Dick Proenneke - "Alone in the Wilderness"

[Butch627]

just how alone was he, who was holding the camera?

 

[BigBoxaJunk]

Seen it a couple times on PBS. He was one talented individual. I was amazed at how he carved the hinges for his door.

I read that he was a much sought-after diesel mechanic before he retired to follow his dream.

In his second book, Dick talks about people who would send him letters after he'd gotten some notoriety from an earlier film he'd shot of Alaskan wildlife and wilderness scenery. One boy of about 16 asked Dick if he could rent his cabin, telling Dick that it was his intention to go off and live in the wilderness like Dick had done, and he asked for advice. Dick's advice to the boy was to get a good paying job as soon as he could, and to work hard and put in a lot of overtime until he was at least 50, then, if you've saved enough money, and you still have the dream, go after it (Dick was pretty sure that wasn't the advice the kid was looking for).

 

[rhino]

just how alone was he, who was holding the camera?

Tripod. He was alone.

 

[Yeah]

1960's rural Alaska talk

It continues into the 20teens, being as we remain sparsely populated outside of towns and it is important to seize cookie baking opportunities when they are on offer.

 

[Dirtebiker]

Here is the link to the NPS page for Proenneke's cabin: Proenneke's Cabin - Lake Clark National Park & Preserve (U.S. National Park Service)

Videos: Alone in the Wilderness, DVD and VHS available, the story of Dick Proenneke

There was a book published that covered his first year in the cabin, it's a good read:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/08..._m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=0TKPJC44SPQJR9SJNM30

I've got the book.

 

[Dirtebiker]

Hahah! I never thought about the "baked him cookies," thing, but it makes sense.

If we could accomplish 5% of what Dick Proenneke did, we'd all be able to survive and thrive in just about any conditions until the ends of our natural lives. He seemed to be one those rare individuals who never doubted that he could do any given task. For him, it was just a matter of how he was going accomplish the task with the available resources.

When he was making flat boards by hand, carving hinges for the door, and building that cabin with those huge timbers by himself, I was thinking the best I can do is re-use an empty 2 L soda bottle to mix my Kool-Aid. We know how could fish. I'll bet he was a pretty fair hunter too.

Do we have any current day people of note who have similar skills?

he not only made everything himself, but everything he did was done with perfectionism.

 

[indiucky]

It continues into the 20teens, being as we remain sparsely populated outside of towns and it is important to seize cookie baking opportunities when they are on offer.

I had a buddy of mine that cooked for a fishing lodge out of Dillingham back in the 1980's...He went up there to work on a crab boat and it was a little too hair raising of an experience for him so he got a job at a lodge as a cook...He said winters were tough and good VHS films were like gold in the winter...I would love to get up there someday...I can't remember the name of the lodge but he and I fished together. He had a pair of nice neoprene waders a Japanese businessman had given him when he left the lodge..I asked why he would do that and he said simply, "Weight"....It was going to cost him extra flying out....He had two choices...take the fish and leave the waders or visa versa lol....

 

[Somemedic]

I pulled it off pirate bay. I like watching it when it snows