Alone in the Wilderness
My sister sent me a video for my birthday last month and I watched it yesterday. It’s called Alone in the Wilderness, and it’s about a guy who builds a log cabin in Alaska entirely from scratch using only hand-tools (many of which he made himself…) Watching the footage of him building this thing almost makes me feel embarassed with all my modern power tools and store-bought lumber.
I wrote up a short review of the video, here.
6 Comments
StuccoHouse·May 15, 2005
How cool were the hinges and the lock on the front door? I sat and watched that show on PBS a few times…beginning to end…totally fascinated. I had a grandfather like him.
Serendipity House·May 16, 2005
I saw this on PBS and was glued to the set! While his accomplishments were nothing short of astounding, I think what amazed me most was that he was alone! Absolutely fascinating, wasn’t it?!
Have a great day!
Maria
Derek·May 16, 2005
I watched that just last week. Imagine having that much time, I’m sure he spent half of it sharpening tools. The amazing part was that he stayed there for 35 years.
Scott·May 17, 2005
*** Proenneke was a cabin building machine that is for sure. I didn’t seen documentary but I read the book “One Man’s Wilderness” Can you imagine ripping planks with a handsaw? How about carrying 4-5 yards of gravel across a lake one canoe load at a time? I recommend the book as a fun and inspiring read and will look for the DVD.
Gene·June 8, 2005
I loved how hard he worked and then would go down to the river, catch himself a fish, and think of the fine dinner he would soon have. A part of me wishes for it to be me, but the other part knows I could never survive. The craftsmanship and knowledge he possessed was amazing.
Reader from VA·June 8, 2005
Awesome video. We saw this during a PBS fundraiser and they wanted $100 bucks for it. My seven year old was enamored with it, so I went on line and found it on the Boston PBS channel website. Book and dvd together were around $40 with s/h. I have watched this about five or six times and it is really amazing. How he carves the eating utensils, and has his own ‘fridge. I come from a family of really meticulous people, like Mr. P., and I can really appreciate how thorogh he is while he builds his house, his patience — which I don’t have. The one thing that they don’t cover is his building of the ‘meat locker’, a second building that just magically appears towards the end of the dvd. It is up high, presumably to prevent wild animal intrusion, but it is really neat, and they didn’t show him building any of that. Otherwise, great show. It isn’t for everyone, but it really is a testament to how self reliant some people are. And, that some folks don’t need human companionship. Not too many dentists up there in the Alaska wild country, tho’! Highly recommended.