One Man's Wilderness: an Alaskan Odyssey

by Sam Keith

Paperback, 1973

Status

Available

Call number

AK 917.984 Kei

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

Alaska Northwest Publishing Company, Anchorage

Description

To live in a pristine land unchanged by man; to roam the wilderness through which few other humans have passed; to choose an idyllic site, cut trees, and build a log cabin; to be a self-sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available; to be not at odds with the world, but content with one's own thoughts and company: thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. This book is a simple account of the day-by-day explorations and activities he carried out alone, and the constant chain of nature's events that kept him company. From Proenneke's journals, and with first-hand knowledge of his subject and the setting, Sam Keith has woven a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.--From publisher description.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Stbalbach

As I was reading Dick Proenneke's account of his first years alone in the Alaskan wilderness I easily imagined myself there doing the same. I hugely admire Proenneke for turning some trees into a functioning household with a few simple hand tools. Beyond that though is his deeper message about

simple labor, few possessions and respect for nature. Proenneke's vision and lifestyle came together to create a powerful reminder that there are other ways of being that rely less on technology while maximizing the things that make us most human. The book was written in 1973 but has become increasingly more relevant with time as we inhabit virtual worlds of video, internet and phones. Proenneke had it right. Lest my thoughts here give the wrong impression about the book, it is not a philosophical tract like Walden, it's really a very simply day to day diary of a man living out his vision of being self sufficient in the Alaskan back-country. Born in 1916 and a WWII vet he is far from being a hippie or dropout. He comes across as such a likeable person and his woodworking crafts so admirable we as readers can't help but become pulled into his world. In time he became famous, John Denver came to visit, the NPS has since made his cabin a historic building and there is a well known PBS documentary about him. For many Americans Proenneke is like Alaska itself, a vision of the possible unspoiled by civilization.

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LibraryThing member KanyonKris

Compiled from the journal of Richard (Dick) Proenneke who built a cabin with hand tools in the Alaskan wilderness and lived there alone. The details of carving a home out of the wilderness and living there through the seasons, was fascinating.

LibraryThing member Daniel.Estes

The first year Richard Proenneke retired to the Alaskan wild to live on his own he kept a journal chronicling the day-to-day routine of his anything-but-routine life. From the construction of his log cabin to the mundane reports of daily weather and water temperatures, Proenneke builds for himself

an enviable balance of honest work and a ceaseless graciousness for this newly discovered fortune.

One Man's Wilderness is no Hollywood blockbuster, nor should it be. The down-to-earth-ness of this story allows it to be compelling in its own way.

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LibraryThing member morningwalker

In 1968, at the age of 51, Richard Proenneke left the lower 48 states and began construction of his log cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes, Alaska. This book is a collection of photos from his adventure and his journal entries for the 16 months he built and lived at the lake. This was first printed

in 1973 and is a special edition celebrating the 50th anniversary of his journey. His observations and insights are remarkable as in this passage taken from towards the end of the book.

"News never changes much. It's just the same things happening to different people. I would rather experience things happening to me than read about them happening to others. I am my own newspaper and my own radio. I honestly don't believe that man was meant to know everything going on in the world, all at the same time. A man turns on the TV and all those commentators bombard him with the local, the national and the international news. The newspapers do the same thing, and the poor guy with all the immediate problems of his own life is burdened with those of the whole world.
I don't know what the answer is. In time man gets used to almost anything, but the problem seems to be that technology is advancing faster than he can adjust to it. I think it's time we started applying the brakes, slowing down our greed and slowing down the world.

I have found that some of the simplest things have given me the most pleasure. They didn't cost me a lot of money either. The just worked on my senses. "

Richard Proenneke's words could never be more true than they are today! If you want to escape the news and technology of today for a little while, get lost in the wilderness of Alaska and read this book and let Richard take you along.

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LibraryThing member yalanda

I found this book to be informative but mostly intriguing. i absolutely loved the photography. The story was thoroughly engaging and I honestly could not put the book down once I started reading. I read it through in two days flat but it will stay on the bookshelf because I know I'll read it again

a few more times. The wildlife was the most amazing but I learned the most about the food living off the land. Amazing read and amazing color photos!!!

