IF you enjoyed the book about Heimo Korth, then this might be of interest?
I'm watching the video on PBS as I type this and have the original book about his exploits.
The video of him building his log cabin from scratch is worth the price for that alone.
Started out a 1 year plan and he ended up spending 30 yrs in the Alaskan wilderness mostly by himself.
He was RETIRED when he started this great adventure!
The link will take you to a site featuring his video's and books.
Or check you local PBS programming for the program I'm watching now.
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Finally got around to seeing this, and then ordered the DVD. Richard Proenneke was an amazing man. Additionally, you can visit his home in Alaska since it is protected and part of a National Park. There is a companion book, as well. Highly recommend the DVD.

You can bet that PBS will air this program every time they do a fund drive so keep your eyes on the listings whenever you hear they're going to be asking for financial support.  They love to feature it.

It's a great program.

Jimbo   8-)

Read his journaling....good stuff.

Every time I watch it, his door and especially the hinges are always a highlight for me. I wonder if they squeak or where the door sticks and when or rubs the frame and what he'd suggest for grease.

I wonder how many times he replaced those hinge pins? Wax...soap, maybe...fat not with the grizzes. The total door, hinges and latch, are total relaxation for me. Have a couple of DVD's, Dick is the man! My nine year old gave them to me a few years ago for a present...we love 'em as they are timeless and never grow old.

One of my life's goals is to visit the Twin Lakes area and see this cabin. Am curious as to weather and age. Have read Keith's book at least a dozen times, and have watched the video often enough that my kids say "not that guy again."

Also own the "Alaska Silence and Solitude" video (Bob Swerer?). Interesting to see Dick P. from another's perspective. Watching him strip to shorts and leave the Swerers to stumble relentlessly through the creek --- .... wow, what a tough old man.

One of my favorite quotes from "One Man's Wilderness": "Too many men work on parts of things. Doing a job to completeness satisfies a man."

-- kypaddler

I watched the video last week and found the entire thing terribly humbling. The guy is amazingly talented.

Oh yeah, humbling indeed.

Hand tools, mind you. Hand tools!

(My arm aches just thinking of ripping lumber from spruce logs.)

And not just the toughness and the skill, but the mental acuity to envision the hinges, to "invent" the door latch, to fashion each piece of furniture and to figure out the forms that enabled him to build such a chimney.

I need that dude to help around the house.

-- kypaddler

I love that old movie!  I see it about ever 2 yrs on the public channel.  1 tough hombre'.  But he must have been alone with his demons.  he sure lived life!

I too am always impressed by the handtools.

Simplicity is amazing isn't it. Makin' due with what one has is within all of our grasps. He overcame fear and did what he wanted to due; some would say that is crazy I say cheers but it comes with a price. ;) I wonder what he thought of his dream when it was all said and done? The hinges are fine though aren't they. Ripping lumber with the right tool just takes time and time he had because he made it.

On the OTHER hand, this program is NOT to be confused with a similarly titled documentary out there entitled "Alone in the Wild" (see:   (You need to Login or Register ).

You should check out this program if you get the chance; it's entertaining for very different reasons.  This British character, Ed Wardle - who has previously climbed Mt. Everest & trekked to the North Pole - attempts to do a 3 month long Les Stroud/Bear Grylls thing in the Yukon.   He does take in minimal supplies & shelter as well as some weapons.  The Yukon wilderness challenge nearly crushes this guy... which is what I think makes it so interesting.   Wardle's bear paranoia & his issues with solitude  & hunger clearly get the better of him & you slowly (& not so slowly, at times) watch the guy come unglued.

Whereas Richard Proenneke, SurvivorMan, & Man vs. Wild all document competence & relative success in the wild, THIS program really shows one man's vulnerability as you watch him self-destruct & succumb to Nature.   At first, I found myself chiding this dude (from my comfortable sofa with a bag of pretzels & a beer in hand) because he spent so much time crying about his plight.  By the time it was over, I found myself wondering if I could ever hope to do any better.

I post this note about "Alone in the Wild" in this thread because of its strong contrast with & similar title to the program this thread is about.  I encourage those of you who enjoyed the other documentary (& especially Les & Bear) to watch this OTHER perspective on wilderness.  If there is enough interest, we can separate the posts & start another thread.

Watch it if you get the chance!

Jimbo   8-)

Jimbo wrote on Apr 2^nd, 2010 at 12:59pm:

Whereas Richard Proenneke, SurvivorMan, & Man vs. Wild all document competence & relative success in the wild, THIS program really shows one man's vulnerability as you watch him self-destruct & succumb to Nature.

I have seen both programs. I thought that the mistake he made in Alone in the Wild was not having any specific plans to DO anything. I think if he had something to do, like Proenneke building a cabin, then he would have kept it together. As it was, he just set up camp and then talked into the camera about being alone, which led to the eventual break down. Plus planning to "live off the land" is equivalent to planning to "be really hungry", IMO.

I thought there were some parallels to solo canoe tripping. If you paddle & portage all day, then you're tired at night and never even think about being alone. But if you sit in camp all day, then you get bored and start to get homesick. So staying busy is half the battle.

Ranger

Ranger,

I think you've hit it on the head!  I've seen this notion at play in many workplaces, too.  Idle, non-focused, non-productive minds are frequently the most disruptive, unhappy people.  Set a goal, keep at it, measure progress & Life seems to run so much smoother.

Great observation, Dan!

Jimbo   8-)

Thanks for the heads up. I am DVRing it. Look forward to it.

The Beaver

His story is pretty amazing. To be that isolated and dependent on only yourself is something that really is unheard of today. I wonder how many of us could/would do it for that long.

I wonder how many of use could do it for that long without blowin' a gasket or havin' a screw come loose?

Just watched Alone in the Wild. Jimbo, you are correct; the dude becomes unglued.

That porcupine he prepared looked gruesome. And, why the hell didn't he fish all the time if he was so friggin' hungry?

The guy may be a good filmmaker; as a survivalist he sucks.