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Near as I can tell, this has not ever been posted here before. I love watching this video--often shown on PBS these days when they are raising funds--a true crowd favorite!
"Alone in the Wilderness" may be the original reality/survival show--long pre-dating today's faux versions that pass as reality.
I just posted about 20 minutes worth of the film on my Ning site: http://preparedness.ning.com/
(Note there are several dozen prep-related video files there to view.)
Check out the two parts of Alone in the Wilderness posted there and really enjoy!
Here's part of what is listed on Wikipedia on Proenneke:
Richard "Dick" Proenneke (May 4, 1916–April 28, 2003) was a naturalist and survivalist who lived alone in the high mountains of Alaska at a place called Twin Lakes. Living in a log cabin he constructed by hand, Proenneke made valuable recordings of both meteorological and natural data while enjoying his retirement.
... Proenneke eventually decided to attempt a start at his own cattle ranch. With an unnamed friend, he moved to Shuyak Island, Alaska in 1950. Proenneke soon discovered that Alaska is not ranch country and he abandoned this venture.
For several years Dick worked as a heavy equipment operator and repairman on the naval base at Kodiak. Proenneke spent the next several years working throughout the state of Alaska as both a salmon fisherman and diesel mechanic. He worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service at King Salmon on the Alaska Peninsula. His skills as a mechanic were well-known and extremely sought after, and he was able to put away a modest nest egg for retirement. Although his living for the most part came from twisting bolts and welding steel, his heart was always in those far away peaks that lost themselves in the clouds.
After some thought on the matter, and a serious accident while working as a diesel mechanic, Proenneke decided he would like to retire in the wilderness of Alaska, specifically at a place called Twin Lakes. In the summer of 1967, Proenneke was dropped off at Twin Lakes for the season so he could fell timber, white spruce logs required for the building of his dream retirement home. He flew out before the lakes froze up for the winter and went home to Iowa to spend time with his family and do his customary good deeds around the small town and prepare supplies and plans for his retirement.
Retirement life at Twin Lakes
Dick Proenneke started his adventure to Alaska by driving his camper north. In a Nebraska town he bought a felt-tipped marker and on the back of his camper printed in big letters, "DESTINATION—BACK AND BEYOND." On May 21, 1968, Proenneke arrived at his new place of retirement at Twin Lakes. Before arriving at the lakes, he made arrangements to use a cabin on the upper lake of Twin Lakes owned by a retired Navy captain, Spike Carrithers, and his wife Hope from Kodiak, (in whose care he had left his camper). This cabin was well situated on the lake and close to the site which Proenneke chose for the construction of his own cabin.
Proenneke spent May, June, and July of 1968 building his cabin by hand and with nothing but hand tools. The cabin was complete with windows, one of which was designed and built of PET film by Proenneke himself to face the lake and not fog up. He also built furniture including chairs, tables, a desk, and a bunk; a log cache built up on poles to store food and goods that needed to be kept away from wildlife; a stone and mortar fireplace; and many decorations such as a plaster of paris wolf track and moose and caribou antler decorations.
Proenneke's bush pilot friend, Babe Alsworth, returned occasionally to bring food and orders that Proenneke placed through him to Sears. While Proenneke lived largely off the land, he enjoyed things like red beans, bacon, and seasonings, all of which he proclaimed to be life's real luxuries.
Several times during his life at Twin Lakes, Proenneke was attacked by brown bears. He also became quite adept at taming animals, befriending many squirrels (all of which he named "Freddy"), a weasel, many birds, and (almost) a wolverine.
Proenneke remained at Twin Lakes for the next 16 months, when he left to go home for a spell to visit relatives and secure more supplies. He returned to the lakes in the following spring and remained there for most of the next 30 years, coming to the lower 48 only occasionally to be with his family, for whom he cared a great deal.
As is common among Alaskans, Proenneke was always searching for gold; as evinced by the pan attached to his backpack and cabin in pictures of the same. He did indeed find some gold—see his second set of journals—however, he never found the mother lode he was searching for. His "gold" was his environmental reputation and attractive lifestyle.
Death and legacy
In 1999, at age 82, Proenneke decided to come back to civilization for good. The -50F degree (-46 °C) winters had become too much for his aged body to cope with and he returned to live the remainder of his life with his brother in California.
