Natural attractions

September has way of feeling like a brand-new start. Maybe it’s the start of school, with its No. 2 pencils and new corduroy pants, that makes us want to pause, take a deep breath, and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re headed.

It’s likely this also was on artistic director Nancy Tieken Lopez’s mind as she was organizing the 10th annual Trails & Vistas Art Hikes.

The nonprofit organization works with three partner organizations—the Truckee Donner Land Trust, Inner Rhythms Dance Theatre, and Arts for the Schools—to foster and support creative expression and environmental stewardship in the community. The theme of this 10th anniversary event, Sept. 7 and 8, is “Reflections.” And while the organizers and artists involved reflect on how far the event has come in 10 years, hikers will have plenty of time, fresh air and tranquility in which to do a little reflecting of their own.

The hike begins at the Pacific Crest Trailhead on Donner Summit, where participants meet trail leaders to begin the three-mile hike. Leave behind your phone and other gadgets. It’s just you, the woods and art.

“It’s all about the experience of slowing down, experiencing art in nature and breathing,” says Tieken Lopez, Trails & Vistas executive director and founder of the organization and event. “You get to dive deep into your inner being and creativity. You’re having a good time while you’re connecting to the land, the other people in your group and the artwork.”

Along the guided hike, you’ll happen upon artists—musicians, dancers, visual artists and storytellers—performing on the trail. About 30 artists in all, both new and returning, participate in the two-day event. Some appear on both days and some don’t. Among them are the San Jose State University Symphony Orchestra, the first symphony ever to participate, and Reno Taiko Tsurunokai, a local Japanese drumming group.

Also participating is Truckee’s Emily Tessmer, a Paradise Music recording artist who has recently departed from what she calls “spiritual pop” and has focused on spiritual chanting, recording under the name Orenda Blu Music. This latest style will be the focus of her Art Hike performance.

“I’m going to be sitting in a tree, dressed as a fairy, playing a dulcimer and singing a Gaelic fairy lullaby,” Tessmer explains, a note of excitement in her voice. “Trails & Vistas is a really amazing thing to be a part of. It’s ecologically driven, community- and art-driven. … It’s just a beautiful thing.”

Returning to the lineup, having played for the Art Hikes in 2009 and 2010, is Boston’s Ian Ethan Case, a composer and musician. For this year’s Art Hikes, Case will play the kalimba, an African thumb piano, alongside percussionists Aaron Edgcomb and Chance Utter, who will play an assortment of hand percussion instruments from around the world, all with the “Reflections” theme in mind.

On Friday, Sept. 6, the eve of the Art Hikes, Case will join a cadre of participating musicians to perform his beloved double-neck guitar for Trails & Vistas’ first-ever World Music Concert. While artists on the trail only perform one song to each hiking group, the concert, a fundraiser for Trails & Vistas, will offer them the opportunity to play a full set.

“A lot of times, our ’tribes’ on the trail want to stay and linger to see more of the artists. So we decided to do the concert as a way to showcase our musicians and give them a feeling of coming together,” Tieken Lopez says.

Inner Rhythms will perform a dance piece as well, and painter Susie Alexander will make a piece of art inspired by the music during the concert.

“I’m excited to come back,” says Case. “It’s a special experience. I’ve never come across an event like it anywhere in the country, and it’s great to see it catch on.”