Ray Mears - The Path of Grey Owl

[Blundstoned Love]

http://www.gohiromoto.com/#/the-path-of-grey-owl/

 

[Macaroon]

Mr. Mears is a man of great conviction, and as he gets older he seems to find more courage in his convictions. He seems able to empathise, in a very natural way, with what he finds surrounding him in his chosen way of life, and to communicate this in a very clear and heartfelt manner. He has, through much work and learning, put himself in a position where he can command the services of top notch technical resources and produce films of the standard of this one with a feeling and sensitivity that do him proud.

I, for one, greatly appreciate his subtle manner and his skill in communicating what is obviously heartfelt and deeply meaningful to him, and I suspect to many others among us here.

 

[ardri]

Macroon, nice post could not have put my thoughts any better.
Regards

 

[redneck]

Mr. Mears is a man of great conviction, and as he gets older he seems to find more courage in his convictions. He seems able to empathise, in a very natural way, with what he finds surrounding him in his chosen way of life, and to communicate this in a very clear and heartfelt manner. He has, through much work and learning, put himself in a position where he can command the services of top notch technical resources and produce films of the standard of this one with a feeling and sensitivity that do him proud.

I, for one, greatly appreciate his subtle manner and his skill in communicating what is obviously heartfelt and deeply meaningful to him, and I suspect to many others among us here.

Unfortunately I find it the exact opposite, I used to absolutely adore ray (still do with regards his early stuff) but the older he gets the more opinionated and cocky he seems to get and that I don't like .. wish he would return to the good old days.

 

[Geebe]

'Cocky' is probably the last word I would associate with Ray Mears.

My only problem with this beautifully made film is that it is too short.

Come on Ray, give us the full feature length version!

 

[Hoodoo]

Excellent little film. Very nicely done.

 

[Macaroon]

Unfortunately I find it the exact opposite, I used to absolutely adore ray (still do with regards his early stuff) but the older he gets the more opinionated and cocky he seems to get and that I don't like .. wish he would return to the good old days.

You astound me with your comment on his "cockyness", much as I respect your right to your opinion; I'd never in a month of Sundays have described him as such. I find his manner comfortable and easy and he gets across the soul of the outdoors very well. The only person who comes close to it, for me, is Paul Kirtley who is also relaxed and very much in touch with his subject in a similar way.

You can't return to the good old days, that'd just be stagnation; and anyway the internet is crammed full of videos and articles on all the stuff like how to sharpen your bootlaces in a survival situation or the best knife to skin a bear in the Yorkshire winter. Isn't there a bit more to it than all that stuff?

 

[redneck]

Macaroon... yes there is more to it than that, much much more that's why I'd hope he'd return to what he does best but alas I think that's not to be. I agree wholeheartedly about Paul Kirtley however, he now carries the mantle of the bushcraft king.

 

[peaks]

Thanks Blunstoned for sharing - lovely film, great message.

Great post Macaroon. "Genuine" is the word that sums up RM for me.

 

[Klenchblaize]

Cockyness is most certainly the wrong word to describe what some people perceive as a change in RM's delivery on-camera. What I believe you see is no more than a man a little older, wiser and perhaps more comftable in his skin. With that comes an allied confidence that can be misinterpreted.

K

 

[Gary Elson]

You can't return to the good old days, that'd just be stagnation; and anyway the internet is crammed full of videos and articles on all the stuff like how to sharpen your bootlaces in a survival situation or the best knife to skin a bear in the Yorkshire winter. Isn't there a bit more to it than all that stuff?

Great comment I think there is more to it as well, is this not Ray throwing his hat in the conservation ring, which I applaud him for, using a beautiful film to make a thought provoking point, we all love being out there but how long will it be there!
Is this the film that Obama and Bear intended to make - don't know ??

 

[Countryman]

I raise a glass of fresh Urine to Uncle Ray.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[MartiniDave]

I found the entire film quite enchanting, thanks for highlighting it.

Dave

 

[DogRose]

What a great little film, beautiful in both cinematography and it's message. Thanks for posting.

 

[Gaudette]

GREY OWL BOOK GIFT.

This might get a bit wordy so apologies in advance. Over the years the wife and I have collected literally thousands of books. Back in the autumn we realised that we had to let them go. We live in a small space and they were stored in a barn and unlikely ever to see the light of day again. We gifted a lot, sold some, recycled a few, and kept a box full each( my wife kept two)! One of the books I kept was " The Men of the Last Frontier by Grey Owl". I have no idea when or where I got it, I could have had it for over 40 years, I really don't know. I finished reading it before Xmas and loved it. When I saw this post my interest was raised, I really didn't realise how important he was. The film heightened my interest and I read the book again, finding a deeper, richer meaning.

I would like to offer this book as a gift To anyone who can answer the following question about Grey Owl.

What Tribe did Grey Owl become blood brother too?

This book doesn't offer great insights into Bushcraft. However, it does describe a way of life and landscape which has long past.

So, without being too pretentious the first person to message me with the answer will be posted the book pictured below. Don't forget to include your address.

It might be nice to keep this going, I.e the person who receives the book could do the same again but that's up to them.

 

[Gaudette]

Tengu it's yours. I'm not sure of the spelling either but you were close enough for me. Ojibwae was what I had in mind but I'm no expert. Will post tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the read.

 

[Robson Valley]

He worked for the Canadian National Parks Service for a while. I hope this link adds a little.

http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/sk/princealbert/natcul/natcul1/c.aspx

 

[Laurentius]

Interesting fellow he was, put a whole meaning to the word bigamy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_Owl

 

[Tengu]

Oh, thats a little harsh Laurentus, but perfectly true, he was not capable of stable relationships. (or fatherhood, but we can blame that on his own family issues.)

He was a bit of a character, and not always reliable.

I for one get rather angry with him over his harsh words about his Aunts (Who must have been saints to put up with him.)