Africa (Part 3)

Blank Canvass

Our aim for the day was to climb ‘Dune 45’ in time for sunrise and as such we were up well before the sun.  As I exited my tent the cool of the morning was there to greet me.  I looked up into the night sky and to the Southern Cross, which was a nice reminder of home.  After a quick coffee we were on the truck and headed to the dune.  It was still dark as we made our way into the desert and I stared from the window across the vast black, concentrating on the space itself.  In that space I was lost to the night, my mind wandering, exploring.  As we moved further into the desert, light began to slowly emerge from the east and with it the features of the desert began to take shape and I continued to stare but now captivated by the desert.

When we arrived at the base of Dune 45, the soft light of the morning showed us the way up the dune, showed us our destination.  Just before I started my ascent of the dune, I took off my shoes as the climb is much easier bare foot.  I quickly felt the sting of the cold sand, which is very fine and found its way without any trouble between my toes.  I wiggled my feet to plunge them deeper into the sand and stood just for a moment, feeling the cold, feeling the sand, feeling the dune, feeling the desert, feeling a connection.

Taking a deep breath I pulled my feet from the dune and decided to run up the initial part of the dune to really get my blood pumping.  Before too long I had achieved my goal but I pushed it a little harder until my legs were burning and chest pumping hard and then slowed to a walk.  Before me the dune seemed to tower above, a mountain of red in the soft twilight and I began to question my initial enthusiasm; the dry desert air making it difficult to catch my breath back.  However, I continued to push up the dune focusing on each step as the exertion took hold of my body.

As I was climbing I watched the light in the east and soon began to realise that it would shortly be sunrise.  I pushed on, reaching the top of the dune just in time to see the sun begin to peer over the distant mountains and greet us with a wonderfully beautiful morning.  Those of us that made the top of the dune in time for the sunrise stood watching without any words; the only sound was the deep breaths that we were all taking after our climb.  The dunes began to glow a warm red as the light bathed the valley in front of me. 

The crest of the dune was like a knife edge, making beautifully clear lines and provided a strong contrast between the light and dark.  I watched as the light filled the eastern side of the dune; slowly the light reached the top of the dune and just like a weir, it spilled over the top and began to flood the western side.  As I was standing on the crest of the dune, it was as if I could feel the light rushing past my feet just as water would.  I closed my eyes and allowed myself to feel the light flooding past me.

The dunes wind their way north/south and my eyes followed the line into the distance and I was drawn to follow it.  I began walking away from the group along the knife edge of the dune.  There were no footsteps so the walking was difficult yet I had a strong desire to continue.  Perhaps this was because I felt as though I was the first to be discovering this part of the dune; perhaps it was because the beauty was calling to me.  I continued along the dune arms outstretched for balance as my footing continually gave way but it also made me feel like I was welcoming the dune, welcoming the scene in front of me. 

I followed the crest of the dune down a slight decline and suddenly I was alone, I could not see or hear another person.  It felt as though I had arrived right in the heart of the desert.  I looked around and the warm red sand dunes surrounded me, light and shadows continued to dance together as the sun rose.  I ran my hand along the face of the dune which caused some of the sand to slide gracefully down.  The tracks of an animal, as if engraved into the dune, caught my eye and I imagined it moving through the desert.  I stood staring, and recalled staring into the black of the morning and felt as though that was the blank canvass that had now been filled with a deep and profound beauty.  Here in the Namibian desert with beauty to keep me company there was nothing else that I needed.  I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and smiled for I knew that the feeling I had within me was a reflection of my inner self in that moment.