Richard Proenneke

Recently I was introduced to the story of a man by the name of Richard Proenneke. In his early 50's he decided to head into the the middle of the Alaskan wilderness and build a sustainable life there. He wrote in his journal daily and took video of his lifestyle for 30 years. His tale has since been published as a book and a documentary has been made from his hours and hours of film. The cabin that he built still stands and can be visited. I found it fascinating that he could live such a fulfilling life with very little human contact and without what we would consider the necessities of life. The part that fits into this blog is the interaction he had with the wildlife that surrounded him. From bears and wolverines, to the sheep and moose, to the fish in the lake, he interacted with the animals daily. Unlike here and most other places in the states where people dominate the surrounding wildlife, Proenneke lived in unity with them. Over time the animals became accustomed to his presence and their seemed to be a mutual respect for each other. I would not be able to walk up to animals here without spooking them and having them run away. Here the animals not only understood that he was not a threat they would approach him for food. At times birds would fly up to him. I think a lesson can be learned here about how we live alongside wildlife. There must be someways that we can limit our impact on wildlife even through our daily actions.