Who says TV isn’t educational anymore? In this exclusive clip form Nat Geo’s new series “The Legend of Mick Dodge” (premiering Tues. Jan. 7 at 10:00 p.m. ET and 10:30 p.m. ET), we learn tons of helpful stuff from the man himself. You know what a pinecone and a stick really is? No, really. And that pinecone can also clean your ears. And, um, other parts of your body. Hey, we didn’t make this stuff up.
Twenty-five years ago, Mick Dodge left the modern world behind. He ventured deep into the Hoh Rainforest in the Pacific Northwest, kicked off his shoes (literally!) and made his home in the trees, hidden in the moss. He was only rarely seen by the outside world, until he agreed to let our film crew record his unusual life.
The show follows the wild life of Mick Dodge, a quirky character whose unique brand of Zen comes from living off the land and off the grid. Every day in Mick”s life is a different adventure; some days are spent hanging in the trees, others are spent bedding down with elk, building a mountain-man raft or running barefoot for miles. Nights are spent in tree stumps.
He has been called “the Forrest Gump of Middle Earth,” “Tree Beard,” “the Barefoot Sensei,” “the Hobbit” and “Big Foot.” Whatever you call him, Mick lives life by his own unique philosophy. Pinecone on a stick? A toothbrush. Candy Cap mushroom? A water fountain. Fern leaves? Toilet paper! A long white beard drapes his face and tattoos of roots adorn his feet, marking the connection he feels to the path he walks.
Mick explains: “My family”s perfected the art of dodging civilizations for hundreds of years. And all I have to do is follow my feet.”
Though he lives far from civilization, Mick”s world is populated by a unique breed of outdoorsmen with names like Sunray, Moss Hopper and Will of Stone. And when he does venture out from the woods into the modern world, it is to spread his message of being one with nature, before he quickly disappears back into the natural world. His true home is in the forest community made up of men living life on their own terms.
Will you be watching “The Legend of Mick Dodge”? Or brushing your teeth with a pinecone, at least?