“I am not a scientist, but I am a conservationist by birthright”
Carol Brandt.
How true. Although I have no formal qualifications I have dedicated my life to the cause of wilderness conservation. After many years of leading people on trail through the African bush, I decided to start writing about my experiences. It was an effort to share life changing wilderness moments with a larger audience.
A passion for writing was born on my first Okavango Delta canoe expedition.Starting with a daily diary of what we saw, how far we poled and where we camped, the journal evolved into a story of how we felt and how our lives were being influenced by wilderness. And how crucial it is that The Okavango Delta and basin is given more of a conservation priority. The manuscript, still awaiting publication, is titled Journey with a River.
Excerpt
The frogs have stopped and a penetrating silence, unlike one I have ever experienced, surrounds us. By the light of the stars I notice that Jovita has almost stopped breathing. The lion begins to stir and we are able to trace the movement as it drags the hapless antelope toward shallow water to feed. Beaming with delight, Boston prepares some flames to brew fresh tea.
Storytelling is an important part of the trail experience, and in 2008 I began working on a collection of wilderness stories which over the years have become trail lore, a source of inspiration for many people. The stories all have strong messages about personal leadership and the guiding influence of nature. The working title is Wilderness Tales.
Excerpt
It is a dedication to the ways of the storytellers of old, whose purpose in society was to perpetuate their cultures, their traditions, their social protocols and their knowledge - all gleaned from millennia before them - in the form of stories and legends. For the benefit for those who would come after them.
Articles on wilderness thinking and leadership have been published in local and international magazines and in-house corporate newsletters.
