Mountain Men

[Doc]

I guess we all have different ideas of what a mountain man should be like. usually when I hear the term, I think of those trappers who first began the western movement. But then, time marches on, and I believe that the definition of mountain men has changed for most of us to allow for those that choose to live in remote, and wild to semi-wild places. In fact, I don't believe there is even any requirement for solitary existance to qualify as a mountain man.

I am thinking of some of the families that live buried in the wilds of Appalachia (sp?). Many of these people live in widely-spread out communities, and have become quite adept at mixing living off the land with a small amount of introduction of very basic technology. Some of the documentaries that depict the lives of these mountain inhabitants show a view of people who still apply self-reliance in the mountains, but not necessarily isolation and complete freedom from equipment from the outside world. The fact is that even the mountain men of pioneer days used as much of the day's technology as they could easily carry with them.

So there is a different kind of mountain man that is not clad in furs and buckskin and carrying a primitive muzzle loader and living among, or fighting, indians. And I think it is the modern mountain man that they are trying to illustrate, and probably what you see is about as close as anyone can come to finding samples of people that live the modern definition of the term.

I have other issues with the program (particularly the bogus narration), but I do allow some leeway as to how they define a "mountain man". I think it is a much broader term today than many of us think.

[Grouse]

I was looking forward to this series, but i have to say it has been a big disappointment to me.

[Doc]

So, what do you all think? How do you define a real "mountain man"? Do you think that any actually exist that live the life that you believe a true mountain man does? If they do exist, do you think they would put up with being followed around by a camera crew? Trying to create such a program probably amounts to the same difficulty as trying to create a program about sasquatch.....lol.

I watch the show with no great expectations other than seeing how these specific people exist in a wilderness or semi-wilderness surrounding. Aside from the over-exaggerated narration, I suppose the program does that fairly well.

[SteveB]

Watched 2 shows - neither was informative on any level or entertaining in any way.

Unless you consider laughing at the scripted attempts at drama as entertainment.

[Grouse]

I've seen more realism in the real mountain men living in cabins in the mountains of NY, than I see on that show. I guess my biggest beef is that these three guys don't seem to have mastered the skills a man living off the land should have. They all seem to be out of their element out there with no real ability to really thrive on their own.

If you want to see a show about a real Mountain Man, check out the movie called, "Alone in the Wilderness". This guy moved to Alaska at 50 years old in the 1950's, built his own cabin, had no electric, no car, no TV, only a radio, and he made everything he needed by hand. He even had refrigeration by putting a secure box in the ground. He also filmed his 30 years up there living alone. He was very smart hobby scientist/naturalist and photographer. The film doesn't say, but I believe he may have been a retired union carpenter or something with a pension to live on.

He only had 1 bolt action .30-06, ate what he shot, what he grew, or what he caught, and he was very comfortable and happy there for the rest of his life. He only moved when he got too old to take the minus 50 degree winters anymore. He died soon after he left to live with his daughter in the lower 48.

He lived alone very happily for 30 years in the most beautiful area of Alaska I can imagine, right on the side of a lake at the foot of the mountains. His cabin still stands today and has become the property of the National Park Service. They give tours and seminars there today on how to thrive when living a wilderness lifestyle.

[WNYBuckHunter]

I watched 3 episodes, and Im done with it. Its off my DVR list....

[Cabin Fever]

OK, maybe they should have called it, "Modern Day Mountain Men"?? It's a TV show for crying out loud!!

[Elmo]

The "mountain men" who pioneered the frontier used the technology available to them at the time. I don't think being a mountain man necessarily means I have to make life hard on themselves. If that were the case, Daniel Boone would have chased buffalo's in a loin clothe and the stick and string. Who said you can't live off the land with little assistance from civilization while owning quality gear?

[Bow Hunter Addict]

I know there are some real moutain men in the area I grew up in. Moutain man KIM lives in the woods outside stamford ny. you will see him a couple times a year hitchiking into town to pick up a check assuming some kind of veterans check... nice man... But as a young adult having a couple beers at a dead end road with couple buddies its pretty scary when a man just walks out of the woods comes to the car and asks for a ride to town...

real reality tv is the PBS special Alone In The Wilderness... great documentary on this type of living...

