Pete McBride, Part 2: In Search of Silence

Pete McBride is an award-winning photographer and filmmaker whose work is regularly featured by National Geographic, Smithsonian, The Nature Conservancy, and other renowned institutions. His most recent book is titled Seeing Silence: The Beauty of the World’s Most Quiet Places, and it features photographs and stories from more than two decades of his adventures on all seven continents. Seeing Silence uses stunning imagery and engaging storytelling to highlight the importance of places free of man-made noise, and it educates the reader on just how quickly silence is disappearing from the world.

For more than twenty years, Pete has been using his skills as a storyteller to inspire action on a wide variety of conservation issues. He has highlighted the multitude of threats facing the Grand Canyon in both his documentary Into the Grand Canyon and his book Grand Canyon: Between River and Rim. He’s also documented the West’s ongoing water crisis by focusing on the myriad of challenges affecting the Colorado River basin–making the important but sometimes confusing topic of water in the West accessible to a broader audience. And now, with Seeing Silence, he’s turned his focus to noise pollution and natural sounds, and I personally learned a lot from the book and this conversation.

This is Pete’s second appearance on the podcast, so if you’d like to learn more about his personal backstory and adventures in the Grand Canyon, you can find a link to that conversation in the episode notes. In this conversation, we go deep into Pete’s new obsession with silence and natural sounds, and why noise pollution is such a critical conservation issue. We started out talking about Pete’s expedition to South Georgia Island back in March of 2020 and how he had to make a hasty escape from the island when Covid descended on the world. We talk about his experience during Covid, and how the pandemic shifted his interests from the visual to the auditory. We discuss how artificial noise affects wildlife, why Pete feels a responsibility not to share specific wilderness locations on social media, how Pete’s family keeps him grounded, the larger purpose that drives his professional work, his recent trips to Lake Powell, and we also included some sounds that Pete recorded during his South Georgia Island expedition.

It was great to chat with Pete again, and I’d encourage you to check out Seeing Silence– it’s an excellent book. And be sure the check out the episode notes for a complete list of all the topics we discussed and links to everything. Thanks to Pete for taking the time, and thanks to you for listening. I hope you enjoy!

Header photo and headshot courtesy of Pete McBride, book photo by Ed

---

---

—

Download on Apple Podcasts

—

Download on Spotify

—

Download on Google Podcasts

—

Download on Overcast

---

EPISODE NOTES

Topics Discussed:

Information Referenced:

---

---

Enjoy this episode? Then you might like these too:

• Rick Ridgeway – Purpose-Driven Adventurer
• Heather Hansman – Demystifying Water in the West
• Chris Burkard, Part 2 – Seeking Beauty Through Adventure
• Betsy Gaines Quammen – A Fascinating History of Public Lands in the West
• John Branch – Seeking the Extraordinary in the Ordinary
• Monte Burke – Exploring Obsession
• Mike Foote – Perfection is in the Process
• Steve Casimiro – Voice of Adventure
• Gabe Vasquez – Advocate for Equity in the Outdoors

Visit the podcast page for a full list of episodes where you can filter episodes by topic and guests’ vocations.

---