Music Moves Us Through Alaskan Waters

Nature’s drama is heightened when you listen to your favorite tunes.

I’m gliding across still glacial blue water in Alaska’s Prince William Sound. In the distance snow-covered peaks are etched against a mottled sky. Gulls are soaring, then skimming near the water looking for food. Every few minutes a salmon jumps from the icy water then dives back in, giving the gulls hope.

It’s beautiful but it becomes truly spectacular when I plugin my earpieces and shuffle through my favorite songs. It’s been a long time since I listened to music but I still remember all the words — and all the drum beats — of the familiar tunes.

I rarely escape into music anymore, especially when I am in nature. In the wilderness I want to hear the bird calls, listen for a cracking branch that could signal a predator.

On the ferry I felt protected as the hum of the engine lulled my brain. I put my headsets on and the world is transformed into a soaring, pulsating oneness.

The gentle strum of the guitar dips and surges with the ocean waves, reaching a crescendo as a pod of dall porpoises speed through the waters beside us, playful but serious in pursuit of a tasty meal.