Summary
To live in a pristine land unchanged by man; to roam the wilderness through which few other humans have passed; to choose an idyllic site, cut trees, and build a log cabin; to be a self-sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available; to be not at odds with the world, but conten... Full description
Summary: |
To live in a pristine land unchanged by man; to roam the wilderness through which few other humans have passed; to choose an idyllic site, cut trees, and build a log cabin; to be a self-sufficient craftsman, making what is needed from materials available; to be not at odds with the world, but content with one's own thoughts and company: thousands have had such dreams, but Richard Proenneke lived them. This book is a simple account of the day-by-day explorations and activities he carried out alone, and the constant chain of nature's events that kept him company. From Proenneke's journals, and with first-hand knowledge of his subject and the setting, Sam Keith has woven a tribute to a man who carved his masterpiece out of the beyond.--From publisher description. |
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Item Description: |
"26th anniversary"--Cover. Originally published: Anchorage : Alaska Northwest Pub. Co., [1973]. |
Physical Description: |
223 p. : col. ill., maps ; 21 cm. |
ISBN: |
0882405136 (paperback acid-free paper) 9780882405131 (paperback acid-free paper) |
Author Notes: |
Richard "Dick" Louis Proenneke was born in 1916 in Primrose, Iowa and dropped out of high school in nearby Donnellson, Iowa to work on farms during the Great Depression in the early 1930s. In 1939 he undertook a long "working" road trip through the West. On December 8, 1941 he joined the U.S. Navy and served with distinction until he developed rheumatic fever and was given a medical discharge from the Navy in 1945. After some work in Oregon after his discharge, he left for Alaska in 1950. His work in Alaska centered around commercial fishing, a mechanic, and a heavy equipment operator. He first visited Twin Lakes in 1962. He build his cabin at Twin Lakes by cutting logs for it in the summer of 1967. He lived in his cabin until 1998 when he donated the cabin and his possessions to the U.S. National Park Service and left to live with his brother in California. Today, Dick Proenneke's cabin still sits on Upper Twin Lake in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Dick passed away in Hemet, California on April 20, 2003, a few weeks after his friend, Sam Keith had pass away. |