Proenneke was a wonderful journalist and recorded most of his life at Twin Lakes in film, photography, and written record. His findings seemed to agree with scientists concerning long-term trends of global warming and other climate changes. His earthquake reports helped scientists in civilization learn how seismic waves travel through the immense mountain ranges of Alaska. His recording of animal and hunter habits helped scientists realize how hunting affects wild animal populations.
Proenneke died of a stroke April 28, 2003. He left his cabin to the parks service and it remains today as a popular visitor attraction in the still-remote Twin Lakes region.
A pilot from Talkeetna, Alaska shares, "Dick Proenneke's book is pretty interesting, I would recommend it—especially if you plan to ever go and see the cabin. Last summer I flew tourists up there making it a stop sometimes many times in a day, and the ones that had read the book or seen the movie got the most out of the experience. I myself did it in reverse order; saw the cabin then the movie...Amazing fella this Dick was. Covered a TON of country on foot, and made a bunch of "personal inventions" that still exist there today. The cabin is located at Hope Creek on Upper Twin of Twin Lakes--probably one of THE most beautiful places in Alaska I've ever seen to begin with. There are two NPS volunteers that stay up there throughout the summer and actually this year (2004) have said they will stay until New Year's. It is only accessible on floats or skis, unless you're into a 60 mile (100 km) hike through the Alaska Range."
T.J. Hinkle from Nikiski, Alaska shares, "I knew Dick. He helped my partner and I pack a couple sheep out of the upper end of Twin Lakes before Jimmy Carter locked it up. Couple of interesting facts.... He was not a Bunny Hugger. He had no problem with hunting as long as it was done properly. He was also a pilot; although on his own admission not a very good one. After his first year in Alaska, he decided he needed to have a plane. He went back to the lower 48 got his license and bought a J-3 Piper Cub. He and his brother (Ray) flew it to Alaska. Somewhere around Sheep Mountain, East of Palmer, the engine quit. The plane wound up in the trees, Dick walked out to the highway. That ended his piloting career.
He continued to use Babe Alsworth to do all his hauling into and out of Twin Lakes. More -- this is second hand information so I don't know if it is altogether true. Maybe someone out there does. After Carter made the park, the heroes in the park service were going to take his cabin. Mary Alsworth said, nope. She then used part of her native land allotment to claim land around his cabin so they couldn't take it. Dick was a quiet gentleman and I was privileged to know him."
Gary Reeves from Lake Clark National Park, Alaska shares, "I met Dick, but did not know him well. He was a really interesting man. His conversational style was to ask questions. When he wintered in Port Alsworth, little children and dogs would follow him. I would too. The place on Twin Lakes is a park place now. It doesn't look or feel like Dick's anymore. It is what the Park would have wanted it to be. But the place is not like Dick's. The park is using it as a destination. New back country campsite, with wood and a privy. Still a wonderful place to be and a good place to ponder what Dick did."
In 1973, Sam Keith produced the book One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (ISBN 0-88240-513-6), based on Proenneke's journals and photography.
In 2005, some of Proenneke's film, Alone in the Wilderness, began appearing on U.S. Public Television. Primarily, the film consists of shots of Proenneke performing tasks around his cabin, canoeing and walking, and views of wildlife, along with narration. For shots of himself (since he was alone), Proenneke fixed the camera in place, and then performed his tasks. This would necessitate him returning to the camera after walking or canoeing away.
Also in 2005, the National Park Service and the Alaska Natural History Association published More Readings From One Man's Wilderness, another volume of Proenneke's journal entries. The book, edited by longtime Lake Clark National Park employee and friend-of-Proenneke John Branson, covers the years when the Park was established. The journal entries show that Proenneke's feelings about wilderness and the Park Service were complex and can't be summed up in phrases like "not a bunny hugger."
Trivia
"Alone in the Wilderness" may be the original reality/survival show--long pre-dating today's faux versions that pass as reality.
I just posted about 20 minutes worth of the film on my Ning site: http://preparedness.ning.com/
(Note there are several dozen prep-related video files there to view.)
Check out the two parts of Alone in the Wilderness posted there and really enjoy!
