Sam Keith > Quotes

“I've seen a lot of sights from this old spruce chunk, and have thought a lot of thoughts. The more I think about it, the better off I think I am. The crime rate up here is close to zero. I forget what it is like to be sick or have a cold. I don't have bills coming in every month to pay for things I really don't need. My legs and canoe provide my transportation. They take me as far as I care to go.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“A place for everything; everything in its place. Whoever said that knew what he was talking about.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“Why men come into this big clean country and leave it littered the way they do, I will never know. They claim to love the great outdoors but they don't have respect for it. Beer cans, bottles, and cartons were scattered all over the place. Look at the sharp edges of the mountains in the crisp, clean air, listen to the creek pouring water you can drink over the stones. Then look around and see all this junk. It's enough to turn a man's stomach.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“After a supper of navy beans, I sat on my threshold and gazed off toward the volcanic mountains. I had been close to them today. The Chilikadrotna River showed me the beautiful fish and I returned them to her. I thought of the sights I had seen. The price was physical toll. Money does little good back here. It could not buy the fit feeling that surged through my arms and shoulders. It could not buy the feeling of accomplishment. I had been my own tour guide, and my own power had been my transportation. This great big country was my playground, and I could afford the price it demanded.”
― Sam Keith, First Wilderness: My Quest in the Territory of Alaska

“I have often though about what I would do out here if I were stricken by a serious illness, if I broke a leg, cut myself badly, or had an attack of appendicities. Almost as quickly as the thought came, I dismissed it. Why worry about something that isn't? Worrying about something that might happen is not a healthy pastime. A man's a fool to live his life under a shadow like that. Maybe that's how an ulcer begins.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“Somehow I never seem to tire of just standing and looking down the lake or up at the mountains in the evening even if it is cold. If this is the way folks feel inside a church, I can understand why they go.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“What a man never has, he never misses. I learned something from the big game animals. Their food is pretty much the same from day to day. I don't vary my fare too much either, and I've never felt better in my life. I don't confuse my digestive system. I just season simple food with hunger.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“In 1998, he (Dick Proenneke) made the decision to leave his log cabin and live with his brother, Raymond in Hemet, California. He donated the log cabin and most of his possessions to the National Park Service...Dick passed away in Hemet, California on April 20, 2003.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey by Sam Keith

“During Dick's long tenure, Twin Lakes became part of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. Today, a ranger station is situated near the foot of the lower lake...the cabin's guest register lists hundreds of visitors, including former governor of Alaska Jay Hammond and the late singer John Denver.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“I guess part of a man's root system has to be nourished by contacts with family and old friends.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“Anyone living alone has to get things down to a system--know where things are and what the next move is going to be. Chores are easier if forethought is given to them and they are looked upon as little pleasures to perform instead of inconveniences that steal time and try the patience.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey

“Wind is building up and whitecaps toss on the dark green water. After six and a half months of ice, the lake is nearly free and the mountain peaks can look at themselves in the mirror again.”
― Sam Keith, One Man's Wilderness: An Alaskan Odyssey