My copy of The Journey Is the Destination, inscribed by mother.
By Chad Bouchard
On Christmas Day, 1997, my mother gave me a copy of Dan Eldon’s recently published journal. The book had a profound effect on my life path.
A few years before that, in 1993, I had wrapped up a year abroad with some hard travel in Algeria. At the time, the country was still embroiled in a civil war. It was my first experience in a developing country, and certainly the closest I’d been to a conflict zone. I hitchhiked into and out of the Sahara, avoiding Algiers, where there had been bombings of tourist buses and gunfire in the streets. I had no idea what I was doing. But people in the desert were very kind to me. I passed through many armed checkpoints on both sides of the conflict and never experienced a word of harassment – just genuine human curiosity and even warmth. I wanted other people to know what a surprise it was to see humanity in places where headlines seem so hostile.
When I came home, I had so many stories to tell. But I struggled to tell them. Some people were unnerved. Some did not know how to react. Now I know how common it is for returning correspondents and expats to feel a mix of familiar and alien at the same time. Dan’s journal, with its psychedelic collage of photographs and scraps and strange materials, looked like the inside of a restless mind. And it spoke to me. It encouraged me to look for new ways to tell the story. I would ultimately find the right balance in journalism; permission to focus on someone else’s story was freeing.
My mother’s present contained a very important two-pronged message. It was indeed a welcome nod of approval for restless curiosity. But it also served as a cautionary tale. Dan Eldon’s death tinged his work with tragedy. Even in my more risk-thirsty days, this gentle warning followed me: The people who care most – they want to hear what you saw out there in the world. But to do that, you have to come back safely. Got it?
I met Kathy Eldon the year after I got the book. I was working as a volunteer at the Double Take Film Festival in Durham, North Carolina (for legal reasons the name has since been changed to Full Frame). The festival happened to be hosting an early screening of a documentary about Dan’s life, Dying to Tell the Story, with Kathy Eldon presenting. I approached Kathy afterward and thanked her for publishing the journal. I don’t remember what I said, but I’m sure it was awkward and I know she was gracious.
Curiosity took me to interesting places. Jakarta, Myanmar, China, and most recently in 2013 Sinjar, Iraq. Dan’s journal helped me to create my own risk governor. I found I prefer to show up in places that are recovering from disaster or war. The stories are rich in that territory. Those dual messages stayed with me the whole time. Calculated risk. Wild expression and vigilance. Trust, but verify. It’s a razor’s edge. Still looking for a way across it, Dan. But you were so right. It does seem worth the journey.
Dan Eldon’s journal inspired a generation of journalists and creators when it was published in 1997 and has sold more than 120,000 copies. Two other books of his journals have since been published, Dan Eldon: Safari as a Way of Life and Dan Eldon: The Art of Life.