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    One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey
    One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey
    One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey
    Audiobook6 hours

    One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

    Written by Sam Keith and Richard Proenneke

    Narrated by Norman Dietz

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    To live in a pristine land unchanged by man...to roam a 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. He found a place, built a cabin, and stayed to become part of the country. One Man's Wilderness is a simple account of the day-to-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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateSep 29, 2010
    ISBN9781400189533
    One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey
    Author

    Sam Keith

    Sam Keith met Richard Proenneke in 1952 at the Kodiak Naval Base in Alaska, where the two became friends exploring the Kodiak and Afognak Islands together. He graduated from Cornell University with a degree in English, with aspirations to become a writer. His 1973 book One Man’s Wilderness became a bestseller and has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide. Keith died in 2003.

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    Reviews for One Man's Wilderness

    4.5/5

    103 ratings24 reviews

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    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      As I was reading Dick Proenneke's account of his first years alone in the Alaskan wilderness I easily imagined myself there doing the same. I hugely admire Proenneke for turning some trees into a functioning household with a few simple hand tools. Beyond that though is his deeper message about simple labor, few possessions and respect for nature. Proenneke's vision and lifestyle came together to create a powerful reminder that there are other ways of being that rely less on technology while maximizing the things that make us most human. The book was written in 1973 but has become increasingly more relevant with time as we inhabit virtual worlds of video, internet and phones. Proenneke had it right. Lest my thoughts here give the wrong impression about the book, it is not a philosophical tract like Walden, it's really a very simply day to day diary of a man living out his vision of being self sufficient in the Alaskan back-country. Born in 1916 and a WWII vet he is far from being a hippie or dropout. He comes across as such a likeable person and his woodworking crafts so admirable we as readers can't help but become pulled into his world. In time he became famous, John Denver came to visit, the NPS has since made his cabin a historic building and there is a well known PBS documentary about him. For many Americans Proenneke is like Alaska itself, a vision of the possible unspoiled by civilization.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Great book, I really enjoyed listening to it, keeps the reader interested and engaged to learn about the man’s life out in the outdoors.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely wonderful. Beautifully written. Excellent narrator. So down to earth. Real lessons here.
    • 4/5
      Compiled from the journal of Richard (Dick) Proenneke who built a cabin with hand tools in the Alaskan wilderness and lived there alone. The details of carving a home out of the wilderness and living there through the seasons, was fascinating.
    • 3/5
      Interesting story and makes one appreciate and respect simplicity and nature. This book makes for a nice change and let’s you question and think about what you’re doing in life. Would recommend to others.
    • 4/5
      The first year Richard Proenneke retired to the Alaskan wild to live on his own he kept a journal chronicling the day-to-day routine of his anything-but-routine life. From the construction of his log cabin to the mundane reports of daily weather and water temperatures, Proenneke builds for himself an enviable balance of honest work and a ceaseless graciousness for this newly discovered fortune.One Man's Wilderness is no Hollywood blockbuster, nor should it be. The down-to-earth-ness of this story allows it to be compelling in its own way.
    • 4/5
      Richard Proenneke sought out to do the one thing that every person can only dream of doing: leaving the urban life behind, building a place of their own, and living completely off the grid. He picked the frigid northwest as his sanctuary, vying for the isolation of the untouched wilderness of Twin Lakes, Alaska. He built his beautiful cabin alone with only the animals to converse with, and the occasional visit from his friend Babe via plane replete with necessary food and equipment. Proenneke's journals provide us with his whimsical view on nature, his appreciation of the wild, and his optimism when faced with adversity. His photos are envious, and it is hard to not want to read this book outdoors, under a tree, while looking at the world a little more closely.
    • 5/5
      I have seen shows on PBS about Richard Proenneke, so I was excited to get this book. It did not disappoint! Reading this book was an adventure of a kind that I will only be able to take through the journal entries and photography of Proenneke. I enjoyed reading all the details of the construction of his cabin and the cache. That one man could do that with simple tools shows just how much talent this man had. He used knowledge he had acquired working in other outdoor jobs to build himself shelter and provide himself with much of his food, all while spending a year alone in a truly beautiful part of Alaska. The journal entries are not just factual but full of the wonder Proenneke felt in observing the changing seasons and the wildlife around him. Sam Keith has done a good job of putting Proenneke's words into a book that is truly enjoyable. I am glad there is this new edition for us to enjoy.
    • 5/5
      Slightly embarrassed that it took me fifty years to read this masterpiece in outdoor writing. Composed as a diary, each entry offers a precise and open view of what it is like to live in nature’s majesty among the creatures of the Alaskan wilds. Crafting a small cabin with only hand tools, and building furniture and other outbuildings to make his life more manageable, Proenneke gives us an open window into not only his Alaskan life but his soul as well. He was a kind and gentle man who honored the astounding lives around him by treating everything he came in contact with love and respect. Well-written and very interesting, the book is as timely today as it was fifty years ago. One of the most amazing humans I have ever been made aware of, and to think he loved his new home so much he stayed there for over thirty years until old age made him return to civilization.
    • 5/5
      Very enjoyable, I listened to a chapter each night as a segway from thoughts of the modern world to dreams of a more pure lifestyle.
    • 5/5
      I found this book to be informative but mostly intriguing. i absolutely loved the photography. The story was thoroughly engaging and I honestly could not put the book down once I started reading. I read it through in two days flat but it will stay on the bookshelf because I know I'll read it again a few more times. The wildlife was the most amazing but I learned the most about the food living off the land. Amazing read and amazing color photos!!!
    • 5/5
      A little slow to start, but once he is in Alaska building the cabin, the author really tells a good tale of his day to day activities.
    • 4/5
      One man decides to move to a remote lakeside in Alaska, build himself a cabin, and live there through the winter. This has the makings of a realistic wilderness adventure story, and it definitely delivers.

