In 1968 Dick Proenneke wandered into the Backcountry of Alaska, determined to test himself, to see if he had what it takes to live in the bush. After spending one summer on Twin Lakes in 1967, cutting timber for a cabin, he left and went back to the Lower 48 to square away his affairs. In the spring of ’68 he returned, that is where his book “One Man’s Wilderness” begins.
I have to say right up front that this is one of my all time favorites. I have read it 4 times now and I own the DVD collection that his friend and publisher Bob Swerer, sell as a set. This book is not just a memoir but a compilation of his daily diary. From the beginning of the book the author’s style captured me, he sets the scene perfectly. There have been a lot of books written about Alaskan Bush life but this one beats them all.
Dick’s story is unique in that he didn’t just go test himself for 2 or 3 years and then leave. Dick Proenneke lived at his homestead on Twin Lakes from 1968 to 1999, at which time he left due to his health at the age of 82 after 30 years in the bush.
This book takes you through his whole first year from his return in the spring to a pile of checked logs, to the end of his first winter and the breakup. You will accompany him while he makes his cabin from spruce logs that he chopped by hand. He worked only with hand tools and made everything he needed. You will see the care that he took making sure his cabin was as good as he could make it.
Wander with him along the trails picking berries and making jam, and then walk the edges of Twin Lakes with him while he catches everything from Salmon to Grayling. By the middle chapters of the book you will have the itch to go to Alaska yourself and experience its wonders.
This book is not a survival story per se because he paid so much attention to detail that he never had to “survive.” He made a comfortable life for himself albeit one of constant “chores.” He did not go into the bush with a backpack and try to live off the land, he went in on a float plane with some supplies and made himself at home.
You can pick this book up either through Amazon or other such websites but I prefer to pay the guy who wrote the book and put in the work. You can get it from Bob Swerer at his webpage DickProenneke.com
Till next time,
Stay Frosty
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