The rhythm of the land became my rhythm, its pulse my own. I felt entirely present, completely realizing my surroundings and myself; unequivocally, I was as much a part of the wilderness as it was of me. This sense of connectedness, of wholeness or oneness is now as important to my wilderness forays as is my passion for nature photography.

The solitude of the backcountry is the perfect vehicle for my spiritual vehicle, and I treasure the boundless journeys it offers me. I'm only now starting to see how it all began.

I can trace my connection with the outdoors back to my earliest years as a child. It's no coincidence that my awareness of my sexuality began to develop around those same years. Along with this awareness came the knowledge that my community would not accept this side of me. My friends, my family, indeed my entire social circle, would disapprove.

The feeling of aloneness, of my perceived uniqueness, led to a sense that I didn't belong. I experienced a feeling of isolation that couldn't be shared with those around me. Whilst the majority of the time I was happy and content, sometimes this feeling of not really being a part of the world around me, of rejection, was overbearing and I sought solace in the woods, the forest and mountains in which I lived.

I found my company in the mountains, walking lonely trails, or riding my horse through the forest; my ever-present dog and I would simply lose ourselves in the woods.

I found a connection here, a link between myself and what is real, between myself and nature. My playground was the 'bush', as we called it, and I explored and grew to love its every niche.

I learned to appreciate and revel in the lush beauty of the huge old trees beneath which I walked, in the wildlife I saw along the way, in the mountains that rose majestically around me.

This love of nature flourished, as I spent more and more time in the backcountry, exploring, travelling, photographing and climbing. The outdoors offered so much, and I was ready and willing to absorb all that I could. Seeking out wilderness, I began making a conscious effort to spend time with nature, and these explorations have taken me to some of the beautiful spots on our planet.

As I reached adulthood, I made every effort to balance my time in the city, working and socializing, with my time outdoors, connecting with and enjoying the reality of the natural world.

My first adventure to Alaska was the culmination of many experiences in my life, the result of a life spent and now partly devoted to my connection with nature and its indomitable wildness. The grandeur of the place is, at times, overwhelming. To feel like one is a part of such majesty is indescribable.

This connection is a spiritual one, and I now realize it’s as much a connection to a part of myself as it is with the outdoors. The wildernesses of Gates of the Arctic, Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias, Katmai, the Kenai Peninsula, etc have allowed me to acknowledge a deeper sense of self, of who I am. I've been extremely fortunate to learn about and come to know a part of myself that I otherwise may never have done.

I've learned more about who I am through the gifts of the wilderness, spending time in the backcountry, switching off, listening and watching, learning to simply "be", to be present, as deeply and as fully as I can. Time in the outdoors has infinitely rewarded me, far beyond that I could ever have asked for. The unconditional acceptance I found in the wilderness was a joy, a hobby that became a passion, a love affair with nature, and ultimately with myself.