      I'm impressed with the author's abilities--building a complete log cabin alone, by hand, in around 3 months is an incredible feat that does not leave much time for other leisure. And his attitude toward wildlife and nature is thought-provoking. I've experienced his kind of life to a much smaller extent--just days at a time instead of months--and that just makes me even more impressed with the way he manages to cope in the wilderness and to stave off loneliness.

      It takes a special kind of man to live through the Alaskan winter in a cabin he built himself, and I'm glad this man decided to keep a diary and publish it.
    • 5/5
      Dated, but wonderful. How one man could carve out an eden for himself and leave journals that describe it so well. Today’s younger generation should take heed and attempt to live life for what life really offers.
    • 5/5
      What an amazing journey through the journal of a true LOVER of our world. I couldn’t stop reading.
    • 5/5
      I've spent some solitary time in the northern Montana wilderness, working as a fire lookout, so this book pulled at me -- and it turned out to be everything I'd anticipated. The volume is considered a classic of twentieth-century wilderness writing -- a story simultaneously evoking a sense of pioneering, of escape, and of appreciation for an unspoiled world.One Man's Wilderness is an edited diary of sixteen months in the live of a most remarkable man, who went alone into the Alaska backcountry to build a solitary cabin and a life for himself. The style is matter-of-fact, but still conveying a strong sense of the amazing adventure and glorious setting; the author's accompanying photographs are lovely, compelling, and informative. It's an wonderful story, and a story well told. It would be hard to finish the volume and not feel feel both envy and longing, for the man's adventure, his accomplishments, and his skill. Perhaps the most remarkable part of the story, though, is that it continued for decades after the end of this volume's narrative -- the diary's author spent some thirty years living in that cabin.Very highly recommended.
    • 5/5
      This man was a god. Well written and well read, I especially liked the part when he built the cabin. Only small minus: one or two comments about women felt a bit uncomfortable.
    • 5/5
      Well worth watching the film too, i found it made this book (essentially his diary) a lot more enriching as you actually get to see him building, foraging, enjoying the area and enduring the seasons.
      I think the title of the self documented film is slightly different, it's called "Alone in the Wilderness" if i remember correctly.
    • 5/5
      One of my heroes. A true American. I hope to travel to Twin Lakes one day. Wish Babe could fly me there.
    • 4/5
      In 1968, at the age of 51, Richard Proenneke left the lower 48 states and began construction of his log cabin on the shore of Twin Lakes, Alaska. This book is a collection of photos from his adventure and his journal entries for the 16 months he built and lived at the lake. This was first printed in 1973 and is a special edition celebrating the 50th anniversary of his journey. His observations and insights are remarkable as in this passage taken from towards the end of the book."News never changes much. It's just the same things happening to different people. I would rather experience things happening to me than read about them happening to others. I am my own newspaper and my own radio. I honestly don't believe that man was meant to know everything going on in the world, all at the same time. A man turns on the TV and all those commentators bombard him with the local, the national and the international news. The newspapers do the same thing, and the poor guy with all the immediate problems of his own life is burdened with those of the whole world.I don't know what the answer is. In time man gets used to almost anything, but the problem seems to be that technology is advancing faster than he can adjust to it. I think it's time we started applying the brakes, slowing down our greed and slowing down the world.I have found that some of the simplest things have given me the most pleasure. They didn't cost me a lot of money either. The just worked on my senses. "Richard Proenneke's words could never be more true than they are today! If you want to escape the news and technology of today for a little while, get lost in the wilderness of Alaska and read this book and let Richard take you along.
    • 5/5
