How Leaving the Camera Behind Intensified my Interactions with Wildlife

When it comes different than what you expect

It was a lovely warm summer evening when I decided to go for a walk. My husband didn’t want to come with me. That would have been the perfect time to take my camera with and make plenty of shots while nobody is getting annoyed by the countless photo steps I would do.

But I decided against it.

I decided to leave my camera behind. Without a wallet, phone or keys I stepped out of the flat. Only with the tiny GoPro in my pocket. Just to be able to take a scenic picture of the valley. One for the photo-a-day challenge.

And off I went. Light in gear. With some mental burdens which shall disappear during this lovely walk through the woods surrounding our village.

Sometimes you only realize what an object does to you when you don’t have it. I usually talk about how photography opened the world to me and showed me how much beauty is in front of my eyes. Beauty I wouldn’t have seen without the camera.

But then there’s something that happened on this walk today that showed the exact opposite. Something I could only experience because I did not have my camera with me.

I didn't know how much having a camera on me changed the perception of my surroundings. Most of the time I would only see what appears in front of the viewfinder shaking the lens around.

Walking now, with nothing in my hands or on the shoulder, fast-paced through the village and up the hill on the other side, I could see it all. A view that is wider than my wide-angle lens.

Instead of thinking about how this or that would look on camera I simply embraced what appeared in front of my eyes. I took it all in. The whole surrounding. Everything I saw, heard and felt.

My heart was pumping. I could hear it. Then I stopped for a moment. Giving my heartbeat a chance to come down a bit. I saw the butterflies flying from one blossom to another. Bees were buzzing around. A light breeze let the leaves move in the wind.

I smelled the meadow. Some freshly mowed grass gave up an intense smell. The smell of summer. Birds were singing above my head. I spotted many of them. Without rushing the camera back and forth I had the time to just stand there and watch them. With my eyes.

I walked into the forest and hit eventually a dirt track. Following the road, I was now on one level no longer climbing in altitude. My heart rate normalized and my steps became lighter. I think I lost already some of the burdens I was carrying along.

I’m pretty sure I was smiling. If not yet, then pretty soon.

I followed the trail in a direction I never took before. I had an idea where I wanted to come out but didn’t know if the track would lead me there. On junctions, I looked up and down before I chose right or left.

I love this kind of walking through the forest. Without a map. With no phone to quickly open up Google maps. Just with myself and my sense of direction.

And as it comes, the road I chose to take just stopped. It seemed like a small trail continued through the forest further uphill. Knowing I was right now quite far back in the valley, I decided to follow instead the waterline down the mountain.

Where a few days ago a streamlet must have been rushing down judging by all the branches and leaves piled up, I now walked down the valley. I had to think about a movie I watched where a girl escaped the rainforest by following a tiny river.

Always walking downriver you eventually get to bigger rivers and streams. And eventually, you’ll find civilization. People always settled down along rivers and other big waters.

As I was trying to find out if I should continue following this tiny gorge I heard the animals. I stopped and listened. A female deer together with her young one appeared just a few meters above me. The mother had sensed danger with my appearance but couldn’t locate me.

Probably about 10 meters from me, they stopped. I could see her clearly. The young one was just behind a bush. The mother was stressed. She was looking around but seemingly didn’t spot me.

I stopped breathing for a while. I’ve never seen a deer in this surrounding for longer than a split second. As soon as they spot me, they jump up and run away. Usually.

Now, these two right there. Close enough to get plenty of clear shots. But since I didn’t have my camera with me I just stood there and decided to breathe in eventually again.

I took out the GoPro and decided to film. Maybe there will be something on film. I was close enough for it. But I continued looking at the deer. Making another step closer triggered the instinct of the animals.

The mother turns, jumps, and runs away with her young one. But clearly not far. All of a sudden I hear something that almost reminds me of the barking of a dog. I didn’t know what sounds these animals make. For sure, I knew deer must communicate somehow. But I’ve never heard it.

This call as a warning sign of danger cuts the silence. I get a fright until I realize it’s her. Trying to scare me off since she doesn’t know in which direction to go.

I decided to leave them alone and stepped up to the meadow I spotted. High grass was covering the field. I only did two steps when the two deer appeared out of the forest and ran once again in front of my eyes. Crossing the field, they jumped back into the forest.

Thanks again. It was lovely meeting you! Hope I didn’t scare you too much!

As I was making my way through this tall grass I was trying to grasp what just happened. I still cannot believe it. Despite having seen many deers on countless walks through the forest, such a close encounter, and long animal sighting I haven’t had before. I would almost say I was interacting with the two.

While holding my breath of course. Not moving even the little toe.

But I guess that is the difference. First of all, I was alone. Then, two feet make less noise than four. And of course, when I’m alone I don’t talk compared to when I’m with my husband on a hike through the forest.

All these components came together and allowed me to have this, more than just brief, encounter with these two lovely creatures.

Now, I was smiling from one ear to the other. Back on a dirt track, I continued the trail I knew and stepped ahead. I spotted every rustling in the undergrowth. Often it was coming from a bird looking for worms on the forest floor.

But then I saw the squirrel. I know, for most of my writer friends in the States, squirrels are as common to see as a fish in the aquarium. Some even feed them like pets. Not so much here. Squirrels are incredibly shy and when a squirrel is on the forest floor it is racing up the tree and reaches the treetops before I can even anticipate if the rustling on the forest floor came from a bird or a squirrel.

So now, I actually did see the squirrel. Still on the ground, it stopped for a second before disappearing into the heights of the tree. I would almost have had the chance to capture this one with my camera.

But once again. Since I had no camera with me, it wasn’t a race for the shot, and then missing the shot and the animal sighting both together, I could actually watch the squirrel in peace.

Only a few steps further another one. On the other side of the trail, I actually shared some intimate time with it. We were looking each other into the eyes. The squirrel was hanging on the tree. I was standing on the road. Just standing there looking at the squirrel.

Until the squirrel decided I am too stupid to cause any harm or danger and it climbed back down the tree. Sitting down on the floor and eating a nut. It was just a few meters from me.

Again, what photographs would I have been able to take now? So close! I decided to try my luck and stepped up the small hill next to the ditch. The squirrel ran back up the tree. But just about as high as my eyes. Looking at me.

And then I decided to film it. Just for fun. Because I’ve shared already 5 minutes with this lovely creature. And because I want to share my joy with you.

By now there was nothing anymore that could ruin my hike or day in general. I’ve had so much joy and happiness during the walk through the woods that I was completely free of all worries and just softly touched the ground.

I was almost floating above the trail. And as I was half in trance half somewhere on this earth another deer jumped up out of the thicket right next to me. 5 meters in front of me it crossed the road with one big jump. While in the air we had a moment. It looked at me. I stared back.

Just before it disappeared in the forest again. Wow. I don’t think I can get enough of this walk!

I added one more detour to my way back to the village to pass the herd of sheep I often hear from my flat. The sun was slowly disappearing behind the clouds leaving a mystic atmosphere above the village.

I entered the tiny village being my home and passed the church just as the bell rang. It was half-past 7. A good time to come back home and have a light dinner.

But not before taking one last scenic picture with my GoPro capturing the evening atmosphere in this lovely mountain village. Roses greet me as I enter the gate and take down the stairs to our flat.

I am full of happiness when greeting my husband. Talking like a waterfall when describing all the wildlife encounters I had. And I am sure I will take my camera with me next time. But I also know I will do now and then again a hike without her.

For days like these.

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