Heroes II

It bothers me that in a previous blog I was unable to identify any heroes for myself.  I looked the word up in the dictionary just to make sure I was clear on who a hero might be.  The dictionary says….

                “ 1. A mythological or legendary figure, often of divine ancestry, who is favored by the gods

endowed with great courage and strength, and celebrated for his bold exploits. 2.  A man noted for courageous acts or nobility of purpose, especially one who has risked or sacrificed his life. 

3.  A man noted for special achievements in a particular field. “

First, I have to take exception with the word ‘man’ throughout.  The copyright on this edition is 1994.  Should have gotten that part right at least!!

But beyond the obvious sexism, I would of course place all of our soldiers, fire fighters, policemen/women, ambulance workers, etc. in the category.  But my search is for a personal hero.  Who might that be??

When I think about my values and what I hold dear two names do come to mind:  John Muir and Galen Rowell.

John Muir (1838-1914) was a Scotsman whose family moved to Wisconsin when he was a young boy.  His family life was very strict and rigid and so at a young age he struck out on his own and eventually ended up in Yosemite Valley.  He was of course the founder of the Sierra Club but more importantly was the work he did all his life in helping to preserve the wild places of the world.  When you read any books about him you can’t help but be in awe of this man whose courage was mythological in proportions. 

There was a time when I read everything I could get my hands on about him.  Two stories remain vivid.  John Muir spent most of his life alone in the wild places and as such he sought out experiences that most of us would work hard to avoid.  For instance there was the time a wildfire was raging in the Redwood forests of Yosemite.  Rather than run from the fire he ran toward it, to one of the giant Redwoods that he knew to be hollow at the ground level.  He wanted to experience the fire first hand, in the midst of it.  So there he sat, hunkered down inside the trunk of a hollow Redwood for many hours while the fire raged around him.

He also deliberately climbed to the top of one of the giant Redwoods during a lightening storm.  Once again he wanted to experience the storm first hand.  So during the height of the lightening and thunder with the rain pouring on him and the top of the tree swaying in a terrific wind storm, he clung on for dear life….you might refer to him in today’s terms as an adrenalin junkie!

His legacy lives on through the efforts of the Sierra Club and the work they do to preserve the wild places and protect the environment of the world.

Galen Rowell (1940-2002) was a contemporary of our times and an outstanding photographer.  I had the pleasure of introducing him years ago to an auditorium full of people attending our local Sierra Club fundraiser.  I did not know until today, as I prepared to write this blog, that he had died in an airplane crash returning from a photo assignment in Alaska. 

Galen was an award winning nature photographer and traveled the world capturing those images that we all enjoy in National Geographic, Life, Nature Photographer to name a few.  His photographs captured us that evening as he took us to Yosemite, Denali, Tibet and around the world.  Beyond his talent as a photographer, he lived the values he professed to.  He was an outstanding person and the world is a lesser place for his loss. 

If you want to know more about either of these men use these links to Wikipedia.  They give a nice overview of both. 

Galen Rowell:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galen_Rowell

John Muir:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Muir

So for today, as of this writing, these are my two heroes.  I admire their work and their values and I wish there were more of them in the world.