Thousands have had such dreams, but Dick Proenneke lived them. He found a place, built a cabin, and stayed to become part of the country. "Alone in the 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.It is a fascinating thought to get lost in, but it is probably best that most will only experience such things through a documentary.
- Sam Keith
As for myself, I would like to live in a yurt. I believe the remote badlands of Saskatchewan would be my desired location. Smoked meats and fish, a small garden for vegetables, and homemade boisenberry wine would serve as sustenance.
As it is, I sit at a computer, work at a research institute that tinkers with DNA, and live off of the fat of the land of takeout, most of the time. Its always good to have a plan "B" though, a new life devised alone in the wilderness, and to think about it often. Romanticize the notion, imagine your struggle for survival and your subsequent mastery of the wilderness, for one day the bombs may drop, the world of take out may become plagued with famine, or terrible viruses may destroy high-speed internet access. In other words, one day life as we know it may be no longer tolerable, forcing us to move on to our respective plan "B"s.
For most, it would take the four horseman to force us into living our imagined lifestyles of solitude, which is why the story of Dick Proenneke is so interesting. He may have went voluntarily into the bush of Alaska, but he may have also seen the four horseman were already on their way and decided he would rather tough it out alongside the bears and the wolves, than live in a world dominated by markets of bears and bulls.
