Sound Escapes: John Muir's Yosemite

05/27/20 • 28 min

“Water makes every sound imaginable and occupies every frequency audible to the human ear and certainly spans the dynamic range from the faintest sound to near distortion,” says Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker.

The writings of John Muir can guide our ears, as we listen to the water music: “The deep bass tones of the fall, the clashing ringing spray an infinite variety of small, low tones of the current gliding past the side of the Boulder Island and glinting against a thousand smaller stones down the Ferny channel.”

In this episode of Sound Escapes, walk in Muir’s footsteps as you follow the sounds of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park.

Support for Sound Escapes comes from Jim and Birte Falconer of Seattle.

In this episode of Sound Escapes, walk in Muir’s footsteps as you follow the sounds of the Merced River in Yosemite National Park.

Support for Sound Escapes comes from Jim and Birte Falconer of Seattle.

Previous Episode

Sound Escapes: Amazon Awakenings

In this episode of Sound Escapes, you'll hear sounds recorded by Gordon Hempton, the Sound Tracker, at Zabalo River Wilderness Quiet Park — deep inside the Amazon of Ecuador. Zabalo was certified as the world's first wilderness quiet park on Earth Day in 2019.

Gordon calls this place a living Eden. "And when we listen there, we listen for miles. Not city blocks. We listen for miles."

Whether you're sheltering in place or taking a break from your duties as an essential worker, we hope this episode brings you peace and a brief escape from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Learn more about the Quiet Parks initiative

Support for Sound Escapes comes from Jim and Birte Falconer of Seattle.

Next Episode

Sound Escapes: Kalahari Sunrise

Experience dawn in the Kalahari Desert as the sun rises over the sandy savannah in South Africa. It’s nearly level at this part of the Kalahari Desert. The trees are widely spaced. There’s almost no available water. You cannot see very far — the heat itself ripples the horizon. It's hard to imagine any animal feeling at home in this landscape — but they certainly sound like they are.

Let’s listen…

This podcast is made possible by Jim and Birte Falconer of Seattle.