Up where the Eagles Fly

Crouched next to the skid in the snow holding my bag down I had to smile. The sheer beauty and expanse of mountains stretched out around my lofty perch took my breath away. Not a ski tour track or person insight other than the two small figures on the peak next to me I was here to photograph and from this 10m square vantage point I could see why. As the sun caught the snow, it showed how the wind had blown it around, mixed with sand from the sahara giving it a yellowish tinge and making it incredibly unstable and prone to avalanche. I witnessed several large slides as the sun travelled its arc in the sky above and warmed the snowpack. Dropping nose first off my summit like a large bird of prey the helicopter was gone and I was left in complete silence and stillness.

With the job I do at the moment I am rarely alone and I realised how much I miss the occasional peace and quiet and how important it is to have a moment in the day truly dedicated to yourself. I really believe we need space to process stress and worries and switch off from everything at times. It is so hard now to switch off from the world. It follows us everywhere we go in the shape of our smart phones and tablets. Emails are expected to be responded to immediately, it is hard to resist the pull and the addiction of social media platforms, to check how many followers you have or feel the twinge of jealousy or failure of viewing pictures of someone else's life on their Facebook account. I urge you, wherever you are, take 10 or 15 minutes, take a walk outside or sit in a park and leave your phone behind and just be you....