DAN HAGGERTY

His house

Northridge, CA

August 11, 2009

Photo credit: Dan Haggerty

He was most famous for his role as a soft-spoken survivalist, a friend to animals, and a doer of good. Dan Haggerty was a prime example of an actor playing himself except that Grizzly Adams was a mild-mannered mountain man and though I imagine his manners were decent, there was nothing mild about Dan.

I was working with friends to promote pro/celebrity off-road racing in Las Vegas. Dan was a fun-loving biker who was enamored with motorsports and had signed on to be our spokesperson. One afternoon we went out to his house in the San Fernando Valley. It was an urban wilderness that was full of life with plants and hippie art of the finest quality peeking around every overgrown corner. Three of his adult children still lived with him. I got the impression he made it pretty easy for them to stay. “They're not going anywhere," he admitted. And there they were—plus five dogs and a naked grandson who was running around. He was twelve. (Just kidding, he was about two.)

Out on his front patio, we relaxed under the trees as he told me about his dreadful history with motorcycles. In 1993, he was in a severe motorcycle accident and mistakingly pronounced dead. Luckily he survived, but his legs were almost totally cut off at the shins. He pulled up his pant leg to show me the scars from where they’d been reattached. Big job. During his recovery, he received a get-well letter from the Pope. It's difficult to imagine the Pope sitting down to watch Grizzly Adams but evidently, he was a fan.

Adding to Dan’s misfortune, his wife had recently been killed in a motorcycle accident. “She died a year ago yesterday,” he kept saying. Now he wears a silver bracelet that holds her ashes. “But just her hips and thighs,” he said.

Aside from the tragic motorcycle-crash conversation, Dan was a playful free spirit who delivered one quick joke after the next. At one point he saw a little bird hopping in the tree above us. He pointed and said, “See that bird? I trained him.” This was believable since he was a professional animal trainer. He casually raised his hand and, as if he were serious, he instructed the bird, “Go ahead. Do whatever you want.” The bird hopped away and Dan turned back to our conversation.

Proudly, he mentioned that his son is following in his footsteps as a professional animal trainer and is licensed to keep big birds like eagles, hawks, and falcons. Dan invited us to the backyard to see the aviary they were building. We walked through the house past macrame wall decor and stained glass windows then out the back door to the aviary. It was about the size of an RV which, to me, looked like meager digs for an eagle who might want to soar with his feathered friends, but I’m sure these Haggerty boys knew what they were doing.

Wrapping up our visit we walked back toward the house. That's when I pitched my idea. I explained My Celebrity Photo Album and asked Dan if he'd take my picture.

"Yeah, sure. Pose with the pot,” he said. Expecting something that kept with the theme of the house, I looked for a crafty, clay, pot—some sort of unique, handmade, bohemian thing to pose with, but I didn't see anything. No pots at all.

I pointed to the only thing that was sitting nearby. On the ground in front of us was a regular, green, plastic planter that a person could find at any garden center. It was mostly full of dirt. “This pot?" I asked. “Yeah," he said, "Pose with the weed." Ahhhh... the POT. Right. Is that what that is? I crouched down and posed as I imagined a person would alongside that teeny sprig of greenery. (He obviously wasn't trying to garner an income with this horticultural pursuit.)

I thanked him for the picture and he continued to escort us back through the house. As we walked, he saw a stack of old promo photos sitting on a side table. He enthusiastically picked one up and signed it to me, To Rebecca All my love, from Dan and the bear. We continued out to the car and on our way, Dan turned to my friend and said, “Oh hey, you know who was just asking about you?” “About me?” my friend asked. “Who?” “Nobody,” Dan said. It was a low blow but his quick delivery was perfect.

So, although he looked like the burly Grizzly Adams we all know and love, Dan Haggerty was far more animated. I could imagine he would have been the life of any party he attended and judging by my own experience that afternoon, if there wasn’t a party, he’d make one. It was a fun day thanks to his hours of entertainment. No wonder that bear liked him so much.

Old promo photo.