Wednesday November 4 2009
"Do you ever get tired of the quiet out here?" a city guy asked me yesterday. I had to look slant-eyed at him to determine if he was joking. (He wasn't.)
No, I never get tired of this amazing quiet. I've lived and worked in the city; I've lived and worked in the wilderness, in the forests and the deserts. For how vast and endless the mountains and the deserts are, the amazing thing is how quiet they can be. It's something most people notice out here.
Sometimes when I ride, if my horse's speed matches the breeze, the only thing I hear is hoofbeats in the sand. Nothing else. Sometimes when I hike it's only my footsteps (or my heavy breathing) I hear. I stop moving, and the silence is - huge. The presence of this big open desert - and the mountains and forests - speaks its own silent language.
Especially at night, when the wind stops and the birds and coyotes are sleeping - the quiet is awesome. You hear nothing - and everything.
If I could paint a picture of the majestic, charged, imposing, colorful silence here in Owyhee, it would look something like this up top.
(Or this).
I hear you, Merri. Grinning here! I love the wide open space and silence, too. Beautiful photos.
ReplyDeletegoing from metro ny to sw montana... i love the sounds of silence.. wouldnt have it any other way
ReplyDeletehappy trails
cid and gazi
I need to take some more sunset pictures.
ReplyDelete