Joshua Tree

I first experienced pure silence (and darkness) while deep inside a cave in the Slovakian mountains, years ago. During my recent trip to Death Valley National Park I experienced what felt like pure silence again. I was about to watch the sunrise 10 miles up a dirt track in the north west corner of the park. This particular area of the park is high enough altitude to be home to a huge number of 20+ft Joshua Trees. As the sun rose and the expanse of the landscape became apparent, something broke the stillness and quiet. About half a mile away on one side of the valley I heard the wake up call of a pack of resident Coyotes. Their eerie calls lasted about a minute. Then, 30 seconds later, a group on the other side of the valley responded in what I imagine is a daily greeting. It was an amazing experience to have witnessed all to myself in the midst of all these epic trees.