Valley Angler: The call of the loon

There is one sound that speaks to the wilderness more than any other and that is the call of a loon at sundown. The first time, I ever heard a loon call was on a canoe trip in the Allagash in Maine. Our campfire had died down to just the embers and we had crawled into our sleeping bags for the night.

Out on the lake, a lone loon decided to give his own version of taps. As the call echoed across the lake another loon answered him; “From the hills, from the lake, from the skies, all is well, safely rest.” Since that first time, I have heard loons call many times, and it never fails to make the hair on my neck stand up. At the same time, I get the sense that all is right with the world.