More about Dick Proenneke-his Alaskan Wilderness Life

[getitdone1]

Was talking with Dick's brother Raymond today and he told me about the latest book regarding his brother's life in the Alaskan Wilderness. He thought it might not yet be generally available but I found it was.

http://www.alaskageographic.org/store/p ... arly-years

I expect this book will be more exactly like Dick wrote it in his diary than the One Man's Wilderness book. Dick said his friend Sam Keith sometimes change things he'd said in his diary version to make the book more interesting. Not to Dick's liking although I know they remained good friends.

Be going over to Raymond's home in Hemet tomorrow. He has this latest book and be nice to take a look at it. My buying it is a done deal.

Gonna take a look at some houses over that way.

Don

[kimwcook]

Tell Raymond hello and that I can only dream I lived the the life his brother lived. That would be quite the adventure.

[Canuck Bob]

My local Public TV is KSPS from Spokane. They showed the video series as part of a funding drive. I joined up to get the books/video combo and support them a bit. I had never heard of him but after viewing the vid I realized my kids need to grow up with these videos and read the book.

[Hobie]

Dick Proenneke has been one of those recurring topics here on the forum. I think we'd like a shot at doing what he did, we just won't walk away from our families to do it!

[FatJackDurham]

I think it's far out that someone here is talking to his brother. Fantastic oral history!

[Canuck Bob]

His brother is an adventurer in his own right. He is in the second video arriving in a Cub float plane. That would be quite a flight in a 65 HP Cub watching the trains outrun you!

[mod71alaska]

Free copy of "One Man's Wilderness" to a Levergunner! See Classifieds

[getitdone1]

Returned home yesterday from visiting with Raymond Proenneke for a couple of days. Yes, I too think Raymond is a pretty gutsy guy with his flying up to Alaska to visit with Dick a couple of times in his small plane. Mention that to him and he'll make light of it. He doesn't see flying as risky at all. In or out of the mountains--doesn't matter to him. Dick had a bad accident in the mountains up there with a plane they both owned and Raymond didn't mince words saying that it could easily have been prevented. He wasn't nasty toward Dick but he's done a lot more flying than Dick.

This last book is dedicated to Raymond since it would not have been possible without his help and knowledge. Raymond knows more about Dick's life up there than anyone else. He was up there with Dick more than just the two times he flew his own plane up there. One time they uprighted a plane that had flipped-over in the lake. This was in October and Raymond said they barely managed to beat the bad weather.

They both grew-up in Primrose, Iowa. A very small town in the Southeastern corner of the state. Raymond is 7 years younger than Dick. As teenagers they both helped neighboring farmers as well as their dad with his well drilling business. Raymond rode a Harley to Southern CA in 1942 and has been here ever since. He's flown in glider planes too. He has a shop next to his house where he worked on his last plane. He sold it not long ago. Lots of tools in that shop. Neat, orderly shop.

Helped him with his first computer at age 88. Once we got some of his pictures into the laptop and I showed him how you could change exposure, color, crop, delete, etc.--he got pretty interested. Mentally he's as sharp as ever. He's a wise person. So was Dick. He's been a busy man with strong interests all his life. He has a large, 4 drawer metal file cabinent stuffed full. Several of Dick's friends stop-in from time to time. Some have been or still are with the Alaska Park Service.

Raymond was giving me some advice on where to buy a house in the Hemet or surrounding area. I was about ready to leave his place and he had some maps out telling me about a couple of areas I should take a look at. Since I finally decided I'd be happier outside of a town or city he told me to take a look in the Winchester and Nuevo areas. Surprised to see that Winchester is a farm town with some pretty good mountain views in places. The great mountain view came once I got to a certain spot on the Nuevo Rd. Up kinda high and the view of the huge valley and mountains on the far side was outstanding. Now I gotta go back over there and see if I can find a house with that view that I can afford. Expect to live somewhere in that area. An area kind of back away from the main highways.

Although Hemet is about 80 miles east of my apartment in Bellflower the weather out there wasn't all that much different. Been noticing the highs have been about the same out there as here while the lows of a night out there are about 8 degrees colder. I expect about 10 degrees hotter in the summer but with cooler nights there than here. Not bad and easily acceptable since a house out there can be bought for about 1/3 of the price you'd have to pay here. That fact really surprised me. So much difference! And, you don't have nearly the traffic out there.

Be glad to hear some advice from any of you who know about or live near the Hemet--Nuevo--Winchester areas.

Don

[getitdone1]

Dick Proenneke has been one of those recurring topics here on the forum. I think we'd like a shot at doing what he did, we just won't walk away from our families to do it!

Hobie,

Well, Dick was a life long bachelor, like me and his brother Raymond. That's just about a must in order to live as he did. Easy to understand why a guy with a family couldn't live the wilderness life. When things go well there's lots of good to say for marriage and a family.

Don