Lost in the Amazon, Stephen Kirkpatrick

Stephen Kirkpatrick is a career wildlife photographer - a mix of adventure, danger, misery, and big-time rewards if you succeed.

In this story, Stephen optimistically makes a poorly planned, highly adventerous trek into the Peruvian Amazon jungle to get some once-in-a-lifetime photos that will hopefully be that big break in his career. He has a team of guides, and they have maps. He is thrilled to encounter unknown species and uncharted territory, but somehow they walk right off the map into a seemingly inescapable place called "lost."

He describes the feeling of separation from the entire world so that you understand what he went through mentally. It's scary, even for a moment, to glance around and realize you've lost your bearings. He has that feeling for miles and miles, plus being a million miles away from civilization and his young sons.

He also brings you to feel the misery of the invasive heat and constant moisture. The humidity seems to seep out of the book and smother the reader. And he is babysitting hi-tech camera equipment in a place where,"If the heat, the bugs, and the starvation didn't kill you out-right, the mold would do it, one inch at a time." It's ironic that a place so lush and dense with life is a killer if you aren't prepared to be in it. Somewhere along the line, he realizes that "Christians die just like everyone else," and he is forced to rely on God to help them get out. At times, you just have to hang on to the fact that he wrote the book, so he must have survived.

Two images stick with me. 1. The team walking for hours, chest deep in a smelly, murky bog, carrying equipment over their heads. That is my fear of water on steroids! I would have died and decomposed sooner than go knee-deep... 2. Forcing himself to drink straight from a wild stream. Parasites aren't funny.

What makes this story a keeper for me is Stephen's passion for God's creation. I witnessed the edges of the jungle in Panama, and it's 'something fierce' but also awe-inspiring. Being inside it would be overwhelming. When I hear the Newsboys line "So much wonder/shaded by ancient trees..." I can't help but visualize this type of scene: massive vine-covered trees with sunlight filtering down in thin strands. Stephen describes the experience of the darkness, the lights, colors, sounds, strange animals and exotic flowers, and even lets you visualize some of his awesome photos that never made it home. With words, he has packaged up an extreme experience for people like me to enjoy - people who would rather curl up with a latte and read all about it.

After reading Lost in the Amazon, I've been following his website http://www.kirkpatrickwildlife.com/. I haven't bought into his photography (yet), but Romancing the Rain is one of those books I keep meaning to buy. His photography is truly excellent - 100% full of awesome pictures I could never hope to take. I hope he'll recieve all the recognition he deserves in his field of work.