Fast or Far?

If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.
– African Proverb

Towards the end of the summer of 1970, I ventured out into the unknown. Having never been further west than Houston, Texas, and never having been very far away from home for very long, I embarked on a month-long backpacking and climbing trip to Colorado, Wyoming, and South Dakota with four guys. I saw and experienced magnificent scenery that previously I had only seen in books or magazines. I summited several peaks, including 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. I formed friendships that have lasted through the years. And, I began working outdoors with a camera.

Now, fifty years later, using airplanes, vehicles, and my feet, I’ve traveled more than a quarter-of-a-million miles to shoot images of nature. Some of these miles have been on my own. In 2000, on one very long and exhausting day in Arches National Park, I hiked to and photographed Skyline Arch, Tunnel Arch, Partition Arch, Navajo Arch, Double O Arch, Tower Arch, and Delicate Arch.

In 2003, I made a solo, 6-mile round-trip hike through soft sand and across sloping sandstone rock to Coyote Buttes North in Arizona. (To many folks, this area is known as “The Wave.”) This was an arduous, risk-filled trek where almost all the navigation was via landmarks memorized before I started out.

However, most of the miles I’ve logged with my camera equipment have been with other people. Not only is this method of travel safer, it is also more enjoyable. In 1973, I climbed Mt. Hood (5,250 vertical feet in 3 ½ miles). I could not have done this without my climbing partner, Allen Doty.

In the summer of 2018, on our last morning in Glacier National Park, my wife Jean and I arose early and saw a stunning reflection in Swiftcurrent Lake unfold before our eyes as the sun rose. It was an awe-inducing experience that evoked a sense of gratitude, worship, and blessing – all blended together.

As with photography, the life of faith also has aspects of being alone and being with others. I try to have a quiet time, a time alone with God, each day. These periods help me focus on Him and on what is important. It is also a time to pray for other folks and to ask His guidance for the day ahead. On the other hand, I cannot count the number of times or ways I’ve been blessed, uplifted, and strengthened by engaging in Bible study or worship with other believers. It is a privilege I do not take for granted.

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark,
Jesus got up, left the house and went off
to a solitary place, where he prayed.
– Mark 1:35 (NIV)

Let us not give up meeting together,
as some are in the habit of doing,
but let us encourage one another
– Hebrews 10:25a (NIV)

Fast or far? Both!