Life and Death

"Instead of my head smashing against rocks, my camera bag cushioned the blows. The backpack absorbed the impact on the rest of my body as I bounced down the cliff."

--Michael Yamashita, Photographer

(c) Michael Yamashita--www.michaelyamashita.com

"...Needing both hands, I packed away my cameras into my Lowepro Orion AW pack and secured it to the top of my backpack. I volunteered to be first. I swung out over the falls holding onto the rope; but the branches were too slippery, the pack was too heavy, and the slope was too steep. I watched in slow-motion horror as the branches slid between my fingers and I began falling. I have no memory of my 80-foot fall. My companions recounted my slide, followed by a tumble backwards. Instead of my head smashing against rocks, my camera bag cushioned the blows. The backpack absorbed the impact on the rest of my body as I bounced down the cliff. I landed between two boulders in a shallow pool of icy-cold water. I thought I was badly hurt, and everyone watching couldn't believe I was still alive. We hiked out the next day--stitched and bruised, but miraculously without broken bones or damaged camera lenses. A miracle? Maybe. Good equipment? Yes!"

--Michael Yamashita, Photographer