Well ladies and gentleman, I just enjoyed a brewski with the fellas. It was Serenegti Lager, apparently the winner of several international gold medals. And of course the savanna is as beautiful as ever, a horse with no name is once again aptly fitting for the occasion (as has become my habit) as we have begun our start toward Olduvai once more.
I think my words were, “That’s crazy talk!” Apparently every single piece of quartz, and there were quite a few (thousands), which was present within the gorge had been transported not by geology nor the modern counterparts of ancient man, but rather selectively chosen, transported, and used by hominids. Every. Single. One. There were thousands (emphasis!), everywhere you looked was a tool which carried a cutting edge, and the last man who held it was 1.8 million years your senior. “Boom” – that’s the sound of your brain exploding.
And so because of this fact, I find that the gorge is perhaps the most unique place upon the earth. Making one feel as if you are standing upon a planet far removed from our own. The vegetation is sparse, the geology is brazenly apparent, and the feeling of eternal belonging is understated. Man evolved within these rocks, here he hunted his game, and at night found his rest beneath these same stars. All buried beneath volcanic ejecta and ash, the rolling changes of the earth just lay waiting to be remembered. And the intelligence of those who study here is baffling, if you find yourself picking up a two inch long piece of rib then you should expect to find an answer as to its owner – warthog, antelope, otherwise. Each was larger, more predatory, more intimidating in antiquity as well. “Its a miracle we survived” said professor Manuel, and after seeing the carnivores, yep. I’d die. The world was a different place then and here it stands beneath my feet waiting to be discovered, preserved in its earthen shackles and tomb. What a world it is that a man may look into the face of his ancestor, to know his habits, and to relive his world millions of years thereafter. To uncover his camps and tools, to stare into the hollow eyes which gazed upon the same earthen walls.
These quartzen stones were theirs, with cutting edges last used to butcher the meat of long extinct animals, and here am I amidst it all. In awe of the reality of man, in wonder of where I have come from, and in pondering of where we may go. After all, here I am, a mere stepping stone upon the evolution of man – one with intent to listen to the story of the soul, and to imagine the observers of old.
There never was and never will be another place like Olduvai. Unfamiliar and yet homely. Calling and yet eerie.
Today is Sunday, the sabbath. It was more relaxed and well deserved, being spent mostly in visiting the museum in order to be afforded context to the evolution of men as well as to find rest at camp and abroad. We heard of the 6 million years of human evolution, and we literally traced the footsteps of ancient man. We set our eyes upon our ancestors, we became familiar with their tools, and of the intensely large fauna which they contended with. I can’t wait to learn more! And of course the day was spent writing, reading, going on walks, cleaning up, and making friendship bracelets! That part was awesome, and we were thankful for it – what beats an ice cold brewski? We traveled to a lodge not too far from camp which was set upon one of the great granite outcroppings of the serengeti, here we stood in the face of the sun to watch the it dip low beneath the horizon. And here I wondered, what will we discover? What will we learn? And of course, what will we be doing? I can’t wait to get to the bottom of these questions, and to relay it all in writing.
Here’s to hoping that each is more grand than I may ever imagine.
Godspeed,
Kamden
