Who the hell is Robert Redford...

Of course I know who Robert Redford is. He's a movie star.

I was digging through one of those bargain book bins and came across a paperback from 1973 called "Outdoor Survival Skills" by Larry Dean Olsen. Right under the title was an endorsement from Robert Redford saying this book is "The finest of its kind."

This amused me, because what qualifies Robert Redford to know anything about outdoor survival? Because he played the Sundance Kid in a movie?

Probably trying to profit on his role as mountain man Jeremiah Johnson.

Yes.....Jeremiah Johnson! The ultimate survival movie. Don't you remember he killed every indian across the west! Ate bugs!

LOL

IIRC, Redford was one of the original spokesmen for the conservationist movement dating back to the early 70's.

At least the man puts his money where his mouth is.

Larry D. Olsen is a well known "survialist" in the 1960's and even the early 1970's as no doubt the original Cody Lundin. Larry's training came as he experienced survival at its most primitive level. He emulated the Anasazi or "Ancient Ones" and carefully replicated the lifestyle of the Primitive Paiutes of the Great Basin Plateau areas of the western United States. Using tools and weapons of stone and bone, digging roots and trapping game, suffering cold nights without bedding, and hot days without water or even shoes, Larry gained a unique understanding of man in harmony with nature.

Larry then went on to teach Outdoor Survival Skills at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. One such student was Robert Redford, yes the actor, who upon completing the course and reading the book invited Larry Dean Olsen to serve as technical director for the movie Jeremiah Johnson. Subsequently, Robert Redford wrote a forward for the book, which is still in print, for Mr. Olsen. This book was once required reading in a Mountain Man class offered in the early 1980's from both Boise State University and Idaho State University.

Larry then developed a primitive living course for adjudicated youth from the courts in Utah County. In 1969, he and his staff won a national award for "Youth Rehabilitation Though Outdoor Survival." This course is still around today in both Arizona and Idaho. It is known in Idaho as the “Magic Hot Springs youth camp.” They have closed their main facility south of Twin Falls, but maintain a satellite office in Gooding, Idaho through the main office in Arizona. I believe some people call these “boot camps.”

Larry's experience grew from the area around the Magic Valley and the canyonlands of Southern Idaho.

That's a lot of stuff I did not know.



Don't get me wrong. It very well may be a good book (especially when compared to the other stuff in a bargain bin). Larry Olsen probably knows his stuff.

Tom Hanks went to bootcamp for Saving Private Ryan, but he's still not a soldier. Robert Redford went to survival school, but he's still not a woodsman.

I'm not a woodsman either, and I live out here.

I was given that book as a gift...it's not too bad.

To write a foreward for a book does not always imply that you need to be an expert on the book subject. Many authors seek out celebrities, business people etc to add weight in a form of an endorsement which hopefully leads to higher book sales.

The Owner of Sundance ski resort besides every thing else.

Lee

"...Ate bugs..."

And livers...

Who are we to say what Robert Redford knows about survival? He could be a guru for all we know. I don't know him personnaly or his hobbies I'm just saying how can you blast the guy when you have no evidence he doesn't know what he's talking about?

lol - yah, I still got an old copy of Olsen's "Outdoor Survival Skills" back in the early 80s; it was the basis of a wilderness survival/naturalist course offered at a local Jr. College. Redford wrote the intro to the book and sourced Olsen for the Jeramiah Johnson film; the early seventies spawned a lot of environmental awareness new age revival of native wisdom which Redford touches on in his intro. I'm sure he was interested in encouraging a healthy respect of nature and people who live in appreciation of her... At the time I imagine the book may indeed have been "the finest of its kind" - its got a lot of good basics and is illustrated with lots of b/w photos (kinda rare at the time, I guess). I'm not an expert, but the books a fine addition to a basic wilderness survival/primative skills library, though John McPherson and Paul Campbell's books have far exceeded it, imho.

Why I remember him well, he was a pilgrim when I first met him, but he learned the mountains ways pretty fast!!!!

OK, coffee has kicked in, back to reality!

Redford actually knows his way around the woods fairly well, as someone else stated, he ran through Larry Dean Olson's course back in the day, and much of Jeremiah Johnson was filmed on Redford's on property that he spent plenty of time "outdoorsin'" on.

I'm still upset over Ricardo Montalban hustling the Chrysler CordoBa with gen-u-wine Corintheean leather interior.