About
Audible Mount Diablo
Modeled after the best museum guides, Audible Mount Diablo combines lively interviews and music with the rush of wind and the chirps, howls, and growls of wildlife--all downloadable to a computer or a mobile MP3 player.
Part one is “Introducing Mount Diablo.” This 13-episode podcast offers 60 minutes of commentary and sounds related to the mountain’s natural heritage and human history, including segments on tarantulas, mountain lions, coal mining, native peoples, and how the mountain got its name. Perfect for your first (or 100th!) drive up the mountain. Features naturalists Seth Adams, Gary Bogue, Ken Lavin, Mike Moran, and Beverly Ortiz.
Part two is the “Mary Bowerman Tour.”
This gentle but spectacular one-mile-long hike focuses on geology and history at the top of the mountain and features naturalist Ken Lavin.
Part three is the 6.2-mile “Grand Loop Tour,” covering views, history, birds, flowers, and conservation, this segment features Seth Adams.
Part four is the 6.5-mile “Curry Point” tour, covering birds, wildflowers, knobcone pines, and the history of Blackhawk Ranch, featuring Seth Adams and Malcolm Sproul.
Each of these tours can be enjoyed at home, or downloaded to an MP3 player or smartphone to listen to on the trail. The format enables curious explorers to learn from lightweight, portable devices, with clear titles and subtitles keyed to well-defined stops. Naturalists heighten visitors’ appreciation of the sights and sounds at each stop, tell tales of the mountain’s past, and suggest what to look for around the next bend. Photographs pop up to help identify plants and animals. Users can choose what they want to know and when they want to know it.
Audible Mount Diablo is sponsored by the California State Parks Foundation, Mount Diablo Interpretive Association, and Save Mount Diablo.
Music is provided by guitarist Phil Heywood and photos by Scott Hein, John Karachewski, Joe Oliver, and others. Former Sierra magazine editor Joan Hamilton is the producer and narrator of the series. For more information, email Joanham@gmail.com.
