One Man's Wilderness

When I lived in Austria I had rented a small log cabin in the mountains. Even though not considered as a wilderness area, it was located on a pretty remote place in the eastern Alps. In my ‘best’ year I spent 120 (!) days on the cabin throughout the year and this while running my sales agency full time.

The cabin measured only 6 x 4 meters and was equipped with a simple woodstove. There was no electricity; the water came from a small creek with the tendency to dry out during the summer. The only ‘luxury’ was a gas lantern since I read a lot and didn’t want to ruin my eyesight.

The simple cabin-life has something very special and whenever I come across literature about that topic it draws my attention.

One Man's Wilderness - An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith and Richard Proeneke (1973) is such a book. In 1968 Richard ‘Dick’ Proeneke – 50 years old at that time – retired to live his dream. His dream was to live alone in the Alaskan wilderness.

Dick took action. He went out in the bush to find a spot for his cabin and to acquire the necessary skill to build the log cabin using natural resources. During the eighteen months of construction, he chronicled his progress in a journal, took pictures and videos not only of the cabin but also the land as well as observations of flora and fauna.

Sam Keith, a friend of Richard compiled the journals into the book in 1973. If you’re interested in the wilderness living, or maybe even carry that dream inside yourself too, you will enjoy the book, a really good read. If you’re interested in purchasing the book at Amazon, you can do so by clicking here: One Man's Wilderness - An Alaskan Odyssey or the image below.

Comments

Mount Everest Death Rate

The death rate on Mt Everest is still too high. According to the British Medical Journal, the death rate remains for many years at 1 death for every 10 successful attempts to climb the world’s highest mountain. Mount Everest is 8,848 meters or 29,029 feet high. An unofficial report states 15 deaths in 2006 season alone. Dr Andrew Sutherland, Oxford-based surgeon and Mt Everest expedition adviser said there should be a lot fewer deaths due to improved climbing gear, established routes and a better understanding of the need of acclimatisation. Sutherland, who climbed Everest this year from the northern side (Everestmax expedition), said most deaths are caused by injuries and exhaustion but a significant number of climbers die from altitude related illness. There are two major forms of altitude sicknesses, HAPE or high altitude pulmonary oedema and HACE or high altitude cerebral oedema. Both causes build up of fluid in lungs or brain and are potentially fatal. Andrew Sutherland

Cheap North Face Coats

I'm hunting for some good deals on cheap North Face coats. After digging around with different online stores, I ended up finding what I was looking for on sale over at Amazon . . The prices there seem to be excellent. The selection by far greater than expected. As an example, the woman's Denali Jacket - a popular soft shell - is a the time of this writing 31% (!) off. That's $112.99 instead of $ 164.95 . A good number of color options are available too. Here's a product description: The North Face Women's Denali Jacket No other fleece piece feels like The North Face Denali Jacket. The reasons are versatility and smart design. The Recycled 300-series Polartec® fleece fabric offers exceptional insulating warmth that easily works as a middle layer during winter skiing or as an outer layer while backpacking or camping in the summer. The North Face reinforced key abrasion areas along the elbows and shoulders so you don't have to worry about the frayed pi

Seven Summits

Seven Summits –Seven Continents – Seven Months Swedish Adventurer Sets New Guinness World Record It’s unbelievable! It seems nowadays that each year sees a number of records and world records in the mountaineering and climbing scene. As you might suspect 2007 will be no exception with the latest feat of Swede Frederik Strang who climbed the Seven Summits in less than 7 months. From the hyped up challenge to the mountains itself, the history, the critique, Seven Summits draws much attention in the world of mountaineering and adventure. This article will explore some of the aspects of climbing the seven highest peaks on all seven continents. The Mission Fred had planned to climb the “Seven Summits” - the seven highest peaks on the world’s seven continents – in just seven months. He started his adventure in the spring climbing season of 2006 with Mt. Everest (8,848 m / 29,029 ft), it was his second time to summit the world’s highest mountain. Strang then raced from one continent an

Yellowstone Hiking

Yellowstone Hiking Image via Wikipedia Yellowstone National Park has over 1100 miles (1800 km) of blazed and mapped hiking trails. Some of them have been used for hundreds of years. Several of these Yellowstone hiking trails were the sites of historical events. Yellowstone hiking trails are known for various geysers, hot springs and other geothermal features. Hikers will have many opportunities for viewing bald eagles, ospreys, grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, Coyotes, Bighorn Sheep, pronghorn antelope and free-ranging herds of bison and elk. With fresh air in the lungs and boots on your feet hike along... Beaver Ponds One of Yellowstone's shorter loop trails then wanders through both meadows and forest. Black bears and Wild Flowers usually dominate the flora and fauna of this part of the world. Fairy Falls 197-foot Fairy Falls is one of the tallest waterfalls in Yellowstone, The longest and most scenic route starts at the Fountain Flat Drive barricade. Grebe

Hiking Safety Checklist

Hiking Safety A Safe Hike Is A Happy Hike by Forrest Treker Hiking Safety Checklist Having made my share of mistakes in the wilderness over the years, I have compiled a list of gotcha's that can be applied to any outdoor adventure. I urge you to print this out and store with your outdoor gear. Hiking can be a most rewarding distraction from the daily grind, but safety should NEVER be taken for granted! Click here for full "Hiking Safety" article.

Outdoor Sports Blog

Search This Blog