I'm speaking to you from Seattle, Washington, in the quiet of my studio, but in the view

of the ferry crossing Elliott Bay and the water that no doubt is lapping the shore and

the leaves that are bending in their late summer tunes.

That's Gordon Hempton.

He's an acoustic ecologist.

He travels the world recording and documenting the sounds of nature.

He calls himself the sound tracker.

Each place has a feeling.

It's almost as if the place has a spirit.

It's full of presence.

Each place has a combination of sounds that's as clear as a signature.

One of the soundscapes he'll always remember is Yosemite National Park in the middle of

the night.

It was winter. There was snow on the ground.

It was really cold at a place called Soda Springs.

And standing there in the cold temperatures in the perfect crisp stillness of night and

the light from the stars alone was bright enough to reflect off of the snow banks.

I couldn't hear anything but the silence.

And then I lay down and this is what I heard.

And it pretty much sounds to my ears like a Mariachi band made up of a bunch of brass

instruments and it's just so rhythmic and so incredible.

I think that unlocks a special connection that we all have.

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