Today I took on one of the most challenging parts of the project. I need to represent the social aspect of Hog's Back - the park, the place where people gather.

It's a place that is frequently used by roller bladers, bikers (the pedal kind, not motorcycles), and families out for a Sunday stroll. An occasional canoer has even been known to take on the falls (scary). Hogs Back is a social space - how to represent this in sonic terms will be a challenging process.

Herein lies the challenge. It's a popular place, but not a crowded one. It's also a place where people tend not to talk a lot to each other - they'd rather just look. When they're very close to the falls and talk to each other, they have to be right next to each other. Voices fade in and out very quickly against the roar of the falls. Because of the acoustic nature of the space, conversations are very private and do not carry great distances. Which makes capturing the human presence rather difficult.

I am looking for sounds of people in conversation with each other. What they are saying doesn't matter - the sound of them interacting with each other is enough to create the impression of social space. I am also listening for sounds of bicycle chains, cars coming and going from the parking lot, footsteps on the sidewalk.

Today I am mapping out a particular route, rather than spontaneous wandering which is my usual method. I am doing this deliberately because I am focussed on hearing particular sounds. I am starting my soundwalk in the parking lot. This is where the clearest voices can be heard.

Next I am walking down towards the falls. I think I may have arrived too early - about 2:00. Around 2:30, more people started arriving, which says to me that Sunday walks in the park in Ottawa don't happen right after lunch. I will take this into account when I come back again to record.

Now I am walking next to the falls (east side), south to Hogs Back Road and over the bridge which spans the falls. Now on the west side, I am walking under the road through a tunnel. This is the quieter side of Hog's Back - just above the falls looking south at the Rideau River. Different sounds live here - the roar of the falls can be hear faintly in the distance. I can hear voices more clearly. I am next to a bike path - the sound of bike chains clicking as cyclists round the gentle curves of the path. A small flock of seagulls begging for snacks. Ducks quacking. The soundscape of this part of the park is more interesting because it is more varied. The closer you get to the falls, the more the falls drown out other parts of the soundscape.

The singing bridge is another significant sound element. There are two bridges here - the first being the bridge over the falls. It has an asphalt surface. The second is a swing bridge over the canal. It is a metal bridge, which "sings" when cars drive over it. It is musical sound. Also, I can hear the sounds of boats entering the locks, the ringing of the chains as the locks are hand-cranked open, the bells that warn motorists that the bridge is about to swing and let a boat through.

Back on the other side now, I am again standing in the parking lot. It's about 3 in the afternoon and the parking lot is filling up. Obviously mid to late afternoon is the time of choice for Sunday strolls in the park.

Another highlight of today's soundwalk - standing about 40 feet back from the edge of the falls in the trees, I can hear the ever-present late summer chorus of cicadas. They can be heard all over the city. In this place I am hearing them in a new way. The high pitched buzzing against the low frequency rumble of the falls creates a wonderful counterpoint.

In a month or so, it will all be different. Much quieter, I think. The ever-present low frequencies of the waterfall, the traffic and the airplane sounds overhead will likely be the only thing I'll hear. I am listening for the day when the crickets and cicadas disappear. Probably after first frost.

The earth is moving towards silence. The city does not cooperate with those rhythms but it will inevitably quiet down too as winter sets in.

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