John Denver, Rocky Mountain High
Airing Tonight on Montana PBS at 9:30PMby Dan Hartman
Feb. 25, 2023
As a boy growing up in Northern Indiana, life was rough. My dad had lost his sandy farm when I was two and we had taken to moving from farm to farm as my dad was working as a hired hand for other farmers. A job would last a year or two, then we would move on.Needless to say, making friends was difficult. So I spent my early days roaming the woods with my dog.
When I was eight years old, I saved up my Dum-Dum sucker wrappers and sent them back to the main office to get free stuff. In my case, a plastic camera and a roll of film. I spent that summer roaming the farm taking pictures. Soon after, my mom introduced me to a library and I discovered books on the west, especially mountain men and explorers.
Time passed and I graduated from high school the year after John Denver released Rocky Mountain High.
I traded in my car and bought a van and headed for the Rockies on $300. Ten days later I was back with eyes that saw things differently and a new feeling of what was really important in life.
Cindy and I were married in 1978 and headed west for a six month exploration of the National Parks.
We were back to Indiana for one more year, but really our hearts remained out west.
In the Rockies.
THANK YOU JOHN DENVER.
Tonight PBS Montana is airing John Denvers Rocky Mountain High to celebrate the iconic songs 50 Year Anniversary.
It will air at 9:30PM (mountain standard time), then again on February 28th at 10:30PM and once more on March 11th at 8PM.