Blueghost I'm reminded of all the times I was out in the wilderness with friends, family, and on my own when viewing this video. Like others, I first saw this (the first in a series) on Public Broadcasting, and it reminded me of all of the times I watched or encountered animals out in national and state parks.Richard Proeneke's wood working and carpentry skills are superb, and his masonry skills and total outdoor knowledge allow him to create artifacts necessary for survival with support from the outside world.It is a magnetic production in spite of its primitive quality. The relatively primitive 16mm footage gathered by Proeneke's Bolex camera acts as a window to look at how mankind in the 1950s looked at nature's expanse in the North American continent. It is in fact the view of the first European pioneers, Indians, and even Paleo- Native Americans. You are looking at Alaska's wilderness in the raw.We see how Proeneke carves out his niche in Alaska after suffering an accident on the job that almost cost him his eyesight. But we are strictly focused on his experience. We don't get to see too many of his interpretations of wild life groups; i.e. flocks of birds or herds or packs of animals and so forth. He touches on certain animals, but his priority is survival, and even though he does keep track of animals for his own personal curiosity, we are not privy to those records.I was drawn to this piece because it reminded me of all the times I was out under the stars and among the rocks, trees, grass and mountains, with a running source of fresh water splashing over rocks. It reminds one of a simpler time, and of a place where you don't have to worry about keeping up with the Joneses, nor satisfying the misses, nor impressing anyone else with anything.What is more impressive is that Richard Proeneke, with his simple living, was not sick a single day. Fresh fish, biscuits, berries, and whatever else he could scrounge up (mostly; he did import some food supplies) served as his "fuel".One is led to wonder what if he had been a more contemplative man. Would he had been as patient and productive, or would the tasks of survival, even with his knowledge, have overwhelmed him? One wonders.Definitely a must watch for the outdoors man in all Americans.

romanorum1 In July 1967 Iowan Richard ("Dick) Proenneke cut down sturdy log poles from a stand of white spruce in a remote southern Alaskan valley known as Twin Lakes (Now in Lake Clark National Park). He moved them 300 yards and left them to dry. On 21 May 1968, he returned determined to carve out a new and solitary life for himself at age 51. He brought along a tripod-mounted camera to record his experiences. The result is a treasure on film.Dick had made arrangements to utilize a friend's unused cabin nearby until his own was completed. From the spruce log poles, Dick fashioned sturdy handles for the hand tools that were imperative to his survival. It had been so much easier to transport the tools without the extra weight of their handles. Selecting a twenty foot square area for his proposed log cabin site (the exterior part of the cabin was planned at 15' by 11') with the front door facing northwest, Dick spread out gravel (taken from the lake bed) several inches thick. The planned bay window would thus overlook the nearby lake from the southwest. Dick then began the task of chiseling out notches on each log so that he could carefully fit them together to form the cabin walls. In June 1968, his friend, Babe Ellsworth, flew in needed supplies with his seaplane. Dick then proceeded to plant 15 hills of potatoes plus onions, peas, carrots, beets, and rutabaga (turnips). With the cabin walls completed, Dick trimmed the log ends and constructed a sawhorse work bench. He proceeded to fashion a window frame and sill. Oakum was applied between wall logs for tight seals. As Dick worked on his roof, the mosquitoes came out in force. Using his ax and draw knife with skill, Dick prepared wood hinges for his door. With his leftover log poles, Dick was skilled enough to construct his own furniture. While construction took up most of his time, Dick took a stretch here and there to explore the surrounding countryside. He observed many animal types, like beaver, moose, bear, wolves, loons, and magpies. Dick expressed his compassion for animals when he discovered a defenseless bull caribou beleaguered by flying insects in an area with no blowing breeze. The caribou appeared helpless. Dick scared away the caribou from the annoying bugs. Before applying peat moss on his roof, Dick used tar-paper and polyethylene as sealers. He felt almost remorseful that they are not true wilderness materials, but rationalized correctly that they are very effective for keeping out bad weather. When he constructed an outhouse, he even chiseled out a crescent for the door. Dick made by hand his tin storage containers for his cabin kitchen and outside storage area below ground. With extra wood he prepared a large serving spoon. He especially relished one of his meals: fried fish, potatoes, and onions. On 31 July he noted, "I will go up high today." In the high country, the camera in use is not a tripod. But one slip and it would be curtains for the survivalist. In fact, one realizes that Dick had to stay healthy and not risk any type of injury. Being alone, it could have been fatal. Now the frost began to kick in. On 6 September it was time to begin the fireplace (and chimney). Dick had already gathered stone that was representative of the entire area. The task of pacing and mortaring stone took two weeks to complete. In late September there were four inches of snow on the ground; the temperature read 23 degrees Fahrenheit. On the last day of sheep season, Dick brought down a ram and made the 100-pound pelt for his smokehouse. November brought the beginning of lake and river freeze-ups. Dick had to shovel constantly to keep open his path to the lake and water supply. On 31 December 1968 the temperature read minus 33 degrees. On 2 January 1969 it was minus 45 degrees with 28 inches of thick ice. On 9 January Babe flew in more precious supplies: beans, sugar, and dried apples. Dick even received a belated Christmas present: two warm pairs of knitted socks. On 21 February it was 26 degrees with 27 inches of snow on the ground. Dick commented that a wolverine frolicking in the snow belied his dreadful reputation. By late March the snow was finally on the wane. Dick made a large wooden bowl from a spruce burl. In April the caribou became abundantly visible again. Dick had planned many more projects, like his highly-perched food cache. The film ends before an hour is up. Dick had survived his first full year, and would eventually stay in Alaska for thirty years, leaving in 1998 at age 82. Dick's cabin is now an American National Historic Site. Enough shots were filmed to prepare two more programs; one of these parts was released in 2011. Although additional footage may have been later added to the original, and although another person did some of the filming (Bob Swerer Sr. / Jr.?), the film is fascinating and wholeheartedly recommended. Three facts are learned: living alone in the wilderness requires hard work, skill, and thorough planning!

