One Man's Wilderness

Finished June 3
One Man's Wilderness: an Alaskan odyssey by Sam Keith

This book is written from the journals and photographs of Richard Proenneke.
A few years ago my husband and I watched the documentary about Richard Proenneke on PBS and were captured. We bought a copy of both the documentary and the book, but I hadn't got around to reading it until now. Proenneke lived a hard-working life as a heavy duty mechanic for the US Navy, a commercial fisherman, and for the Fish and Wildlife Service. When he turned fifty he decided to live his dream of living closer to nature. He settled on the Twin Lakes area, chose a site, and built a cabin with hand tools and hard work. Relying as much as possible on local supplies, this book tells the story of Dick's first 16 months at the Twin Lakes, detailing his construction work, his commentary on his surroundings and his love of the animals and wilderness. He picks up after messy campers, takes the meat from trophy kills abandoned by others, and respects the world he lives in.
His cabin is still maintained by the Park Service and remains a memorial to an amazing man.