Ashley, a long-term guest at the ranch, commented a few weeks ago about the changes in sounds at the ranch as we launched into summer. Now, full-on mired in the brief but spectacular moment of Wyoming summer, I am acutely aware of the change in season and the cacophony of sounds that season ushers in. After the stillness and silence of a winter which saw snow falling and accumulating day in and day out for months, summer came in with a rapid crescendo of sound beginning with the return of the birds.
Birds
Technically, the birds returned in spring. Spring in Wyoming is often still snow, slosh, cold, and mud, making it feel like a cruel extension of winter. But they came, and this year, the sounds they brought with them were delightful and hopeful. It was a reminder that winter, at some point, does end. The YL is home to hundreds of migratory birds, A few live out the brutal winters, like the American Dipper. The first hints of summer on the horizon are always the sounds of the Sand Hill Cranes. The Cranes migrate through the valley, their distinctive trilling bugle audible across miles.
There is also the raspy chatter of the Magpies. The Magpies do not migrate and tough out their winters here. In the early summer, their chicks start to fledge, and the shrill squawking from their tiny peaks belies their actual size. It is a full-time job to instruct the cats on their job – voles, moles, and rats, yes, birds of any kind, no. Then there is the random scream, “Put that DOWN!”
Then the hummingbirds arrive, and with them, the buzzing and whirring of their tiny wings and constant movement for food. In prior years the YL would be home to hundreds of hummingbirds, creating a backup at the drive-through of the hummingbird feeder trough. The males show off for the females who remain fixated on getting their food while the males’ whirr whirr whirr look at me show continues.
Summer Project Sounds
In winter, silence reigns, with the deep snow muffling most sound. In summer, the noise-canceling headphones come off, and the volume increases. By mid-June, the ranch is in full summer mode with the sounds of shovels digging up the weeds in the flower beds and holes for new plants and shrubs. Saws of all kinds are cutting wood for various projects, splitting, chopping up downed trees, and trees that need to come down before causing more damage and work. With the saws comes the sound of the woodchipper digesting all the brush, small branches, and bark, cutting it into mulch and chips for paths, gardens, and our new venture, Hügelkultur. Running back and forth to scoop up the logs, chips, and wood is the quad with the unmistakable sound of a mechanical workhorse.
The Creek
And amid all the burgeoning mechanical noises of summer, the first sound to herald in the new season is the sound of rushing water from Savery Creek. It starts with the unmistakable sound of bubbling water in early spring as the creek begins to melt. As the days march forward into summer, so does the creek, rising with the daily snowmelt moving from a bubbling brook sound to a raging torrent of water moving past the cliffs and slowly eroding banks depending on the amount and force of the amount of snowmelt. This year was the highest the creek has been since moving here in 2017. The High Savery Reservoir, about 20 miles upriver, overflowed the spillway this year, meaning it, too, was full.
Old Friends and New
By late June, one begins to hear the sounds of motorbikes moving along the Savery North Road onto the Savery Stock Drive as they traverse section one of the Wyoming Backroads Discovery Route launched in 2022. Many of these riders stop at the YL for lodging out of curiosity because they have heard the chatter about the ranch and our chocolate chip cookies on the Facebook group or to leave an extra vehicle. Along with the sound of bikes comes the chatter of people sharing a love of motorcycles, adventure, and new experiences. Some of them stay overnight and enjoy a cool dip in the Savery Creek.
My favorite sound of summer is the sound of voices, friends coming to visit, and help in all the summer projects on deck. The sounds of new guests who find us online or through word of mouth, asking about the ranch’s history and our unique and unconventional histories. There are always the sounds of dogs barking, cats meowing, and the voices of kids running around enjoying nature and the wide-open expanse like we used to when we were young – long before organized play dates and orchestrated events. The sound of kids playing is one of the most heartening sounds of summer.
And then there are the early mornings with only the birds awake when one can walk the path along the river and hear only the sounds of nature and the swish-swish of steps in the long grass when all the extraneous sounds are still deep in sleep. These are the hallowed sounds of summer.
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