The last few weeks have been tough. I've been feeling a little stir crazy. This winter was filled with some pretty big adventures, I went out to Steamboat, Colorado, explored and photographed around Salt Lake City and Boise, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and spent several days skiing on Mount Katahdin in addition to numerous big days on skis in the White Mountains. The shoulder season brings with it mud and bugs and a lack of motivation to get out and take pictures. As a self employed freelance photographer, not taking pictures means not getting a paycheck. I've recently spent long hours doing the unglamorous side of being an adventure photographer, writing emails, researching potential clients and spending lots of time in front of a screen. Enough was enough
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Why do I do this to myself: thoughts on Kilimanjaro
It has now been several weeks since I have returned from photographing a trip to summit the world's highest freestanding mountain, Kilimanjaro. Standing 19,341 feet above the surrounding Tanzanian plains, Kili is a towering beacon, daring adventurous travelers to climb it's snow covered flanks.
I've had several weeks to think and rethink about the trip, why did I go, what did I get from it? For seven days my eight companions and I slept in the pouring rain, endured thin high altitude air, sizzling hot jungle and bitterly cold alpine tundra for a chance to stand on the highest point in Africa. Many of my friends thought I was crazy for going. "Why would you want to go to Africa and catch Malaria and shit in a bucket?" they asked. We spent thousands of dollars on a goal that we weren't 100% sure was achievable but we knew would be extremely painful both mentally and physically. Now that we're back we can't wait for the next self flagellating adventure.
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