flackjacket Ah, yes... the classic PBS fund raiser film, pulled out of the attic, dusted off and hyped for far more than it is to get donations. Every pledge break, the local PBS hosts redundantly chant about how this man was "alone". They detail how this man was not only capable of making a spoon from a log, but was able to set up a camera and film his amazing skills at the same time.And yet, there are so many shots where the camera is obviously being held and controlled by another human. It follows along side him as he walks. It zooms in. It even pans side to side. And yet the masses are convinced he was "alone". Yeah, I could see buying into the concept that he set up the camera on a tripod on the beach, hit record, then got into a canoe and paddled away. And that afterward, he'd have to paddle back, shut off the camera and dismount it for the next shot. But when you get to the scenes where the camera is following along side of him as he walks, all authenticity of being "alone" is destroyed.Then there's the incorrect speed of the film. Some of the shots from the magical walking, panning, zooming "tripod mounted camera" are faster than real time. Common for old movie cameras when the batteries were low. Batteries... batteries in the wilderness, But why wasn't this corrected when the video was mastered? It just makes him look goofy when he walks. I could be wrong, maybe he really did walk that way... possibly from the lack of toilet paper when you're "alone" in the real, raw, hard wilderness.Cut to another pledge break and the host will drone on about how this film appeals to so many people, because, face it, we all imagine what it would be like to just leave it all behind and go survive "alone" in the wilderness. Seems it wouldn't be too rough if you had some dude stop by in a plane all the time and drop off food, supplies, "all natural" waterproof roofing materials, plants and obviously camera batteries. So... why make hinges out of a gas can if your plane buddy could bring them for you next time he stops by with batteries? If somebody spent time and money flying supplies out to you, wouldn't they need to be paid? If so, where do you get cash in the wilderness? Maybe you could borrow it from the magical walking camera.A few more questions... What's with the narration? Why is there always a long pause after every time he says "I"? Why is the word "I" always prolonged? How can you not be killed by that bear you spent time locking out during the many weeks when there was no cabin? Wouldn't it be cheaper to buy hinges from the airplane dude than destroy a gas can? Who brings a gas can to the "wilderness" if there's no gas powered engines?Anyway, it's sad that PBS insists on making this film more than it is. If they'd stop trying to hype that he was actually alone, that he went above and beyond setting up all the camera shots and especially that he left it all behind, it would be more tolerable. After all, it does have one redeeming quality in that the almost mantra like speech patterns can be used to induce sleep, maybe even a coma.

jdmxrain Even though the documentary is not slick its pretty cool. Its amazing what one man in his fifties accomplished. The documentary follows him throughout the months from building his cabin to surviving the winters in Alaska. Someone told me about this movie and I was lucky enough to find a torrent and download it.It was really cool to see a normal person accomplish something cool. It just shows you that if you're motivated enough then you can pretty much do anything you set your mind to. One can only imagine what the makers of stonehenge must have gone through, I believe that those people were just as motivated as this man was.