San Pedro, CA
My first four-hour, outdoor experience of the Walden Here project… I learned that four
uninterrupted hours is a long time to do almost anything. I tried to be as
attentive as I could, knowing that my mind would wander and I’d need to bring
it back.
I was using all of my senses, but sound presented itself as
my focus. It was a cool, cloudy day and the birds were active. I made my way along
the coastline from Point Fermin to White’s Point and back.
Here are a few impressions from the day:
From the top of the cliff I could hear the waves pushing against
the edge of the land below and pulling back. I walked under a massive,
thick-trunked tree. Standing about two hundred feet above the water, the canopy
of broad leaves created a dome of sound. Rather than coming up from below, the
ocean’s wash seemed to rain down gently from above.
Up the hill in Angels Gate Park I stepped behind a steep, grassy berm and
stood close to it. It blocked the ocean breeze and its damp thickness muffled
everything. It felt safe. Yet there was also the faint uneasiness of knowing that the hill beneath was a warren of bunkers.
...
Deep into the day I began to wonder if maybe
the boundaries between the senses are not as distinct as we think they are. I
noticed that dark green leaves and lavender flowers made low tones in my mind. The yellow lily and coral-colored rose were more high-pitched.
...
Looking down from a small point of land, near where the earth sloughed off into the sea years ago...the tide was low. The rocks along the shore
were exposed. Every so often, an incoming wave would hit a large, rectangular
rock in just the right way to make a low, muted thud. Even though it was in the distance I could feel the sound in my chest—the
weight and force of kinetic water colliding with immovable stone.
...
Once my feet were in the damp sand at sea level, the sound
surrounded me. It came in toward the shore and rebounded from the cliff face
behind me. Enveloping. Other sounds disappeared. It was calming, transcendent.
