The PCT's Symphony: A Hiker's Auditory Journey
Hear the Unseen: The Pacific Crest Trail's Sonic Tapestry Revealed
Capturing the Essence: A Unique Auditory Documentation of the PCT
During his extensive 2023 trek along the Pacific Crest Trail, Tom Kelly, a 41-year-old audio enthusiast from Los Angeles, dedicated himself to documenting the trail's ambient sounds. Unlike typical hikers who rely on journals or photographs, Kelly utilized specialized microphones and recording devices to create a comprehensive auditory record of his journey.
From Trail to Playlist: The Creation of a Public Sound Map
Following two years of meticulous editing, Kelly has unveiled a freely accessible sound map. This innovative resource features recordings from 200 distinct locations along the PCT, enabling anyone to explore the trail's diverse soundscapes as a curated playlist. Listeners can experience everything from the lively chirps of cliff swallows at La Posta Creek, punctuated by distant vehicle sounds, to the nocturnal chorus of insects and the calls of various wildlife.
Behind the Recordings: Field Notes and Personal Reflections
Each audio entry on the map is accompanied by Kelly's detailed field notes. These observations include specifics about his recording equipment, his personal impressions of the environment, and even his experiences at each site. For instance, a nearly six-minute recording from California's San Gorgonio Pass Wind Farm vividly captures strong winds, blowing sand, and the presence of other hikers, alongside the distinctive hum of the wind turbines. Another poignant recording, made in Northern California's Plumas National Forest, features the haunting call of a great-horned owl, which Kelly described as a 'heartbreakingly beautiful' and unforgettable moment.
An Innate Connection: A Lifelong Journey Through Sound
Kelly's deep appreciation for sound began in his childhood in Wisconsin, where he fondly recalls listening to mourning doves. His early fascination with music led him to study music composition at Columbia College Chicago. It was during a trip to Istanbul that he first began documenting his travels with an audio recorder, realizing the profound immersion that sound recording offered compared to visual mediums. He discovered that sounds could transport him back to a place, allowing for a deeper, sensory recall.
The PCT Dream Interrupted and Realigned: A Path to Auditory Exploration
After completing his music composition studies in 2018, Kelly yearned for an extended period outdoors. Following a brief backpacking trip in Minnesota, a 2019 visit to Yosemite ignited his ambition to hike the PCT, securing a permit for 2020. However, the global pandemic forced a change of plans. He instead explored Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains and completed a three-week thru-hike of the Superior Hiking Trail, carrying his audio recorder on both excursions. After a year mostly spent indoors in 2022, he decisively left his job to embark on the PCT in 2023, with his recording equipment as an essential companion.
Preserving Nature's Voice: The Challenges and Evolution of Sound Recording
Kelly began his project with the primary goal of documenting the PCT's most untouched natural soundscapes, aiming to exclude human noise—a priority for soundscape conservationists who view natural silence as an increasingly rare commodity. However, he soon realized that even in remote areas, human influences like aircraft, vehicles, and distant conversations were often audible, complicating the capture of pristine recordings. Finding truly quiet locations proved to be a significant hurdle due to the widespread human presence and logistical challenges.
The Rhythm of the Trail: Balancing Hiking and Recording Demands
The act of pausing to record and then resuming his hike often disrupted the inherent rhythm of a long-distance journey. Stopping for more than 30 minutes would cause his body to shift into recovery mode. There were instances where he would pass by interesting sound opportunities to maintain his mileage goals, and other times, he would stop to record only to find no usable audio. His equipment also underwent an evolution; initially using a Sony a10 handheld recorder and LOM mikroUsi microphones, he later upgraded to a high-quality microphone with a makeshift windshield and a Zoom F3 field recorder, carried in a Cotopaxi hip pack.
A Comprehensive Auditory Mosaic: Beyond the Idealized Wilderness
Ultimately, the 200 recordings featured in Kelly's sound map, curated from an original collection of 350 recordings totaling approximately 50 hours, present a blend of unspoiled nature soundscapes and clips that distinctly feature human elements, such as the wind farm near Tehachapi, California. This resulting body of work strikes a balance between soundscape preservation and a broader, more authentic depiction of the trail, offering listeners a nuanced perspective that goes beyond an idealized vision of wilderness. Kelly emphasizes that his aim is to create an enjoyable and inclusive experience, ensuring there is something to resonate with every listener.
A Personal and Political Act: Connecting Through Sound
For Kelly, this project served as a means to step back from self-documentation, offering both a form of "political resistance" against a culture obsessed with personal narratives and a deeply "personal therapy." As he delved deeper into his hike, he found himself increasingly synchronized with nature's unhurried pace, distinct from the demands of societal life. His surroundings grew quieter, more expansive, and subtly minimalist. Freed from constant distractions, he began to perceive nuanced sounds, such as the rhythmic trickle of a creek or the gentle rustle of leaves, that might otherwise have gone unnoticed. Through this carefully curated sound map, Kelly hopes to convey the profound feeling of being on the trail to those who aspire to experience it, those currently living it, and those longing to reconnect with its unique spirit. He makes a point of offering this experience without any barriers, such as email sign-ups or tracking, providing a free and open space for exploration and the creation of personalized nature sound playlists.