Hey Y’all, I’ve just completed a blog post on my recent harmonica hiking experience in the Grand Canyon. It was so much fun, and while I was reliving the experience (to write the post) I got to thinking… How many of you Hike? and If so, do you take your harmonica? Cheers! Mg

Thanks Henk! ya I totally agree

Hi Shawn and Mitch, Great story’s giving me a warm feeling to. It’s so grateful and wonderful that this little instrument has that big power.

That had me straight up laughing out loud! You painted that picture well... ya they can be so crazy when hungry and they don’t know you. And that’s really cool hearing about the dogs. I wonder how many people out there have had an experience with a dog and their harmonica. I’ve had two dogs in my past that would both sing/ howl with me when I would play the blues. It actually sounded really awesome. And wow... what a beautiful hiking spot... and bonus... hanging out with vultures!

Wow! Great stories! No melody, but I tried to capture the attention of some vultures about a year ago when hiking along the Billy Goat Trail in Potomac, MD. You can see them perched at the edge of the rocks. (warning: high pitched squealing in video...) https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e3PIz0Ivzxt6fWUOLD0sUNX9LMFlPrLa/view?usp=sharing I can't imagine a herd of llamas watching me though... I don't think I could sleep right after that. I've fed llamas one time and one time only. Their feed was inside the loft of a shed in the middle of their field. As soon as I jumped the fence, they scurried toward me as a unit and STOCKED me, trying to persuade me with their insistent humming and as-a-matter-of-fact little hair perms... Ok it was cute, but also a little terrifying because I wasn't trying to get spit on, nevermind harassed by these hungry fuzz heads lol. I dash to the shed door, enter it, and crawl up the loft to distribute their feed into buckets. All I had to do is place their buckets on the ground and run, but what I'd forgotten is to close the latch on the door.... THAT was a mistake. Should have had a V8. Should have had a harmonica! So I'm holding a few buckets in my hands and I reach out my hand to open the door and out of nowhere pops two llama heads just a few inches from my face. They bent their heads in and AROUND the door to meet my face eye-to-eye! They then proceeded to try to enter lol. I made a quick transition around them and that's that, but yeah, animals be funny... There's these two dogs in my neighborhood that are barkers. They bark at everything and everyone that moves past them, but as soon I play a high pitched vibrato, they become instantly subdued, remain quiet, and stand at attention, as if ready for my next command.

Wow Shawn! That is such a beautiful story, on so many levels. I love it, and that is exactly what I'm talking about. Music is a connecting force that is tied in with nature, and the harmonica really connects people, and (as we both know) animals too! 😀 It's got to be something to do with it being so closely combined with the breath, much like singing, but I digress...

Topic: Hiking Harmonicas

Tagged: blog, harmonica, hiking

Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 (of 7 total)

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Mitch Grainger
Keymaster

October 7, 2022 at 14:58

Post count: 338

#24151

Hey Y’all,

I’ve just completed a blog post on my recent harmonica hiking experience in the Grand Canyon.

It was so much fun, and while I was reliving the experience (to write the post) I got to thinking…

How many of you Hike? and If so, do you take your harmonica?

Cheers!
Mg

Freddie
Participant

October 8, 2022 at 05:21

Post count: 606

#24155

That scene is incredible! And your playing totally captures the feeling that the picture leaves off…the serenity and spirit in your melody hits deep… I can totally feel it… how beautiful! And the story of the condor with that melody… wow… goose bumps… that is simply magic!!! I needed that… thanks for sharing this.

I haven’t hiked in a while but I used to go all the time. And having a harmonica with me was essential. One of my favorite memories with my harmonica in nature was when I was living right outside Rocky Mountain National park on a friends property in exchange for care taking her llamas. I had a small camp site deep in the woods at the edge of the National park. I was camped very far away from where the llamas stayed and ate so there was no reason for them to really travel that far into the woods. I would spend my nights playing my harmonica and banjo around the fire. One early evening as I was playing my harmonica I saw them walking toward me through the woods and gathering around the fire and leaning in close so intrigued and captivated by the sound of the harmonica. It was one of the most special experiences. It was literally just me playing music with four to six llamas hanging around a fire.. It felt straight out of a story book …I wouldn’t have believed it if I wasn’t there.

Mitch Grainger
Keymaster

October 8, 2022 at 15:46

Post count: 338

#24159

Wow Shawn! That is such a beautiful story, on so many levels. I love it, and that is exactly what I’m talking about. Music is a connecting force that is tied in with nature, and the harmonica really connects people, and (as we both know) animals too! 😀

It’s got to be something to do with it being so closely combined with the breath, much like singing, but I digress…

Rooftop Cat
Participant

October 9, 2022 at 09:37

Post count: 131

#24160

Wow! Great stories!

No melody, but I tried to capture the attention of some vultures about a year ago when hiking along the Billy Goat Trail in Potomac, MD. You can see them perched at the edge of the rocks.

(warning: high pitched squealing in video…)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1e3PIz0Ivzxt6fWUOLD0sUNX9LMFlPrLa/view?usp=sharing

I can’t imagine a herd of llamas watching me though… I don’t think I could sleep right after that. I’ve fed llamas one time and one time only. Their feed was inside the loft of a shed in the middle of their field. As soon as I jumped the fence, they scurried toward me as a unit and STOCKED me, trying to persuade me with their insistent humming and as-a-matter-of-fact little hair perms… Ok it was cute, but also a little terrifying because I wasn’t trying to get spit on, nevermind harassed by these hungry fuzz heads lol. I dash to the shed door, enter it, and crawl up the loft to distribute their feed into buckets. All I had to do is place their buckets on the ground and run, but what I’d forgotten is to close the latch on the door…. THAT was a mistake. Should have had a V8. Should have had a harmonica! So I’m holding a few buckets in my hands and I reach out my hand to open the door and out of nowhere pops two llama heads just a few inches from my face. They bent their heads in and AROUND the door to meet my face eye-to-eye! They then proceeded to try to enter lol. I made a quick transition around them and that’s that, but yeah, animals be funny…

There’s these two dogs in my neighborhood that are barkers. They bark at everything and everyone that moves past them, but as soon I play a high pitched vibrato, they become instantly subdued, remain quiet, and stand at attention, as if ready for my next command.

Freddie
Participant

October 11, 2022 at 11:39

Post count: 606

#24165

That had me straight up laughing out loud! You painted that picture well… ya they can be so crazy when hungry and they don’t know you.
And that’s really cool hearing about the dogs. I wonder how many people out there have had an experience with a dog and their harmonica. I’ve had two dogs in my past that would both sing/ howl with me when I would play the blues. It actually sounded really awesome.
And wow… what a beautiful hiking spot… and bonus… hanging out with vultures!

Henk
Participant

November 1, 2022 at 00:10

Post count: 89

#24189

Hi Shawn and Mitch,

Great story’s giving me a warm feeling to.
It’s so grateful and wonderful that this little instrument has that big power.

Freddie
Participant

November 3, 2022 at 01:55

Post count: 606

#24191

Thanks Henk! ya I totally agree
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