that hearing the cracking and groaning of a glacier would be an awful sound. And, at first, it was. However, I think that’s because we’ve strongly associated dissolving glaciers with climate change.

While almost all glaciers around the world are shrinking at an alarming rate, this one is not. Perito Moreno is the third biggest freshwater reserve on our planet and, thankfully, it is maintaining its size. Knowing these assuring facts, I was able to listen to the glacier’s weird and wonderful sounds in awe, not in distress.

Most often, we don’t hear Nature. She’s visually gorgeous, her smells are a tranquility pill for the soul, her fruits taste like nothing else, and her textures are innumerable. Aside from splashing oceans and swishing winds, however, we don’t often hear her.

Listening to the glacier was like a final piece to the puzzle that perfectly aligned with my personal understanding of Nature: she’s gorgeous, but she feels no need to boast about it. She simply is, she does her thing, and that’s more than enough.The cracks and splashes and creaking were gentle and ethereal.

Perhaps a symphony isn’t always required to create glorious music.