[PostedBoys Gallego]

real reality tv is the PBS special Alone In The Wilderness... great documentary on this type of living...

I checked out the website for Alone in the Wilderness, and they have a VHS! Love it!

http://www.dickproenneke.com/

On a side note, anyone catch American Colony TV Show? The last one featured hunting season. Holy cow, they were chasing them with pickups and shooting left and right at running deer... shooting from inside the pickup too... crazy

[erussell]

But just because it's colder than normal doesn't mean the stove burns more wood. Does it?

I would think he would burn more wood because the fire is always going. Got to take into account also that he was burning spruce or some kind of pine also which I beleive burns faster and not as efficient as hard woood http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/wood-combustion-heat-d_372.html, plus its his cooking stove also. Also you have to take into account its cold from August to April, though from what Ive seen, I dont think hes there that long.

Edited June 29, 2012 by erussell

[PostedBoys Gallego]

Its a good show, however, is it just me or is that narrator getting annoying with the very dramatic voice lol. Sounds like Christian Bale as Batman.

[ELMER J. FUDD]

It's on right now. the hippie cult leader is whining because he has no power for his sawmill order and can't ''survive financially". WTH?

[Paula]

i had to change it because of him

[ELMER J. FUDD]

I'd rather watch North woods law.

[Paula]

thats is good

[Doc]

Its a good show, however, is it just me or is that narrator getting annoying with the very dramatic voice lol. Sounds like Christian Bale as Batman.

That guy and his script have pretty much ruined the show. The trumped up drama is getting to be a bit much. I mean, there have been at least a dozen situations where the guy in Alaska has broken down on his snowmobile with dire threats of his demise because he is stranded miles from the cabin. And yet there he stands basking in the light of a member of the camera crew who I'm sure have plenty of transportation available just off camera. And then there is the "disappearing" blowing and drifting trails back to the cabin with the obvious threat of his getting lost. Unfortuntely the camera guy mistakenly showed glimpses of fresh tracks just ahead of him.

Just taking a look at how these guys get by in the wilderness (or even semi-wilderness) would have made a good show. But these constant phoney attempts at creating heavy drama really aren't going over that well with me. Maybe they found out the truth that that kind of life really is quite repetitive and boring and really doesn't make good TV without heavy doses of embellishmemnt.

They tried too hard, and totally lost credibility.

[Elmo]

Just watched "Happy People: A Year in the Taiga" which follows villagers in a remote town in Siberia (specifically one who is a trapper) over the course of a whole year. Interesting contrast once you remove all the perceived "drama". The Siberian counterparts accomplish so much more with so much less and his junk snow mobile that looks like it was built in the 70's didn't break down once the whole year.

Edited September 1, 2012 by Elmo

[Doc]

There's another new series on that' called "Yukon Men" that has started up on the Discovery Channel. First show looked pretty good. I have another episode recorded to watch.

[Paula]

i watched one Doc and i think its pretty much the same as mountain men

[bubba]

I prefer to be out doing that sitting watching

[landtracdeerhunter]

yep

[Doc]

i watched one Doc and i think its pretty much the same as mountain men

The one difference that I spotted was that these guys run a trapline and actually catch something. Yeah there is still the B.S. over-dramatization, and a few staged "life or death" circumstances. But I was amazed that in Mountain Men, the guy in Alaska was there specifically for trapping, and they never did show him catching anything. At least on this Yukon Men, they did show them taking care of a wolverine in the trap, and trapping a beaver, and shooting a wolf and it looks like there are more scenes along the trapline where they show that trappers really do have success once in a while .... lol. Basically, it is the only show on TV that ever has shown anything real and graphic about trapping. I guess I find that interesting because I used to run

a fairly extensive trapline and can relate to some of what I see on that show.

[Suilleabhain]

I like Eustace, "Heard a shot from tother side, its thems poachers" he gets some dramatic, especially when he shot that little rat der and went through his ritual. Those dreads could use a good washing.

[Suilleabhain]

Had to chuckle last night browsing the channels I saw Mountain Men and sure enough Eustace was in the kale when the shot went off. Preston, I heard a shot from up yonder on the ridge