Into the Valley of the Stromatolites, Wyoming

The highest elevation we filmed at for Prehistoric Road Trip was in Episode 1, when we climbed more than 11,000 feet above (modern-day) sea level to find evidence of some of the oldest life forms on our planet. What we were seeking were vast mats of 2-billion-year-old fossilized photosynthetic bacteria that thrived for millions and billions of years in the sediment of a shallow sea. During that time these microscopic organisms were ingesting sunlight and burping out oxygen, saturating our atmosphere with the ancient air that continues to fill our lungs today. Over time – much, much time; perhaps an inconceivable amount – as the planet changed, tectonic plates shifted and mountains grew, these enormous fossil mats - called stromatolites - were unearthed and thrust a few miles above today’s shorelines.

There’s something extraordinary about gasping for breath in pursuit of discovering its oldest source. These boulders are not merely rocks: they’re our oldest ancestors and coming upon them felt very special, overwhelming even.
Maybe it was a combination of the high elevation making me delirious, some amount of dehydration, and exhaustion from the fact this was one of the last stops on our 9-week filming excursion, but I found myself incredibly emotional about being surrounded by these stromatolites. It was, perhaps, the most spiritual experience I’ve ever had.

You can watch the segment and read more about them here, and if you’re interested in finding them for yourself, read about the stromatolites at GeoWyo.com.

The original painting is also for sale.