My kitchen remodeling effort is finally complete, so a couple of weeks ago I packed up the car with camping gear and headed to Turkey Creek. It seems as if most of the mountain ranges in the southwest US have a “Turkey Creek.” I imagine this says something about the ubiquity of wild turkeys at […]
I need quiet the way an alcoholic needs a drink. By “quiet” I don’t mean absolute silence, the kind that can only be found in an anechoic chamber. My version of quiet is free from man-made noise, anthropophony, in Bernie Krause’s terms. No machines, no screaming and yelling, no loud music. Sometimes I really crave
Seeking a little quiet Read More »
Last October, I took a quick trip to the Chiricahua Mountains to do some hiking and camping. I’d been hearing for years that the aspens up on the crest put on a lovely show in the fall, so I decided to check it out. The Chiricahuas (cheer-uh-cow-uhs) are one of the largest of the isolated
Crazy night in the Chiricahuas Read More »
It was one of those glorious days in the fall, when the sun is bright but not hot, and a light breeze makes the golden aspen leaves shimmer. The kind of day that just makes you feel glad to be alive. It was on one of those glorious days, one of a string of similar
Fall afternoon on the Tahoe Rim Trail Read More »
Although birds and humans dominate the diurnal soundscape, a good number of creatures call during the hours of darkness. I was reminded of this on a trip in September, when I took another trip north to Carson City. I spent the first night at Ashurst Lake, near Flagstaff, Arizona. I pulled in to the campground
Summer (2014) was a very weird summer. Normally (whatever that means), the Mexican Monsoon rolls in during late June or early July, bringing daily afternoon thunderstorms to the mountains, which sometimes make it to the valleys. This year, it seemed like the monsoon never really got going, but rather, what few thunderstorms we had were
Chasing thunder, finding bears Read More »
When you travel alone, like I usually do, its important to know your own physical limits as well as the limits of your equipment. The latter became an issue for me when I attempted to go exploring in the Henry Mountains of Utah this last summer. I’ve had my eye on the Henry’s for awhile;
Knowing your limits Read More »
On my June road trip from southern Arizona to northern Nevada, I made a stop just southwest of Ely, Nevada. Ely is surrounded by interesting mountain ranges, such as the Egan, Schell Creek, and Snake Ranges, some of which I’ve written about in previous posts. On this trip I picked the White Pine Range to
Wild horses in the Great Basin Read More »
In mid-June of this year (2014), I continued on my quest to record the howls of lobos (Mexican gray wolves). This time I headed for the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest in east-central Arizona, to the wild country along the west fork of the Black River. I met up with Jean Ossorio (who actually planned the trip)
El lobo, part 2: Greenfire’s Ghost Read More »
