Film Reviews: The Art of Nothing
Review by Les Benedict for Montana Magazine.
May/June 2004. No. 185. Pages 102-103.
The average Montana camper's freeze-dried stroganoff seems absolutely decadent after watching a porcupine get skinned and gutted with a lid from an old tin can, then stir-fried with hot rocks on a bark slab. This uncommon approach to outdoor living is only one of the many unique sequences found in Thomas J. Elpel's Wilderness Survival Video Series. Elpel is a primitive living expert from Pony, whose three videos Three Days at the River, Mountain Meadows, and Mountain Lakes, effectively espouse "the art of nothing"-going into the wilderness with nothing, no knife, no matches, no food, no sleeping bag-and living for several days using only found materials!
The survival skills that Elpel demonstrates will definitely make anyone who has camped out appreciate a pop-up tent, warm sleeping bag, and efficient cookstove. Although the basic needs that must be met are always the same-fire, shelter, water, food, and tools-each of Elpel's videos presents a slightly different skill set. Fire, for instance, is made using a mullein and sage hand drill in Mountain Meadows, a cottonwood bow drill in Three Days at the River, and, with a nod to the relatively more modern technology of the trappers and pioneers, flint and steel in Mountain Lakes.
Other tools in the series include glass-knapped knives, a JO stick, tin can and nail knives, a pinebark pot, discoidal stone knives, and digging sticks. The food ranges from porcupine to ground squirrel to mountain suckers to insect larvae, plus a huge variety of edible plants from wild onions to glacier lilies. Elpel, also the author of several primitive living books, recommends his Botany in a Day for safe identification of green trailside snacks.
These three videos are very simply shot and edited because Elpel also acts as his own cameraman, setting up the scene and then stepping in front of the camera to demonstrate. His low-key but knowledgeable presentation and the sheer interest of how things are accomplished easily overcome any aesthetic shortcomings. As an added bonus, brief scenes of Montana wildlife seen on each trip are intercut throughout the videos, and include deer, bears, and many birds.
In Three Days at the River Elpel takes along his daughter Felicia, and in Mountain Lakes his daughter Cassie. In addition to helping film it, and some on-screen demonstrations, the two teenaged girls also give an amusing reality check to the proceedings, suggesting they'd rather have a burger and fries or a piece of cheesecake in place of some of the fare Dad serves up. In addition to survival skills, Elpel also imparts some common-sense philosophy on maintaining Montana's wilderness environment.
Mountain Meadows (2002) camping with almost nothing but the dog;
Three Days at the River (2002) with nothing but our bare hands;
Mountain Lakes (2003) a survival fishing trip.
HOPS Press: www.hollowtop.com
Mountain Press: 800-234-5308.
Les Benedict earned a degree in film from Montana State University-Bozeman. He wrote, directed, photographed, and edited educational films for fifteen years in the U.S. and Africa.
Go to The Art of Nothing Wilderness Survival Video Series
Unique Books & Videos by Thomas J. Elpel
Roadmap to Reality: Consciousness, Worldviews, and the Blossoming of Human Spirit
Shanleya's Quest: A Botany Adventure for Kids Ages 9 to 99
Shanleya's Quest: Patterns in Plants Card Game
Botany in a Day: The Patterns Method of Plant Identification
Participating in Nature: Wilderness Survival and Primitive Living Skills
Classroom in the Woods DVD: Primitive Skills for Public Schools
Direct Pointing to Real Wealth: Thomas J. Elpel's Field Guide to Money
Living Homes: Stone Masonry, Log, and Strawbale Construction
Slipform Stone Masonry DVD: Video Companion to Living Homes
The Art of Nothing Wilderness Survival Video Series on DVD
3 Days at the River with nothing but our bare hands.
Mountain Meadows camping with almost nothing but the dog.
Mountain Lakes a survival fishing trip.
Canoe Camping on a song and a paddle.
Go to Books & Videos by Thomas J. Elpel.
Return to HOPS Press, LLC.