Among the High Peaks and In the Wilderness

A special moment for Tom on Sunrise Mountain in the Adirondacks...

Hello to you all, Tom here.

SOUNDTRACK

I’m going to start with this because you might like to have a listen while you read. I’ve really been enjoying listening to Brian Eno’s New Space Music today. This was a bonus track on the reissue of Neroli (Thinking Music Part IV), but despite being a big fan of Eno’s ambient works this piece has totally eluded me – so I feel like I’ve been missing out big time. You might like it too, especially if you’re in the mood for something calming. As one reviewer writes on Brian Eno’s Bandcamp, “One of the few instances where the bonus track is better than the main album. One of Eno's best ambient works…” – I think I have to agree.

(New Space Music by Brian Eno from the Internet Archive)

CLOSING SOON: ART DROP #4

Our latest limited release art drop ends on Thursday Sept 7th, so time is running out to order these pieces before they are archived! Dusk Falling is a painterly photograph that utilizes a dragged slow shutter to capture the ethereal sights and sounds of dusk falling over Elk Lake in the Adirondacks, while Rain Coming captures the changeable weather we experienced and the natural beauty it highlighted as a summer downpour traversed the lake. They are printed on beautiful heavyweight 300gsm luster photography paper, and if you’re located in the United States you can order 20 x 30” prints framed in white or natural wood, ready-to-hang.

Dusk Falling | Rain Coming

NATURE SIGHTINGS

There were some notable nature sightings during our time in the Adirondacks but the most exciting sighting™ for me happened on our hike up Sunrise Mountain after we all had our trail lunch on the Lower Lookout. Our large family group had split up. Some had turned back while others forged ahead to the summit. I remained on the Lower Lookout to take some photographs, with the intention of catching up with Diana and our daughter who were hiking back down to the lodge. I decided that despite my legs’ reluctance I should probably take the opportunity to push on to the summit, so I mobilized up the steep trail, alone. 

Upper Lookout came next, followed by a gentle downhill stretch. Enjoying that relief, the silence, and wondering when the climb to the summit was going to begin I was ambling along carefree when I heard a snap in the undergrowth. About 25ft away to my left the unmistakable snout and heft of a black bear was running away through the woods. Clearly the bear saw me first – not ideal – but I was grateful for such a private, personal experience, and it’s a sighting that I will always remember. My mind was racing as I continued on, full of positives and negatives – I couldn’t wait to tell everyone about it, but I also found myself thinking about how differently this story could have played out.

We also had a bonus bear sighting from the safety of our car as we left Elk Lake, and our daughter had a clear view too so nobody was left out this time. The grainy wide-angle photo below makes this bear look like a cub, but it was actually quite a large adult that decided to cross the road at the perfect time. It was a memorable send-off as we headed home and brought on screams of excitement within the car!

Another wildlife highlight were the loons. In all my birding years I’d never had a standout common loon (or great northern diver / Gavia immer) sighting – only fleeting glimpses – and the only loon calls I’d ever heard were very distant. Elk Lake changed that, with their wails and yodels almost a constant from the moment we arrived as well as an up-close sighting of a territorial ‘penguin dance’ when one loon got too close to another. We had a front row seat from our lake-edge lunch spot of this distinctive behavior, accompanied by plenty of vocalizations – it was another special moment.

Below are a few more photographs from our time on and around Elk Lake.

We have some exciting changes coming to our Substack subscription levels in the next few weeks, so look out for a brief post that will explain those, followed by a new limited release art drop on October 1st. Until then, thanks for reading!

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