Rocky Mountain National Park
Edward Curtis and Richard L. Proenneke are two men from different times. They both represent what many of us who love the outdoors dream of.
Spending most of our time in the wild. Looking to feel the thrill and environment that we can’t at home. Feeling the freedom in our minds. Being away from all the outside input. Being away from others. Just being with ourselves. Exploring new areas.
Ed Curtis and Dick Proenneke represent two completely different ends of the outdoor dream. They really represent two ends of the spectrum of ego, or maybe just mine.
The book to read on Ed Curtis is “Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher” by Timothy Egan. The book for Proenneke is “One Man’s Wilderness.”
Ed Curtis made every move he did to make sure he was in the history books. He was undoubtedly an artist, and possibly one of the most ambitious of his time. It was about the thrill of it all. Dick Proenneke was ambitious to let himself have peace. He wanted to be away from everyone. He worked as an oil mechanic in Alaska until he was 50. Few people knew him. He did not seek more than rest in the mountains from his years of labor.
I will explore this contrast to the rest of my life; I will live this contrast to the rest of my life. So I want to explore these two men and the things we wrestle with each day.
Let us learn a bit more about our examples:
Ed Curtis had a young family in Seattle. He was incredibly poor but driven. He looked to make himself better; he sought to do it through his creativity. Curtis started with one of the most famous photos in American history. It was a portrait of an American Indian woman by the name of Princess Angeline. The pure moment gave Curtis the jump he needed into a successful business.
Eventually, Curtis came up with the grandest idea of them all; create a photo book documenting all the remaining American Indian tribes in existence. He would go on to see and experience things few white men have, participating in rituals and spending long periods with the tribes. He would also catch the attention of influential people from the East side of the country. The most potent being JP Morgan, who backed his project.
Curtis would take decades to finish this undertaking, and it taxed him to the brink of death several times. What is it that drove him? His life could have been beautiful, documenting, and telling stories at a reasonable pace. He still would have met more American Indian tribes than anyone else. But that was not good enough. He had to document them all despite the cost. He would eventually lose his family, friends, money, and health.
Curtis’s life concluded in Los Angles living with his daughter. His body in so much pain that he could hardly leave his bed, an outcome he probably never saw coming.
Dick Proenneke had the opposite approach to life. Born in Iowa, he came to Alaska to work on oil rigs as a mechanic. His skills were highly sought after in the 50s and 60s. Dick was looked upon as a solid man by those in his circle. He worked hard and kept it simple. In 1967, at the age of 50, Dick decided it was time to head up into the mountains, build his cabin with his hands, live off the land in peace.
Dick never saw too many people, except the bush pilot, named Babe, who brought the supplies.
He hunted, hiked, and cooked. Most importantly, his focus was on survival. Making sure he had enough supplies, food to eat, and ways to stay warm.
This is the difference between the two of them:
Curtis is the story of excess, and Dick is the story of simplicity. One story tells of how it is never enough, and the next explains genuine gratitude. I think they are both versions of our ego. The next question is, which do you want to give into more?
I think the obvious answer is that we all think we Want to be like Proenneke. I can say, a life similar to his is something I would consider a dream. The dream isn’t just live in the middle of nowhere and fend for me. The hope is for simplicity. Not waking up with more on your agenda to do than live and create.
If any of you read about Curtis, you would probably say you wouldn’t want a life too much like that, or at least the conclusion. We would all probably want the once in a lifetime experience of seeing specific American Indian Tribe’s.
We see his charisma and epic dreams. We think we only live once, and maybe he got it right. Curtis sought to make is reality a classic epic. One that would be remembered through history.
The other side of the story is what always happens when we look to create greatness. The cost is often more than we intend. Not seeing family for extended periods. Losing touch with friends. Losing touch with yourself.
I have pretended to be Curtis on trips many times. Trying to make a moment, rather than letting it happen. Putting the unnecessary pressure on things by living in absolutes.
Proenneke lived in the outdoors of space and freedom. Living according to its will, not attempting to use it for personal glory. Curtis certainly enjoyed space and freedom outdoors. But it always ended in a place of ego.
We all want to be both people. We go up the mountain for adventure and peace. The thrill of getting there and the moment of reflection at the top. We are Curtis and Proenneke in the same moment. Most of us will be our entire life. Remember, the harder place to get is where Proenekke was for the second half of his life. Simplicity is what gives us less to regret.