Dear Friends,
Thank you for visiting this site, which is a record of the beautiful life and adventures Esther and I shared for almost seven years, between May 2014 and November 2020, before her untimely death.
Following a wonderful 1000-mile hike together through the Alps in the summer of 2020, Esther decided to undertake a short solo adventure in the Pyrenees from late October/early November while I started work on a new book in a house-sit. Due to the lockdowns at the time, she decided to stay away for as long as the weather stayed mild so that she could hike and cycle in the mountains (it was an unseasonably warm autumn).
Tragically, on her final hike before the weather broke, Esther went missing. Despite extensive search and rescue efforts, no sign of Esther was found before the heavy winter snow arrived. Police investigations in both France and Spain were launched but found no indication she had left the mountains.
A bone belonging to Esther was eventually found in late July 2021, with the rest of her body and all of her equipment being found a short time later in early August.
After months of pain, anxiety and bafflement, the circumstances surrounding Esther's accident were immediately clear when she was recovered, including the reasons why she hadn't been found before winter, and how she had come to rest much lower down the mountain due to the movement of snow.
A few weeks later, following the necessary police procedures, Esther was cremated among the mountains she loved so much and her ashes scattered in a number of places she loved the most, according to her wishes.
It is my hope that by leaving our site online, that others may be inspired to explore this beautiful world we all share. Esther's passion was for sharing this beauty through images and she treasured the gift of sight.
If any of these adventures inspire you, please consider making a small donation to the charity Sightsavers which was so close to Esther's heart, working to prevent avoidable blindness throughout the world.
Thank you,
Dan - October 2021
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