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LibraryThing member navyjoe98

I received this book in the mail through the Library Thing early reviewer program.

I’ve always been really interested in the idea of the Alaskan wilderness and I’ve been dying to go visit the state sometime. I also love woodworking, mountains and the wildlife in those mountains (I own a home on

the front range in Colorado). This diary/book had all of those things and much more. This reprint with the extra pictures in it was really great.

This book is about the author Dick Proenneke’s first year in Alaska. During that year, he builds a cabin with primitive tools which he ends up living in for the next 30-years. The way he describes how he built his life in Alaska is fascinating. I also loved his descriptions of the wildlife around his cabin including a fox, squirrel, beaver, badgers, etc. He often calls them “camp raiders” but you can tell just how much he respected their tenacity to survive in a very harsh landscape.

The last couple of chapters are mainly a reflection about his first year. They are also a lot of reflections about mankind and our trivial pursuits. Basically he is a tough, patient person who respects hard work and nature. He also believes that that most of the material things that we think we “need,” we really don’t need at all!

I loved the short simple snippets about what the author was doing every day to build his life in Alaska. Even when he faced hardships, he took them all in stride. His very positive attitude, no matter what, was refreshing and very admirable. I wish I had a fraction of the patience that he had in his first year in Alaska.

I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes outdoor adventures and nature! I will definitely save this book and read it again in the future! A definite 5-star book (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)

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LibraryThing member hobbitprincess

I have seen shows on PBS about Richard Proenneke, so I was excited to get this book. It did not disappoint! Reading this book was an adventure of a kind that I will only be able to take through the journal entries and photography of Proenneke. I enjoyed reading all the details of the construction

of his cabin and the cache. That one man could do that with simple tools shows just how much talent this man had. He used knowledge he had acquired working in other outdoor jobs to build himself shelter and provide himself with much of his food, all while spending a year alone in a truly beautiful part of Alaska. The journal entries are not just factual but full of the wonder Proenneke felt in observing the changing seasons and the wildlife around him. Sam Keith has done a good job of putting Proenneke's words into a book that is truly enjoyable. I am glad there is this new edition for us to enjoy.

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LibraryThing member amerynth

I received a free copy of "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey" from LT's early reviewers program. I didn't realize it was a re-issue of a book I'd already read about Dick Proenneke's work building a cabin and living for more than 30 years, alone near Twin Lakes in Alaska. I didn't mind

rereading it, as it's an outstanding book.

Proenneke is a pretty impressive guy -- he built is log cabin and most everything in it by hand, spending about $40 on materials -- including on a glass window he didn't even use. He was such a craftsman, that he build his own door hinges -- out of wood -- and spent much of his time fishing and enjoying the wildlife around him.

Proenneke is a good writer -- his journal entries mostly focus on the projects he's working on, his suppers and the wildlife he spots along the way. If you're into this type of stuff -- this book is top notch and fun to read. If you aren't interested in cabin building, I imagine you'd find this a bit dry. This, is probably right up there for me, along with the Nearings' books, on stories about this particular lifestyle.

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LibraryThing member patsaintsfan

THIS book is right up my alley! I love outdoorsy books, and stories about people with a strong and determined drive to succeed in life doing what they love. Then journey of this man's life is amazing to me. I am SO thankful that I won this through and librarything giveaway! It's a favorite of mine

for sure.

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LibraryThing member JaredOrlando

Richard Proenneke sought out to do the one thing that every person can only dream of doing: leaving the urban life behind, building a place of their own, and living completely off the grid. He picked the frigid northwest as his sanctuary, vying for the isolation of the untouched wilderness of Twin

Lakes, Alaska. He built his beautiful cabin alone with only the animals to converse with, and the occasional visit from his friend Babe via plane replete with necessary food and equipment. Proenneke's journals provide us with his whimsical view on nature, his appreciation of the wild, and his optimism when faced with adversity. His photos are envious, and it is hard to not want to read this book outdoors, under a tree, while looking at the world a little more closely.

