Dick Proenneke

The television in the bird’s bedroom is always on PBS, so I occasionally wander in on some interesting documentaries.  Earlier this week, I caught the first few minutes of a show that was so engrossing, I had to run out to the “big TV” to tape the rest of it on TiVo.  I had no idea what I was watching until I played it back yesterday—it was a documentary called “Silence and Solitude”, and was about a man named Dick Proenneke.  Long story short, it’s about a mechanic/ranch-hand man from the midwest who retired and moved to Alaska, out in the isolated wilderness.  He built his own cabin and furniture, filming his progress with a 16mm movie camera.  The documentary I saw was a combination of Dick’s original movie footage, and footage from a documentary made 30 years later.  It’s a fascinating contrast to see the man in his 50s and then suddenly in his 80s, having lived this life of isolation all those years.

Dick enjoyed living with the wildlife around him, and what originally caught my eye in the documentary was footage of wild birds flying down to eat out of his hands.  He’d walk for miles each day just to look for moose or mountain sheep, and he’d observe them.  He did some hunting of small game, but in his own words, he said he’d never shoot a deer or a bear or anything large, because it was too much meat for one man and it would be a waste.  He seemed to mostly live on beans which I guess were delivered periodically by plane, and some other staple items like oatmeal, raisins, and honey.  I was so impressed by his respect and admiration for the wildlife, and how he went out of his way to not harm them.  He’d even feed them if food was scarce during the 7-month-long winter.

When the documentary film ended, I was saddened to see that it was dedicated to the memory of Dick Proenneke, who died in 2003 at the age of 87.  I’d sort of hoped he’d still be alive, perhaps living in the wildness well into his 90’s.  In the end, it was too painful for him to live in the cold and he spent his last few years in California, so I guess arthritis can hamper even those of us in the best of physical and mental health.  He was an incredible, quirky man, though—I wish I’d had time to jot him a note while he was alive, telling him what fun I had trying to imagine living amongst the animals, enjoying silence and serenity and my own thoughts.  I bet he had tons of stories to tell about the animals.

I’m going to order a published book of Dick’s journals, One Man’s Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey, and I can’t wait to read his writings.  Writing and photography were his main hobbies, so he’s got tons of material to work with.  If you prefer visuals, though, and are interested in this story, you can buy the DVD of “Silence and Solitude” from the website of the film’s producer.  If you poke around that website, you’ll see other videos for sale as well, including the original, ”Alone in the Wilderness”.  If there’s someone in your life who enjoys camping or dreams of one day living in a cabin in the wilderness, they’d love these movies.  I loved them because they made me feel peaceful, and happy.  Not one frame of these films went by when I didn’t imagine how wonderful all the trees must have smelled!

Posted by Leigh-Ann on 11/26 at 03:05 PM

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  1. I hope you post a review of the book after you’ve read it. It sounds really interesting!

    Posted by Helena  on  11/27  at  08:26 AM

  2. This sounds familiar.  I think I may have caught some of this documentary a little while back.

    Posted by Coll  on  11/27  at  01:20 PM

  3. I think there’s a little Thoreau in all of us that wants to simplify our world and live life deliberately. But most of us would prefer to do it vicariously through another’s life.

    Posted by jan  on  11/27  at  03:05 PM

  4. My sister gave me the book “One Man’s Wilderness” for Christmas, so I’ll start to read it soon and eventually return with a full report!

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  12/28  at  01:30 AM

  5. hi leigh ann

    you may be interested in this:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FriendsofDickProenneke/

    regards

    eilkso

    Posted by eilkso  on  08/03  at  08:40 PM

  6. I’m late in replying, but thank you, Eilkso, for the link to the Yahoo group.  I would have never guessed that one existed, and I’ll definitely pay a visit.

    Posted by Leigh-Ann  on  09/03  at  04:18 AM
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