I stumbled upon the movie Tracks a while back and had no idea what I was getting into…but it was one of those movies that just sets my heart beating at the richness of life. I ordered the book that the movie was based on right after I watched it:
Tracks: A Woman’s Solo Trek Across 1700 Miles of Australian Outback by Robyn Davidson
“Enduring sweltering heat, fending off poisonous snakes and lecherous men, chasing her camels when they get skittish and nursing them when they are injured, Davidson emerges as an extraordinarily courageous heroine driven by a love of Australia’s landscape, an empathy for its indigenous people, and a willingness to cast away the trappings of her former identity. Tracks is the compelling, candid story of her odyssey of discovery and transformation.”
I remember the National Geographic cover Robyn was on, even though I was only a year old when it was printed (May 1978):
(See more photos from the Nat Geo Photographer Rick Smolan from the original trip here.)
When there is no one to remind you what society’s rules are, and there is nothing to keep you linked to that society, you had better be prepared for some startling changes. -Robyn Davidson
I remember it because I think my mother had every Nat Geo ever printed and sometimes if we kids needed something to do she would have us put them all in order by year to organize them. As I sorted I would set aside certain ones to read over and over. The other covers I distinctly remember reading over and over when I was a child were:
1. Jane Goodall (Dec 1965)
2. King Tut (Mar 1977)
3. Pompeii (May 1984)
4. Titanic (Dec 1985)
5. The Ndebele (Feb 1986)
6. Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (Jan 1990)
Sometimes I feel a little sad that Boo will miss that experience and I’m tempted to go out and find a huge collection to bring home. I traveled the entire world through those magazines.
Which covers do you remember?
Anything with underwater adventures/ discoveries caught my attention. And anything with Jane Goodall.
Flood of memories here… The eyes (Afghan Girl) from 1985. I would credit National Geographic with my love of photography. Love following the NG feeds on Instagram! I hope you share a few “real” issues with Boo!!!!
My grandparents always had a stack on their coffee table. I had no cousins my age on that side of the family so I spent my time there reading. The one that stuck with me most was a feature on Yellowstone. I remember feeling amazed at the prismatic pool photos and dreamed of going. I fulfilled that last year on part one of our across the nation journey.
The Middle Eastern woman with the ice-blue eyes! I was too young to ever read it but I still can picture her gaze in my mind. So striking and beautiful!
I echo Lindsay’s post! I remember that woman’s eyes…eerily beautiful. In fact, my best friend’s daughter looks a lot like her. She is married to an African American man and she is mostly Norwegian heritage…their daughter has lovely light cocoa skin with huge smoky, gray-green eyes. She and my son have been friends for 13 years. I think he is one of the few kids she still looks up to…our Max is 6’6″. Their Georgia is 6 feet…with a full ride to Columbia University this fall (basketball, but has super grades, too). We live in a small valley in Southern Oregon that is currently under attack by fast-spreading forest fires. Thanks for the memories, Ashley.
Love National Geographic! I too recall those very images as a compelling and thrilling view of the world…. particularly having grown up in a ‘pre-internet’ generation. Thank you Ashley, your posts are beautiful 🙂
Wow! I used to look through my dad’s collection, too. King Tut… and many more. Thank you for the reminder.
I definitely remember Tut, but my favorites were the two with the holograms on the cover, first an eagle and later a skull. I felt certain that flying cars were right around the corner then!