Anyone seen this documentary?

[Quartlow]

I've seen that show a coupde times now, that  man impresses me to no end, !!!

And who would have guessed we had SciFi fans on here!! I'm not alone!! 8) 8) 8)

[TN_man]

As a result of this thread I got that DVD for Christmas and have shared it with several people in the church. We all love it. ;)

[thecfarm]

Check your local listings.I think it's coming on tonight,3-16,or the next night.Seems like 10:30 at night up in my neck of the woods and they're all done begging for money here.Been a hot topic at work.

[logman]

I must be too cheap and too political, I wouldn't send PBS one dime of my
money.  I taped the show on my VCR (remember them).  They didn't go
into what he did the other 34 years up there.  After he built his cabin and
other stuff what did he do all day?  As far as missing TV goes, what are
you going to miss, a reality show?  What he was doing was better then
any reality show they've come up with. 

[twoodward15]

Is the show on PBS the same as the dvd or is the dvd longer????

[Paschale]

Well, I made a pledge to the local PBS station, and just received the book about this guy.  Looks like it's going to be great reading, especially since it goes into much greater depth than the DVD.  I'll post a full review when I'm done.   8)

[florida]

Saw the video and read the book.  Great book and great video and a fascinating man. However, he only lived in the cabin year around for one year.  The rest of the time he was flown in after the ice broke up and flown out before freeze up. He also didn't live off the land but was re-supplied by plane every 2 weeks while he was there.
If you liked Proenneke's story try "Nuk Tessli" and "Diary of a Wilderness Deller"  by Chris Czajkowski,  woman who homesteaded only in northwestern Canada.  Another good one is "Silence of the North" by Olive Fredrickson. Truely a story you will find it hard to believe. 

[SwampDonkey]

Here are a couple well known Canadian Authors who wrote about life in the north.

Farley Mowat

Pierre Berton

[Faron]

From around 1875 to 1925 there lived a father and son pair of outdoorsmen in northern Pike County Indiana.  The father was Steve Watkins, a Civil war veteran. His son, Johnny, was born in 1875.  I do not know anything about a Mrs. Watkins, other than she does not appear to be buried with them. 
Steve and Johnny lived in the woods along the White River. By all accounts I have heard, they camped outside year around, sleeping beside a log, or as I imagine, inside hollow trees.  Apparently they made their living fishing, hunting, and trapping.  This would have been fairly difficult, I imagine, because there were no deer at that time in Indiana, likely no turkeys, and few beaver.  Rabbits and foxes were very plentiful, though. 
A Mr. Sorgius, who would have been some relation to me, pulled a small building down to their camp one winter.  The men thanked him profusely, and Sorgius was very happy the men would have shelter through the bad weather.  He again visited the men the morning after the first snow, and found them sleeping beside a log, as usual, and a mule happily installed in the shed.  Sorgius's comments on the situation are not recorded, but my Grandpa indicated he was not thrilled by the arrangement. 
Grandpa said neighborhood boys sometimes looked up the pair to invite Johnny to go coon hunting with them.  Steve's answer sometimes was "No, I don't want Johnny out in the night air!"  And so Johnny would stay home, and sleep beside his log.  The men did not approve of having their pictures taken, but a few were taken.  I may have one I can download later.
Steve died in 1925, and Johnny was taken in by some families in the Iva community.  He died in 1933.  Steve would have had to be about eighty when he died.  It amazes me he lived that long living like that.

[Texas Ranger]

Y'all ever read "Rolf in the Woods" by Ernest Thomas Seaton?  Kid takes to the north woods with an Indian and his dog.  One of favorites 55 years ago.

[Brucer]

If you liked Proenneke's story try "Nuk Tessli" and "Diary of a Wilderness Deller"  by Chris Czajkowski,  woman who homesteaded only in northwestern Canada.

Her latest book is "Snowshoes and Spotted Dick: Letters from a Wilderness Dweller". Not what y'all are thinking, either  :D. Chris does fly out of her wilderness camp every winter for a couple of months, to tour around Western Canada and give a slide presentation of her most recent adventures. She's built 3 (or is it 4 now?) cabins using an Alaskan mill. Saws the logs in the snow and then drags them over the snow (with some "help" from her dogs) to her building site. Kinda puts our debates about the merits of hydraulic bandmills into a new perspective  ;D.

[florida]

SwampDonkey

Farley Mowat is one of my favorites. I must have 7 or 8 of his books.

Have you ever read any of R.M. Patterson's books? He was on the opposite side of Canada from you but lived a true outdoor life. His first book,
"Dangerous River" about living and trapping in the far north makes me cold just reading it.

[SwampDonkey]

Florida,

Unfortunately I have neither read Mowat nor Patterson's books. I haven't even read Berton's books. I have been eyeing one of Burton books called 'Flames Across the Border'. There are some untold tidbits of the War of 1812 in there. At least I've never heard of them in the school systems or TV docudramas.

[maple flats]

We have the book, just ordered the DVD. My wife saw it on PBS and tried to order it for me but got the wrong thing. This time hopefully it will be right. I really enjoy that sort of show and DVD's