April 5th - 12:51

Title: April 5th - 12:51 Medium: Super-8 film Aspect Ratio: 4:3 Resolution: 2880 x 2160 File Type: H.264 Codec / MP4. Comments: Simon and I trekked inside of the Bwindi Impenetrable National Forest. It was a bumpy 5 hour hike up and down the hills of the jungle. It was misty and raining. The forest floor was slippery and had us sliding around falling a bunch. We had to rely on each others grip to stay steady and catch each other if we fell. There was a french family with us as part of the group. Somewhere close to the encounter with the Gorillas the parents in the family had a stomach bug. Mom and Dad were not doing so hot so they stayed at the last checkpoint where we had stopped for lunch. The son and daughter were fine and stood by their parents while our guide sent Simon and I on a mission onwards with one of our armed guards to meet the Gorilla families they had been tracking for months migrating through the forest grazing on leaves from the trees and naps in the canopy. We drew closer to the Gorilla clan, we could start hearing the cries and yells of all sorts of apes. We found the trackers and they had giant machetes cutting through the jungle. We kept on going and there it was, I saw a dark mysterious furry figure escape into the trees after making a loud roar. I thought it had looked like someone in a halloween costume. It did not feel real! We drew closer and closer, until we saw the son of the silverback sitting there in the bush with his back towards us eating smaller leaves. We watched in aw, Simon stepped a few feet closer. BAM, an electric shock of fear shook my soul. I had never been that terrified in my life that instantly. The gorilla crashed is arms down to scare us and faked charged at Simon. He had quite literally and physically struck us with fear, he paralyzed us like we were Pokemon in a duel. We looked at each other thankful we were still alive. We shook it off and headed closer again. He knew we were there and let us in. We gazed at him around the corner as he stood there watching us back. Grabbing a leaf and feeding himself. He looked like a little Buddha meditating in the sunlight. After eating a bunch of leaves, He scurried off to where his family was climbing and chilling around. Suddenly, the french family came from behind. They had made it and their success and excitement had cleared all their ailments. It was good to see that they made it, after coming this deep and far away into the woods. The trackers introduced us to each member of the group. There were some cute scenes with the newborns climbing on their mommas and on smaller trees. They were fun to watch "learning the ropes." The big bad alpha was chilling in his lair with his wives. Never look at these guys directly in their eyes, or they will stand their ground. They are the boss in these parts. Thankfully, I had my camera to come between he and I. So, I could look and stare without him even shuttering a glare. I nodded to him and he nodded back. This species is not just an animal, Apes have consciousness. They think. They can communicate with us through signs and sounds. They are part of our family tree. There was a female gorilla sitting in the bush, very calm and docile, she came close to me and laid down right where I stood. I kneeled and got close with my camera. She looked deep into my lens, looking right into my soul. I felt her presence acknowledging mine. Perhaps the feeling of an ape meeting us is us meeting an alien. A being "smarter" or more "evolved" than us, communicating with us. Reaching out our arms like Adam did to God. Prometheus with his fire. Our hands to the Apes like Our minds connect to higher life forms. The universe reaching out as we reach ours too. A reflection of itself, experiencing itself in nature. That ape made me feel more human. Although, I felt as she had expressed human qualities too. That gentle look, vulnerable and graceful, is part of us, part of our DNA. To communicate across species this way. We spent hours playing with the Gorillas, and respecting their space. The most footage I shot on the project was on this day. Where human becomes one with nature and the natural world. There are no bored apes in the jungle, only playful and fun. They even have a sound that calms them down, and it sounds like a loud hum in the corner of your throat as if it was an aum. You use this when they are fighting or getting aggressive. It is the sound the alpha makes to calm down two of his young. We were leaving the Jungle and I wanted to take one last portrait of Simon and our guide, Innocent. When all of a sudden, all the gorillas we had been watching started cross our path. We were terrified and not supposed to be this close. But they randomly intersected with us on our way out of their zone. I kept shooting and the guys stood very still. Their backs were turned towards the Gorillas while I had the perfect spot to see them migrate altogether as a family unit. The last Gorilla to cross was the big guy we saw earlier deep in the woods. He grunted while passing us slowly and very intently. Watching us and protecting his kin. It was a synchronistic phenomenon, like it was meant to be shown this way. Our family and his, co-exist. As it should be for all us animals. Not the survival of the fittest, or who is the apex predator, why not a world of respect and live and let live? A planet with a conscience for us to have peace of mind.