Alone in the Wilderness

[RaVis]

If Dick (and those like him) is the measure of a man, and I think he must be, I will continue to fall short of the bar. The soul wants for that wilderness and strength to live there but the brain knows better. Just to see it on film makes me happy.

Now you've gotta ask yourself whether you've been following the "right one". Your soul? Or, your mind? Dick's choices obviously made him a very happy and content man for his entire lifetime.

 

[hollyb1]

Amazing skills, reminds me of Thoreau's Walden, except Proenneke carried simple tools out there and lived alone, while Thoreau was supported by friends and family, what a poser.

This and "Sailing Alone Around the World" are truly epic adventures, I just dont think I could handle that much time without other people.

 

[Minuteman]

If Dick (and those like him) is the measure of a man, and I think he must be, I will continue to fall short of the bar. The soul wants for that wilderness and strength to live there but the brain knows better. Just to see it on film makes me happy.

Nicely put. Curious exactly what you mean by 'brain knows better'. Do you mean practically, like lost wages, risk of injury... Or do mean metaphysically, as in you know it's probably beyond your reach- capability, spiritually, desire?

 

[Minuteman]

I bill $250 an hour; that's the MDShooters discount rate.

 

[shrpshtrjoe]

I have the 60 min part one . It's a great DVD that man had some awesome skills..

 

[45CalFan]

I bill $250 an hour; that's the MDShooters discount rate.

Minuteman, I appreciate your generous discount and while I know you only have my mental health in mind, I must decline. I need the money for ammo.

I will save everyone the pain of reading a lengthy psychoanalysis of the 'brain' comment and will summarize as such:

It is more of a vicarious-minded statement. I can [happily] watch and a part of me really wants to be there, or maybe be that man. Fact is, he didn't just walk a path a little different from the rest of us, he forged a new road that few could walk even if they wanted to. I believe the human is an extremely resilient and resourceful animal but, we all have limits. For me; responsibility (wife, kid, home, etc.) is paramount...

....or, it may just be this fat man's love of Chick-Fila and cable television keeping him from taking that first step.

 

[RaVis]

Unfortunately, it seems today we're conditioned to overcome and fight nature rather than live and learn with it.

 

[Minuteman]

Minuteman, I appreciate your generous discount and while I know you only have my mental health in mind, I must decline. I need the money for ammo.

I will save everyone the pain of reading a lengthy psychoanalysis of the 'brain' comment and will summarize as such:

It is more of a vicarious-minded statement. I can [happily] watch and a part of me really wants to be there, or maybe be that man. Fact is, he didn't just walk a path a little different from the rest of us, he forged a new road that few could walk even if they wanted to. I believe the human is an extremely resilient and resourceful animal but, we all have limits. For me; responsibility (wife, kid, home, etc.) is paramount...

....or, it may just be this fat man's love of Chick-Fila and cable television keeping him from taking that first step.

ahhh, good, less defeatist, more realist, got it.

 

[MDHunter]

There's still time...

for many if someone wanted to try it, I think Dick was 51 when he made the plunge.

 

[inkd]

I saw part of this on PBS when I was hunting with a friend in Northern Maine and always wanted to see the rest of it.

I think I may get the DVD's for myself for Christmas.

 

[marko12]

I just ordered the DVD as my Christmas present. Can't watch this too many times.

 

[mountainman]

Yup. Way to live.

Got myself situated, but I keep screwing around with this old house I have, trying to fix everything to sell for a decent price. Got to cut loose.

 

[tall.guy88]

Love how he made the hinges.

Theres an old saying from my parts- Man made the city and God made the country.

 

[mountainman]

"Alone in the Wilderness" is the best, you might like "Dead River Rough Cut" also, couple of wild trappers in Maine 1970's

 

[tall.guy88]

"Alone in the Wilderness" is the best, you might like "Dead River Rough Cut" also, couple of wild trappers in Maine 1970's

Thanks. Ive never heard of it. Ill check it out.

 

[machman1967]

Great book too. I re read it every couple years.

 

[mountainman]

Thanks. Ive never heard of it. Ill check it out.

It's a little on the light side, but okay, they do a little beaver trapping. I think it was filmed/produce by some hippee types but still amusing.

 

[racinghoss]

If you guys like this, then check out a book called "The Final Frontiersman".

It is about Heimo Korth, a fella from Wisconsin who moved to the Alaskan bush and raised a family in similar conditions. It is a great book! No movie yet, but a quick web search for Heimo brings back lots of good info.

 

[tsphillips]

Inspiring. I just ordered the DVD.

Tom

 

[AlpineDude67]

Awesome. I have always loved this story. I read the book first and then eventually saw the movie years later. If you just watch the movie you get most of it, but you should really read the book if you liked the movie - it goes into a lot more detail about how he built the cabin and so on. You just get a richer, deeper sense of the experience than the movie can show. It is an amazing story and very inspiring. He actually wrote most of the book himself which makes it even better. If you are interested in this sort of thing, there is also a book that came out in the last year about Sailing Alone Around The World - it is called The Hard Way Around, where somebody researched Slocum exhaustively and told all the back story that isn't in Slocum's classic. If you loved Sailing Alone Around the World and want to know more, it wasn't half bad.

I would skip the one on the guy who goes to the island in Patagonia. I tried it after reading these classic stories and was totally disappointed - he turned out to be a stupid, self-indulgent jerk so other than the mechanics of how he survived it wasn't particularly interesting.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hard-Way-...1366685045&sr=8-4&keywords=the+hard+way+round

http://www.amazon.com/One-Mans-Wild...&sr=1-1&keywords=alone+in+the+wilderness+book