Kilimanjaro Flower
One of the greatest champions of nature and it's conservation was John Muir, in Yosemite back in the late 1890’s he was sort of the “High Priest” of all that was wild. A man that was sort of an ecstatic who would sit next to a rock or a flower for minutes or maybe a day to make its acquaintance. This mans existence coincided with a time that America was growing all the more Westward and the discussion of protecting places that were wild and magnificent grew to a fever pitch in the country. It is from the writing of Muir and others like him that America became the first country in world history to mark land as a National Park with Yellowstone. But life today has become much different and I am not certain if Muir lived today that people would notice him.
To my friends I have always encouraged time in reflection; time spent thinking about what is important in life and what that path to happiness looks like. For me, this year like no other before I have been able to take a great amount of time to live out an examined life. A few weeks ago I climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro via the Machame Route. It was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I found myself there much like Muir, in ecstasy within one of the wildest places on Earth.
On the route I continued to stop and photograph some of the rare plants and flowers that exist on the mountain. For me this was equivalent to going to church, I was literally in one of the greatest temples or cathedrals on the planet. I am guilty, just like the rest of the world today we so often times get caught up in daily life that we forget the glorious beauty all around us. It is difficult to disconnect for a time from the material world of the newest iPhone or thing we think we need to have and give nature our attention. I made this photograph near Camp 2 at the Shira Plateau on a cold, rainy, and clouded afternoon…but it could have been anywhere. As Muir wrote “Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul alike”. For when we connect with nature we come back to ourselves.