This man makes me question the very nature of my manhood. His work ethic, resourcefulness and strength highlight my own weakness and fragility. Could I ever become a man like this should the need arise, or is he some rare breed that is now extinct?

This dude is like the bob ross of cabin building. Such a badass.

Proenneke the man is obviously worth a 100 at least, and there's some quietly breathtaking photography on display here, but the documentary itself could've used a little more meat -- there's very little biographical info on display here. Do men like this even exist anymore? Overall, this is highly recommended to anyone fascinated by the heights of human excellence and drive.

Well, it turns out this guy was an exceptional photographer in addition to having the skills of a master craftsman. That moss roof was awesome, and that door latch he made was unbelievable. I wonder though, if he ever got annoyed of setting up the camera, walking a few steps in front of it, and then going back to pick it up; would've been better without the stock looking footage though. P.S: Those tracking shots of Proenneke were amazing considering he was alone ;) jk, must have been that pilot.

Wow, this guy is awesome! Who would have thought that watching someone split/saw logs could be so captivating, and even profound. The fact he films most of it himself makes this even more impressive. The narration is straightforward with a conversational warmth to it, the understatement at his accomplishments adding greatly to its charm. As inspiring, comforting and relaxing as this experience is, be warned, it will also leave you feeling completely useless by comparison.

This man is my hero. Holy shit.

At some point Dick builds a nuclear reactor out of only ice and leaves.

Awesome and interesting. It's fantastic to see what Proenneke was able to make and enjoying it!

Watching a skilled craftsman like Proenneke is like watching an artist paint or a jazz pianist perform; excellence is spellbinding. Still, there's so much more I wanted to see and know. What was his background? Why did he decide to leave civilization for so long? What adventures happened in those 35+ years? What was his life philosophy? We can infer a lot from the documentary's elegant simplicity, but this easily could've been a 10 hour documentary. And I would still want more!

Back to the basics of life...wonderfully narrated, makes we want to pack up and go trekking for a few months.

Dick Proenneke is bad ass. Very, very bad ass jack-of-all-trades handyman. The documentary itself is quite simplistic. Structured simply with the narrative of Dick's journals along with footage that he shot himself while he was building his own log cabin. However the simplicity works with the subject matter considering the entire piece is about Dick leading a basic life in nature.

Absolutely amazing self preservation skills on exhibit here as the carpenter builds his living environment in Alaska.

A fascinating look into a life that some people dream about but never go through with. Dick Proenneke is a about as authentic as they come and documents his life and work in incredible detail.

His carpenter skills are amazing. Also his arms must be as strong as a bear, judging by the amount of wood he has sawn. I just wonder if he was truly alone (all the time). There were some panning shots, with him in view....