      I received this book in the mail through the Library Thing early reviewer program.I’ve always been really interested in the idea of the Alaskan wilderness and I’ve been dying to go visit the state sometime. I also love woodworking, mountains and the wildlife in those mountains (I own a home on the front range in Colorado). This diary/book had all of those things and much more. This reprint with the extra pictures in it was really great. This book is about the author Dick Proenneke’s first year in Alaska. During that year, he builds a cabin with primitive tools which he ends up living in for the next 30-years. The way he describes how he built his life in Alaska is fascinating. I also loved his descriptions of the wildlife around his cabin including a fox, squirrel, beaver, badgers, etc. He often calls them “camp raiders” but you can tell just how much he respected their tenacity to survive in a very harsh landscape.The last couple of chapters are mainly a reflection about his first year. They are also a lot of reflections about mankind and our trivial pursuits. Basically he is a tough, patient person who respects hard work and nature. He also believes that that most of the material things that we think we “need,” we really don’t need at all!I loved the short simple snippets about what the author was doing every day to build his life in Alaska. Even when he faced hardships, he took them all in stride. His very positive attitude, no matter what, was refreshing and very admirable. I wish I had a fraction of the patience that he had in his first year in Alaska.I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes outdoor adventures and nature! I will definitely save this book and read it again in the future! A definite 5-star book (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️)
    • 5/5
      I received a free copy of "One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey" from LT's early reviewers program. I didn't realize it was a re-issue of a book I'd already read about Dick Proenneke's work building a cabin and living for more than 30 years, alone near Twin Lakes in Alaska. I didn't mind rereading it, as it's an outstanding book. Proenneke is a pretty impressive guy -- he built is log cabin and most everything in it by hand, spending about $40 on materials -- including on a glass window he didn't even use. He was such a craftsman, that he build his own door hinges -- out of wood -- and spent much of his time fishing and enjoying the wildlife around him. Proenneke is a good writer -- his journal entries mostly focus on the projects he's working on, his suppers and the wildlife he spots along the way. If you're into this type of stuff -- this book is top notch and fun to read. If you aren't interested in cabin building, I imagine you'd find this a bit dry. This, is probably right up there for me, along with the Nearings' books, on stories about this particular lifestyle.
    • 5/5
      From the cover” Celebrating the 50th anniversary of when Richard Proenneke first broke ground and made his mark in the Alaska wilds in 1968, this special edition of the best-selling memoir features an all-new foreword plus color photographs not seen in print for over twenty years. “To live in a pristine land unchanged by man .. to roam a 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 ….. and the constant chain of nature's events which kept him company.”This book is in the form of Dick Proenneke's journals and photographs, telling the fascinating story of building a log cabin by hand with native materials and living sixteen months by himself with only the occasional outside contact. His skilled craftmanship made his cabin and its furnishings a thing of beauty; it's now part of the National Park Service.“The themes of self-sufficiency, thrift, and a kindred love of wilderness and wildlife give this book an enduring audience.” p 270Over the years, I've read several of the 'making a home in the remote wilderness' genre books. This one is by far the best I've read. It absolutely pulled me along. The full color photographs are a treat to the eyes. This is highly recommended to anyone who loves the wild places and dreams of living there.I received a copy of this 50th anniversary edition through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer's program in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
    • 5/5
      THIS book is right up my alley! I love outdoorsy books, and stories about people with a strong and determined drive to succeed in life doing what they love. Then journey of this man's life is amazing to me. I am SO thankful that I won this through and librarything giveaway! It's a favorite of mine for sure.