I follow talented landscape photographer Ben Horne and highly recommend viewing the first thirty seconds of his latest episode of photographing Death Valley. This is one of my all time favorite short video segments out of hundreds that I've enjoyed over the years. I suggest that you view and listen carefully with your volume turned up a notch to these first thirty seconds here at this link before you read my explanation below of why I love it so much.
 
I loved the entire episode however I keep rewinding to view and listen to the first 30 seconds over and over again. Why?

With no dialog Ben has communicated the essence of Death Valley better than any other prior segment/episode on his entire YouTube channel. How?

Ben mixes his scene composition skills with his audio engineering skills. The introduction fades from black while the soundtrack kicks in enticing the viewer's curiosity as a perfect balance of the background wind with the tink, tink, tink, of the teabag tag tapping the mug which draws one into the dawn light softly framing as Ben’s hand reaches in from the side, pulling the steamy mug with a sensual sandpaper scraping while dragging the mug towards him.

The scene cuts away to distance with the comforting crunch crunch of boots on gravel leaving one settled in for another warm episode in Death Valley. To me this epitomizes sweet Death Valley mornings. Just the best ever!

I just played it again with my eyes closed to enjoy to audio and I detected just a hint of Ben swallowing a gulp of his morning tea?

Yes, that was excellent and I see why it captured you. It is the lack of "civilized" sounds that bring us to nature's quieter places. And it is the soft sounds that tickle our eardrums and tune in our senses. An additional item that caught my attention. I'd need two wives to help carry that camera gear.

I came back Monday from 9 hiking days in the valley (will post TRs "soon") and on this trip I was quite disappointed by all the military jet noise. Probably mostly from the Saline and Panamint area, but plenty of flights over DV as well. It totally disrupts the natural soundscape when you're hearing their rumbles for 45 minutes. Serious noise, you could not take a nap through it. I appreciate the need for flight training, but I sure wish they would respect the national park, or at least the core of the park (Death Valley) more in their flight plans.

I too love the silence of the desert. When I hiked with my daughter each day would have a 5 minute "silence stop" to appreciate it.

(2022-04-07, 03:04 PM)MojaveGeek Wrote:  (will post TRs "soon") and on this trip I was quite disappointed by all the military jet noise. 

I'm anxious to view your trip reports, at least nine of them! 

I wonder if the current war of Russia invading Ukraine has the military all abuzz with flight training increase? All that noise can't be healthy for the wildlife in the park either.

(2022-04-08, 03:40 AM)DeathValleyDazed Wrote: I'm anxious to view your trip reports, at least nine of them! 

I wonder if the current war of Russia invading Ukraine has the military all abuzz with flight training increase?

I'll get around to it, I promise! But the only "discovered" hike I did on this trip, I would not recommend. Otherwise I was following other people's tracks the whole time. (Ha, I was literally doing some tracking to find some obscure beautiful petro panels in Utah). I am becoming increasingly concerned about environmental damage due to over use. One day we went up one of the "colorful canyons" Kauri documented near Ubehebe. Right at the canyon mouth, a side canyon came in. Navigation was not an issue, but on the way out we saw someone had built a five foot long stone arrow, out of distinctive light colored rocks on the canyon slope to indicate the proper canyon. We were tired and too far away to go tear it down, but that was sobering.

Coffin Peak is on alltrails and that means it is getting trashed. I see some attempts to mark a trail, and we tried to follow that as much as possible. I posted on their site to suggest people pay attention for small cairns and try to stay on track. It would be a good thing in the park service got some volunteers to actually mark a clear trail there, but they probably don't have resources for such.

Anyway, the jets. Yes the first few days I just waved away the noise thinking "Ukraine. Putin" but it wore me down.