Wilderness Log Cabin

O

Old Axeman

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About eight years ago + or - PBS aired a show called "Alone in the Wilderness" It is the story of Dick Proenneke, a man who walked into the Alaska Wilderness, built his log cabin, and stayed for 30 years. I am not sure if PBS still airs this video as I have not had TV for about 8 yrs. I restored a log cabin close (relative term in AK) to Dicks cabin but never saw his cabin. I understand that the National Park Service has restored it and maintains it. If you have not seen "Alone in the Wilderness" or read the book "One Man's Wilderness", I think you should. Dick Proenneke is my hero!
 
I saw that show quite a few years ago. Would love to see it again. The man was very ingenious. Could hand make just about anything. I'll look for his book. Thanks

I checked Youtube. They have the movie. I apologize for my inability to post a link...
 
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I have copies of those videos. Everyone is familiar with his use of a cruiser axe early in the show. But here are a few of the other tools he used.

Proenekke%20tools2.jpg


Machete.jpg


Berry%20picker1.jpg


That 3rd photo. Handy tool. I have one of those.
 
Unfortunately, I don't think youtube is the full video. If I remember correctly the video is 40-50 minutes long.

The pictures in the book are great. There's a second book entitled "More Readings from One Man's Wilderness" and wonder if the pictures are as well printed. Some stories in it deal with construction projects, so I may get it.

Here is a full version:
http://cinema.solarmovie.ph/link/play/3300712/

And if you know how to use torrents then you may be able to download it. Here's a link:
https://thepiratebay.se/torrent/701...ection_-_Alone_in_the_Wilderness_-_Parts_1_2_
 
What did Dick do to earn a living before he decided to go off bushwhacking? Men with supreme confidence, talent and the ability to improvise did not one day suddenly wake up that way. His whole life must have been geared towards learning to make do with whatever was on hand. For some reason I have an easy time of it picturing him as a young recruit tasked with setting up and running a remote airfield somewhere in the jungle during WWII.

EDIT; Lots of information and video footage on the man via Google and YouTube. My guess about his former occupation wasn't that far off. Thanks for the alert Old_Axeman!
 
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The videos are great. My jealousy cannot be described. The man himself has more building talent than 1000 men, and the ability to be alone that long is to not be undervalued as well, as it seems like it is cool, but it can weigh on you, and quickly. I would love to work on an old cabin like that anytime. Old Axeman, let me know if you ever get another opportunity, and perhaps we can tackle it together!

Thanks for the great post!
 
I am going from memory so take this with a grain of salt, I recall that there was some reference to him being a carpenter. It was/is a great show. I've watched it a couple of times.
 
he was a mechanic, but there is one point in the movie where, after planting his garden and resuming work on the cabin, he says "i've always been a better carpenter than a farmer".

Bo T said:
I am going from memory so take this with a grain of salt, I recall that there was some reference to him being a carpenter. It was/is a great show. I've watched it a couple of times.
Click to expand...
 
If you think about it, the most difficult part about accomplishing what Dick set out to do, is intentionally forfeiting contact with the world including radio, newspapers and TV. For any social human it takes considerable doing to allow the 'noise' of civilization to go entirely quiet. Daily conversation, weather forecasts for instance are nice as is the knowledge (were he to have maintained a 2 way radio) that you can seek help during an emergency.
 
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he also did all the filming which is amazing in itself.
a single minded individual for sure.
i think the DVD is available
 
markv said:
he also did all the filming which is amazing in itself.
a single minded individual for sure.
i think the DVD is available
Click to expand...

The man had foresight that's for sure, and he thoroughly trained and physically prepared himself over the course of 1/2 century in order to confidently carry it out. But that he had prepared himself psychologically for supreme isolation, and not failed, is incredible. "Cabin fever" is, and always has been, the undoing of most 'get away from it all' devotees ever since the caveman.
 
300Six said:
The man had foresight that's for sure, and he thoroughly trained and physically prepared himself over the course of 1/2 century in order to confidently carry it out. But that he had prepared himself psychologically for supreme isolation, and not failed, is incredible. "Cabin fever" is, and always has been, the undoing of most 'get away from it all' devotees ever since the caveman.
Click to expand...