Here's part of what is listed on Wikipedia on Proenneke:
Richard "Dick" Proenneke (May 4, 1916–April 28, 2003) was a naturalist and survivalist who lived alone in the high mountains of Alaska at a place called Twin Lakes. Living in a log cabin he constructed by hand, Proenneke made valuable recordings of both meteorological and natural data while enjoying his retirement.
... Proenneke eventually decided to attempt a start at his own cattle ranch. With an unnamed friend, he moved to Shuyak Island, Alaska in 1950. Proenneke soon discovered that Alaska is not ranch country and he abandoned this venture.
For several years Dick worked as a heavy equipment operator and repairman on the naval base at Kodiak. Proenneke spent the next several years working throughout the state of Alaska as both a salmon fisherman and diesel mechanic. He worked for the Fish and Wildlife Service at King Salmon on the Alaska Peninsula. His skills as a mechanic were well-known and extremely sought after, and he was able to put away a modest nest egg for retirement. Although his living for the most part came from twisting bolts and welding steel, his heart was always in those far away peaks that lost themselves in the clouds.
After some thought on the matter, and a serious accident while working as a diesel mechanic, Proenneke decided he would like to retire in the wilderness of Alaska, specifically at a place called Twin Lakes. In the summer of 1967, Proenneke was dropped off at Twin Lakes for the season so he could fell timber, white spruce logs required for the building of his dream retirement home. He flew out before the lakes froze up for the winter and went home to Iowa to spend time with his family and do his customary good deeds around the small town and prepare supplies and plans for his retirement.
Retirement life at Twin Lakes
Dick Proenneke started his adventure to Alaska by driving his camper north. In a Nebraska town he bought a felt-tipped marker and on the back of his camper printed in big letters, "DESTINATION—BACK AND BEYOND." On May 21, 1968, Proenneke arrived at his new place of retirement at Twin Lakes. Before arriving at the lakes, he made arrangements to use a cabin on the upper lake of Twin Lakes owned by a retired Navy captain, Spike Carrithers, and his wife Hope from Kodiak, (in whose care he had left his camper). This cabin was well situated on the lake and close to the site which Proenneke chose for the construction of his own cabin.
Proenneke spent May, June, and July of 1968 building his cabin by hand and with nothing but hand tools. The cabin was complete with windows, one of which was designed and built of PET film by Proenneke himself to face the lake and not fog up. He also built furniture including chairs, tables, a desk, and a bunk; a log cache built up on poles to store food and goods that needed to be kept away from wildlife; a stone and mortar fireplace; and many decorations such as a plaster of paris wolf track and moose and caribou antler decorations.
Proenneke's bush pilot friend, Babe Alsworth, returned occasionally to bring food and orders that Proenneke placed through him to Sears. While Proenneke lived largely off the land, he enjoyed things like red beans, bacon, and seasonings, all of which he proclaimed to be life's real luxuries.
Several times during his life at Twin Lakes, Proenneke was attacked by brown bears. He also became quite adept at taming animals, befriending many squirrels (all of which he named "Freddy"), a weasel, many birds, and (almost) a wolverine.
Proenneke remained at Twin Lakes for the next 16 months, when he left to go home for a spell to visit relatives and secure more supplies. He returned to the lakes in the following spring and remained there for most of the next 30 years, coming to the lower 48 only occasionally to be with his family, for whom he cared a great deal.
As is common among Alaskans, Proenneke was always searching for gold; as evinced by the pan attached to his backpack and cabin in pictures of the same. He did indeed find some gold—see his second set of journals—however, he never found the mother lode he was searching for. His "gold" was his environmental reputation and attractive lifestyle.
Death and legacy
In 1999, at age 82, Proenneke decided to come back to civilization for good. The -50F degree (-46 °C) winters had become too much for his aged body to cope with and he returned to live the remainder of his life with his brother in California.
Proenneke was a wonderful journalist and recorded most of his life at Twin Lakes in film, photography, and written record. His findings seemed to agree with scientists concerning long-term trends of global warming and other climate changes. His earthquake reports helped scientists in civilization learn how seismic waves travel through the immense mountain ranges of Alaska. His recording of animal and hunter habits helped scientists realize how hunting affects wild animal populations.
Proenneke died of a stroke April 28, 2003. He left his cabin to the parks service and it remains today as a popular visitor attraction in the still-remote Twin Lakes region.
