It’s been an insanely busy few months, as I relocate my residence to northern Nevada. But now that the move is done and most of the boxes unpacked, it’s time to filter through the many recordings I made this year and get back to blogging.
The move itself was hectic, as I packed up a U-haul van in 95 degree Tucson heat and was driving through snow by the time I got to Nevada. I then flew back to Tucson to get my car, so I could take a leisurely recording trip through New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and eastern Nevada. I dodged severe thunderstorms and flash floods for most of the trip. So I didn’t get to do as much recording as I wanted, but I did get to record a huge thunderstorm in New Mexico and a fading flash flood near Canyonlands in Utah. I reached Great Basin National Park just as a snowstorm was pulling out, leaving a dusting of snow on the peaks. More snow was forecast for the evening I was there, but it didn’t arrive, which was ok with me. I stayed along Snake Creek, which seemed a less populated option than the main canyon, and found a lovely campsite next to the creek, nestled in brilliantly gold aspens against a dark green background of pine and fir.
In the morning, I took a beautiful hike up to a scenic tarn called Dead Lake. The aspens were approaching peak color and a brisk wind off the peaks made the hike very invigorating. I paused at Dead Lake for awhile, enjoying the reflections of the aspens in the water, and the howl of the wind as it roared through the conifers before swirling through the lake basin and tickling the aspen leaves.
I tried recording the sound of the wind, but wasn’t happy with the way the recordings came out. On my way back down the trail, though, I ran into a mixed flock of chickadees and nuthatches, which I did successfully record:
Listen with headphones to pick up the subtleties of the wind.
After my hike, I hopped back in the car for the long drive across the state. Time to unpack all those boxes…