The book was first published in 1973 and is based on the journals and photography of Richard Proenneke who, in 1968, retreated to the wilderness of Twin Lakes in Lake Clark National Park, Alaska to build a home for himself and live alone in the wilderness. Proenneke says he turned his back on tedious 50-hour work weeks and moved to Alaska "to do a thing to completion." He built a cabin when he was 51 years old and lived there for more than 30 years.
My mother and father moved our family to Alaska in 1976, when I was eleven years of age. Most of my family still lives there, but in 1983 I left the state to attend college. Since then, I've lived in Oregon, Montana, South Dakota and Indiana. I only briefly returned to Alaska to reside, and that was around 30 years ago. My father, who will soon be 87 years old, built his own home in Alaska when he was in his 70's -- something he had wanted to do. He did so all by himself -- undertaking the task over the course of several summers as he and my mother lived in an RV on the property. They are in a remote part of Alaska, about 170 miles away from the busy city of Anchorage. Like Proenneke, my father had done the 50-hour work weeks and retired from a successful career. He and my mother still reside in the beautiful home he built many years ago.
I believe my parents wrote "Follow your dreams" in that book because they wanted me to avoid having regrets as I enter the autumn years of life. Although I'm only 55, I have a greater appreciation for their handwritten advice. In fact, I believe I've been following my dreams throughout life. I dreamed of being a father, and I am blessed to have four wonderful adult children and to be a stepdad to four other amazing people. I wanted to operate my own business, and was blessed to do so for 15 years. I wanted to experience challenging running endeavors, and was blessed to run solo across the United States, Germany, Alaska, the Mojave Desert, and elsewhere. I wanted to create a non-profit youth fitness foundation and promote health and well being to young people globally, and was blessed to do so and to speak to school children in countless locations. I wanted to find my life's partner that God had created for me, and was blessed to do so when Kelley came into my life when I least expected it. I wanted to purchase a house with my lovely wife, and was blessed to not only purchase a house but to truly build a home filled with love and laughter. So many of my dreams have come true and I am forever grateful to God for each and every blessing.
From Him, Through Him, For Him (Romans 11:36),
Paul J. Staso
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Visit my YouTube channel -- https://www.youtube.com/user/pacetrek
Click on any of the links below to see some of my adventure photos:
- United States in 2006 (3,260 miles solo in 108 days at age 41)
- Montana in 2008 (620 miles solo in 20 days at age 43)
- Alaska in 2009 (500 miles solo in 18 days at age 44)
- Germany in 2010 (500 miles solo in 21 days at age 45)
- The Mojave Desert in 2011 (506 miles solo in 17 days at age 46)
- Various Photos From Mileposts Gone By
- Students Worldwide Who Ran With Me Virtually
- Roadside Sights From My Running Adventures
- Some Cycling Moments From The Past