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LibraryThing member MarkHufstetler

I've spent some solitary time in the northern Montana wilderness, working as a fire lookout, so this book pulled at me -- and it turned out to be everything I'd anticipated. The volume is considered a classic of twentieth-century wilderness writing -- a story simultaneously evoking a sense of

pioneering, of escape, and of appreciation for an unspoiled world.

One Man's Wilderness is an edited diary of sixteen months in the live of a most remarkable man, who went alone into the Alaska backcountry to build a solitary cabin and a life for himself. The style is matter-of-fact, but still conveying a strong sense of the amazing adventure and glorious setting; the author's accompanying photographs are lovely, compelling, and informative. It's an wonderful story, and a story well told. It would be hard to finish the volume and not feel feel both envy and longing, for the man's adventure, his accomplishments, and his skill. Perhaps the most remarkable part of the story, though, is that it continued for decades after the end of this volume's narrative -- the diary's author spent some thirty years living in that cabin.

Very highly recommended.

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LibraryThing member streamsong

From the cover” Celebrating the 50th anniversary of when Richard Proenneke first broke ground and made his mark in the Alaska wilds in 1968, this special edition of the best-selling memoir features an all-new foreword plus color photographs not seen in print for over twenty years.

“To live in a

pristine land unchanged by man .. to roam a wilderness through which few other humans have passed … to choose an idyllic site, cut trees, and build a log cabin … to be a self sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available … to be not at odds with the world, but content with one's own thoughts and company ….. and the constant chain of nature's events which kept him company.”

This book is in the form of Dick Proenneke's journals and photographs, telling the fascinating story of building a log cabin by hand with native materials and living sixteen months by himself with only the occasional outside contact. His skilled craftmanship made his cabin and its furnishings a thing of beauty; it's now part of the National Park Service.

“The themes of self-sufficiency, thrift, and a kindred love of wilderness and wildlife give this book an enduring audience.” p 270

Over the years, I've read several of the 'making a home in the remote wilderness' genre books. This one is by far the best I've read. It absolutely pulled me along. The full color photographs are a treat to the eyes.

This is highly recommended to anyone who loves the wild places and dreams of living there.

I received a copy of this 50th anniversary edition through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.

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LibraryThing member MSarki

Slightly embarrassed that it took me fifty years to read this masterpiece in outdoor writing. Composed as a diary, each entry offers a precise and open view of what it is like to live in nature’s majesty among the creatures of the Alaskan wilds. Crafting a small cabin with only hand tools, and

building furniture and other outbuildings to make his life more manageable, Proenneke gives us an open window into not only his Alaskan life but his soul as well. He was a kind and gentle man who honored the astounding lives around him by treating everything he came in contact with love and respect. Well-written and very interesting, the book is as timely today as it was fifty years ago. One of the most amazing humans I have ever been made aware of, and to think he loved his new home so much he stayed there for over thirty years until old age made him return to civilization.

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LibraryThing member briandarvell

Interesting story and makes one appreciate and respect simplicity and nature. This book makes for a nice change and let’s you question and think about what you’re doing in life. Would recommend to others.

LibraryThing member Andjhostet

A memoir of Dick Proenneke living in the remote Alaskan mountains, building his own cabin, hunting, growing, and foraging his food, and appreciating nature for 16 months with limited human contact.

I found the beginning (building his cabin) incredibly boring. However once his cabin was built it was

much more interesting. There was something incredibly satisfying and inspiring to hear about his daily life. The amount of joy he could get from something simple as chopping wood, making himself a tool that works, or meeting a new animal was pretty inspiring.

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LibraryThing member A.Godhelm

Proenneke's diary is not an instruction manual to homesteading or wilderness survival, or anything practical at all really. Rather, it's a meditative day to day experience of being in the Alaskan wilderness. A Bob Ross like experience of going about life and observing the wildlife; building a

relationship to nature.

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