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Dick Proenneke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke) did something similar in Alaska. He lived alone,

by cdjk 14y ago

Dick Proenneke (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke) did something similar in Alaska. He lived alone, but brought supplies in, had a wood stove, a rifle, and even spent the occasional winter in civilization. He wrote a book about his first couple years: http://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-Wilderness-Alaskan-Odyssey/dp/0882405136 http://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-Wilderness-Alaskan-Odyssey/dp... It suffers a little from some heavy editing, but is very interesting. There's also a video that airs on PBS every so often, which is worth watching. He died in 2003, but left his cabin to the National Park Service. I've been to his cabin, and it's been preserved as he left it. It's amazing what he was able to make with simple tools. The door is particularly neat - the hinges and bear-proof lock are made entirely of wood. Sometimes it makes me want to move to Alaska and build a cabin. Internet connectivity is a bit of a problem, but I suppose that's the point.

avoutthere 14y ago
As did a man named Sylvan Hart. In the 1930s escaped the Great Depression by settling in north-central Idaho and lived out his days there alone until his death in 1980. He put his engineering education to good use, mining ore and smelting it to make tools, as well as hunting and farming to sustain himself. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079108/index.htm http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1...
- tobiasu 14y ago
  Thanks for linking to that, great story!
grecy 14y ago
The documentary is called "Alone in the Wilderness" - I highly, highly recommend it. His woodworking skills are hard to imagine. Part 2 was just released in 2012, and PBS have said they will release Part 3 this year or next. Outwardly it sounds like he lived a lonely existence, though in part 2 we learn his brother was a bush pilot in Alaska, and they would spend summers together flying around, camping and hiking. Dick also received many visitors at his cabin.
- dredmorbius 14y ago
  YouTube has at least a portion of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3NRdZ8J24Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3NRdZ8J24Q Dick's capabilities (he had been a carpenter when living in civilization) were amazing, though he remained in periodic contact with the rest of civilization, including receiving regular supplies. It's also interesting to note his reliance on steel tools that he wasn't capable of replacing: saws, adzes, planes, axes, stove, pots and pans. He did pack in many of these, most without handles (he fashioned those from wood on site). While creative and highly independent, Proenneke was by no means self-sufficient.
  - grecy 14y ago
    > While creative and highly independent, Proenneke was by no means self-sufficient. I agree 100%. He also had a rifle, canoe, hiking boots etc that all would have been replaced from the outside world over the years. I loved his comment about solo canoeing in his lake: "I always knew that to swim was to die, but I never had a problem". The water is so cold up here, you'll be dead in less than a minute if you swim in the middle of any lake - about 5 people die up here every year like that.
    - dredmorbius 14y ago
      It's actually possible to swim in very cold water -- "polar bear" swimmers do this regularly, and Lynne Cox notably has swum for extended times in 40F and 25 minutes in 32F water during her Antarctic swim. She seems to have a unique ability to maintain core temperatures despite a very cold environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Cox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Cox The two biggest dangers are panic and shock when you first enter the water, hypothermia after leaving the water, and even sudden death as the body re-warms after leaving it. For that last, I read (but can't find) a story of several survivors of a shipwreck who died after drinking a hot beverage which warmed their bodies too quickly -- all the survivors died, one after the other, on the rescue ship.
      - 14y ago
danhodgins 14y ago
Wilderness hacking at its finest. This guy is a total boss. Incredible wood working skills, and a passion for living in the beautiful wilds of Alaska. The Canadian side - the Yukon and BC are equally as beautiful. Go up north sometime - the beauty will blow you away.

by cdjk 14y ago

avoutthere 14y ago

As did a man named Sylvan Hart. In the 1930s escaped the Great Depression by settling in north-central Idaho and lived out his days there alone until his death in 1980. He put his engineering education to good use, mining ore and smelting it to make tools, as well as hunting and farming to sustain himself. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1079108/index.htm http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1...

tobiasu 14y ago
Thanks for linking to that, great story!

grecy 14y ago

The documentary is called "Alone in the Wilderness" - I highly, highly recommend it. His woodworking skills are hard to imagine. Part 2 was just released in 2012, and PBS have said they will release Part 3 this year or next. Outwardly it sounds like he lived a lonely existence, though in part 2 we learn his brother was a bush pilot in Alaska, and they would spend summers together flying around, camping and hiking. Dick also received many visitors at his cabin.

dredmorbius 14y ago
YouTube has at least a portion of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYJKd0rkKss http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3NRdZ8J24Q http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3NRdZ8J24Q Dick's capabilities (he had been a carpenter when living in civilization) were amazing, though he remained in periodic contact with the rest of civilization, including receiving regular supplies. It's also interesting to note his reliance on steel tools that he wasn't capable of replacing: saws, adzes, planes, axes, stove, pots and pans. He did pack in many of these, most without handles (he fashioned those from wood on site). While creative and highly independent, Proenneke was by no means self-sufficient.
- grecy 14y ago
  > While creative and highly independent, Proenneke was by no means self-sufficient. I agree 100%. He also had a rifle, canoe, hiking boots etc that all would have been replaced from the outside world over the years. I loved his comment about solo canoeing in his lake: "I always knew that to swim was to die, but I never had a problem". The water is so cold up here, you'll be dead in less than a minute if you swim in the middle of any lake - about 5 people die up here every year like that.
  - dredmorbius 14y ago
    It's actually possible to swim in very cold water -- "polar bear" swimmers do this regularly, and Lynne Cox notably has swum for extended times in 40F and 25 minutes in 32F water during her Antarctic swim. She seems to have a unique ability to maintain core temperatures despite a very cold environment. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Cox http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynne_Cox The two biggest dangers are panic and shock when you first enter the water, hypothermia after leaving the water, and even sudden death as the body re-warms after leaving it. For that last, I read (but can't find) a story of several survivors of a shipwreck who died after drinking a hot beverage which warmed their bodies too quickly -- all the survivors died, one after the other, on the rescue ship.
    - 14y ago

danhodgins 14y ago

Wilderness hacking at its finest. This guy is a total boss. Incredible wood working skills, and a passion for living in the beautiful wilds of Alaska. The Canadian side - the Yukon and BC are equally as beautiful. Go up north sometime - the beauty will blow you away.