Alone in the Wilderness

Alone in the Wilderness Poster

Dick Proenneke (Richard), I might have heard his name mentioned in some television shows about Alaska and the living there, but I never knew whom he was until I watched the two parts of Alone in the Wilderness.  Actually, I didn't even remember till watching a video on YouTube, a guy visited his cabin at Twin Lakes, a historic site.  He passed away in 2003, years after moved back to the lower 48 when he was too old for the cold Alaskan winter.

After watched two parts, I saw some similarity, one was from Life Below Zero, there was one guy in it, living without electricity, and the way of his living was much like Dick's, making tools out of material nearby, although Dick clearly was more experienced and lived year-round.

In the part I, the first half was focusing on the building of the cabin and tools he crafted out of wilderness.  He brought metal parts of tools and fashioned handles from the woods on site.  Carving a wooden spoon, making a snow shovel, building pans and containers—with handles or lids—from tin cans.  Building door hinges out of wood, that I would never think it's a possibility.

The second half, he finished up the cabin before winter came, that's to build a fireplace, a proper stone-made fireplace and chimney, not just a wood-fire burner.

Alone in the Wilderness: Part II Poster

The cabin he built was by craftsman's skill, he was a carpenter, that I read, but when you watched the films and followed his journey, the word skilled was an understatement.  There wasn't much modern world materials were used in that build, some roofing and cement, that's about it.  Everything else was sourced on site or nearby, and he built it without power tools, he made plank by hand-sawing a log, no sawmill.

In the part II, there was more with wildlife, the moose, the bears, the birds and some others.  It's more how he lived, hence, alone in the wilderness.  He fished from the lake, he hunted with a rifle, he savaged animal meat killed by wolf pack and he picked berry with a handmade Swedish berry picker.

These two films made me feel those Alaskan shows might have too much drama and intensity induced, although I always disliking the editing and dramatic sound effects, which trying to make you feel situation is dreadful and deadly.  I am now questioning how honest and faithful those shows are.

He also took a lot of video footage and photos while trekking, catching up his journal while cooking, it felt sincere, reflecting his life in that wilderness, not just hunting so he could maintain subsistence life there and alone, there was no notice screen telling viewers, 'oh, this is how you live in the wild, you get to hunt, so please don't be stupid not knowing that or scream when you see a kill.'

The films and Dick didn't preach, it just showed you, unlike those shows, telling a lot of this and that, rat race vs. freedom in Alaska lifestyle, how they are living without depending on other people and technologies.  I felt they were trying to justify themselves unnecessarily and frankly not entirely true.  But the worst part of those shows was when they didn't know what exactly they were doing, sometimes, they were lucky, sometimes, they didn't and got hurt.

Dick was different, experienced and didn't risk anything, so he wouldn't have to curse himself and do the thing again and do it right.  Slow as needed and correctly.

He was living, not surviving.