That can't be overstated. Man is a social creature. The isolation would have been his biggest challenge. After just a few days on a solo backpacking trip I start getting lonesome for people. That's the hardest part for me.
 
Square_peg said:
That can't be overstated. Man is a social creature. The isolation would have been his biggest challenge. After just a few days on a solo backpacking trip I start getting lonesome for people. That's the hardest part for me.
Click to expand...

What's also amazing is he didn't even keep a dog. If ever you seek a reliable companion, property sentinel, first line of defense or unbeatable tracker, a working dog has always been 'the' age-old choice.
 
Dick was a truly fascinating guy. And what an inspiration too!

My understanding is that he had some kind of pension to live on. I think he may have worked as a mechanic somewhere? He also had his friend and pilot, Babe, make fairly frequent stops there. I have all of the movies that were made about him. Was quite a life he lived.

I actually have some sourdough starter from the batch that he used. I am a big fan of him and the way he lived.
 
300Six said:
What did Dick do to earn a living before he decided to go off bushwhacking?
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Since he's one of my heroes too, and I haven't seen a reply to the question:

"Proenneke enlisted in the United States Navy the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor and served as a carpenter. He spent close to two years at Pearl Harbor and was later stationed in San Francisco waiting to join a new ship assignment. After hiking a mountain nearby to San Francisco he contracted rheumatic fever and was hospitalized at Norco Naval Hospital for six months. During his convalescence the war ended and he was given a medical discharge from the Navy in 1945.[1]:xiii According to friend and writer Sam Keith, the illness was very revealing for Proenneke, who decided to devote the rest of his life to the strength and health of his body.

"Following his discharge from the Navy, Proenneke went to school to become a diesel mechanic. The combination of his high intelligence, adaptability, and strong work ethic turned him into a very skilled mechanic. Though quite adept at his trade, Proenneke yielded to his love of nature and moved to Oregon to work at a sheep ranch. He moved to Shuyak Island, Alaska, in 1950.

"For several years, he worked as a heavy equipment operator and repairman on the Naval Air Station at Kodiak. Proenneke spent the next several years working throughout 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."
- Wikipedia

I've got the whole DVD set and the only things I've watched as much, were made by Old Axeman.
 
When PBS first aired "Alone In The Wilderness" Montana and Wyoming PBS asked me to show my log building tools and talk about cabin building in the wilderness during their pledge brakes. Between brakes, while we watched the footage, Danny, PBS station manager and I were discussing what would make a man actually do what Dick did for 30 yrs. A lot of us guys talk and dream about doing it but when it comes right down to it, we dont. I spent 1967-68 living in the mountains like Dick did. Then, later in my life, work kept me in the wilderness sometimes for 2 or 3 months at a time. But 30 years alone for the most part? Just as Danny and I were talking, the narrator, speaking for Dick, said something like " you can not trust the weather in Alaska, it is unpredictable, just like a woman" Danny and I looked at each other and said -ah, there it is!
AxeAddict, thanks, I am glad somebody has watched the videos. The producer/camerman, Gene Colling, and I made all the "These Old Cabin" series videos with just the two of us doing all the work. 75% of our time to make all those videos we did on our own time and NOT on US Forest Service time. The same was true also for the "Ax To Grind" manual and video. That is why it really bugs me when people on this forum say things like- we have a right to talk about your work because it's our Forest Service too. Oh well, so far, I have gotten passed all that.
 
One of the first things I ever noted about your videos was that it was obvious they were more than just an employment obligation. Another is that they can be watched 10 times and the viewer will still learn something new the 10th time.

I've been into restoration & preservation for 35 years, as a hobby. If I'd found your work before I was 50, it might have become a career. I have a deep appreciation for what you've done, sir.

Mike
 
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The first time I saw the Proenneke series on PBS I was channel surfing and locked in on it. I don't remember what I'd planned to do that day but I didn't get out of my chair until it was over. The next day I ordered that book through inter-library loan. I'd guess by now most libraries have the DVD or book, or can get them pretty fast, so that is a good place to look for the series.
 
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