A pilot from Talkeetna, Alaska shares, "Dick Proenneke's book is pretty interesting, I would recommend it—especially if you plan to ever go and see the cabin. Last summer I flew tourists up there making it a stop sometimes many times in a day, and the ones that had read the book or seen the movie got the most out of the experience. I myself did it in reverse order; saw the cabin then the movie...Amazing fella this Dick was. Covered a TON of country on foot, and made a bunch of "personal inventions" that still exist there today. The cabin is located at Hope Creek on Upper Twin of Twin Lakes--probably one of THE most beautiful places in Alaska I've ever seen to begin with. There are two NPS volunteers that stay up there throughout the summer and actually this year (2004) have said they will stay until New Year's. It is only accessible on floats or skis, unless you're into a 60 mile (100 km) hike through the Alaska Range."
T.J. Hinkle from Nikiski, Alaska shares, "I knew Dick. He helped my partner and I pack a couple sheep out of the upper end of Twin Lakes before Jimmy Carter locked it up. Couple of interesting facts.... He was not a Bunny Hugger. He had no problem with hunting as long as it was done properly. He was also a pilot; although on his own admission not a very good one. After his first year in Alaska, he decided he needed to have a plane. He went back to the lower 48 got his license and bought a J-3 Piper Cub. He and his brother (Ray) flew it to Alaska. Somewhere around Sheep Mountain, East of Palmer, the engine quit. The plane wound up in the trees, Dick walked out to the highway. That ended his piloting career.
He continued to use Babe Alsworth to do all his hauling into and out of Twin Lakes. More -- this is second hand information so I don't know if it is altogether true. Maybe someone out there does. After Carter made the park, the heroes in the park service were going to take his cabin. Mary Alsworth said, nope. She then used part of her native land allotment to claim land around his cabin so they couldn't take it. Dick was a quiet gentleman and I was privileged to know him."
Gary Reeves from Lake Clark National Park, Alaska shares, "I met Dick, but did not know him well. He was a really interesting man. His conversational style was to ask questions. When he wintered in Port Alsworth, little children and dogs would follow him. I would too. The place on Twin Lakes is a park place now. It doesn't look or feel like Dick's anymore. It is what the Park would have wanted it to be. But the place is not like Dick's. The park is using it as a destination. New back country campsite, with wood and a privy. Still a wonderful place to be and a good place to ponder what Dick did."
In 1973, Sam Keith produced the book One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey (ISBN 0-88240-513-6), based on Proenneke's journals and photography.
In 2005, some of Proenneke's film, Alone in the Wilderness, began appearing on U.S. Public Television. Primarily, the film consists of shots of Proenneke performing tasks around his cabin, canoeing and walking, and views of wildlife, along with narration. For shots of himself (since he was alone), Proenneke fixed the camera in place, and then performed his tasks. This would necessitate him returning to the camera after walking or canoeing away.
Also in 2005, the National Park Service and the Alaska Natural History Association published More Readings From One Man's Wilderness, another volume of Proenneke's journal entries. The book, edited by longtime Lake Clark National Park employee and friend-of-Proenneke John Branson, covers the years when the Park was established. The journal entries show that Proenneke's feelings about wilderness and the Park Service were complex and can't be summed up in phrases like "not a bunny hugger."
Trivia
- Dick originally wanted to stay in Twin Lakes for only a year and a half
- Had his health not failed him, Dick intended to spend the rest of his life in Twin Lakes.
- Dick Proenneke built his cabin by hand, which was something that had been done by many. However, several innovations set the cabin apart from others. For example, the hinges on his door were made from the bends in spruce tree roots.
- In 1980, Twin Lakes became part of the Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, and Dick became a volunteer backcountry interpreter and naturalist.
- Dick was fascinated by weather phenomena, annual phenological events, cyclic natural fluctuations in animal abundance, and plant-animal interactions.
- 1995 was the last full year that he spent at Twin Lakes.
- He wrote most of his notes on wall calendars.
- Sam Keith was a very close friend of Dick's.
- Very little is known about Dick's private life. The closest reported family member while Dick lived in Twin Lakes was his brother. Although he had many female friends and very much enjoyed women, he never married.
- During a visit from Bob Swerer for a documentary, Dick performed 70 chin-ups on his 70th birthday.
