Tequi

I've had tinnitus in my left ear for over 20 years. It fluctuates in loudness, but is always high pitched. That ear has been slowly going deaf for over 30 years, but the deafness doesn't seem to affect the whine. My dad had the same issue, same ear, so docs figured it was hereditary. Maybe.

It happened when I was in my 50s, hiking up to Big McGee Lake, from the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada in Calif. This would be in the mid 90s. The lake is about 7 miles in, beautiful back country hiking around 10,000' elevation. I was scouting for a backpack trip, happy as a little marmot, scurrying over granite. No noise, no people, just alpine meadows, streams, and mountain peaks. All of a sudden, the ringing started and I remember thinking, "well, I guess that's the end of silence." That racket stayed with me to the lake, and followed me down the mountain. It has been my constant companion ever since.