Category: United States

An article from the Sun Community News in northern New York state titled “Of Mountain Men and Malcontents: The Story of the Cold River Hermithttp://www.suncommunitynews.com/articles/ncl-magazine/david-greene-the-man-who-translated-ronde” revisits the now famous Adirondack hermit Noah John Rondeau (1883-1967). About Rondeau:

Rondeau was not a typical hermit. While he left civilization to live a life of solitude in the woods, he also enjoyed regular visits from dozens of hikers and hunters each season. He had very little formal education, yet effortlessly conversed on a broad range of subjects ranging from science to politics. Rondeau rejected society for decades, but reveled in the attention he received as a hit “attraction” at sportsmen’s shows, as the guest on radio shows, and even a spot on a television show.

For all that, Rondeau was a born solitary and effectively projected the hermit penchant for garrulousness mixed with eccentricity. The article includes harder-to-find photos.

URL: http://www.suncommunitynews.com/articles/ncl-magazine/of-mountain-men-and-malcontents-the-story-of-the-cold-river-/

NOTE: A subsequent article in the same source describes David Greene’s successful efforts to decipher the code writing that Rondeau had devised for his private journal.

URL:http://www.suncommunitynews.com/articles/ncl-magazine/david-greene-the-man-who-translated-rondeau%E2%80%99s-code/

“Embracing the eremetical life” is a recent Today’s Catholic News article profiling three hermit nuns in Indiana. They share an eclectic path to eremitism, each being mature in age and having been married, two with children and grandchildren. Each has a rule specific to themselves, governing their overall apostalate. Ech wears a habit, though no habit is required of them. And each lives alone and is self-supporting. The article highlights characteristics common to all Catholic hermits.

URL: http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2015/08/embracing-the-eremitical-life/

Although the Adirondack Mountains (NY) hermit Noah John Rondeau (1883-1967) may be better known, his predecessor in wilderness hermits was Louie Seymour (1832-1915), called “French Louie.” French Louie survived as a guide, trapper, fisher, and log driver in a remote region of Hamilton County and the West Canada Lakes in New York State. Many anecdotes are collected about his congeniality and resourcefulness.

URLs: “Hermit French Louie” – http://www.adirondacklifemag.com/blogs/2012/02/13/hermit-french-louie-hard-as-granite-and-tough-as-spruce/; “Remembering French Louie” – http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/27628/20150227/remembering-hermit-french-louie-with-bear-grease-and-maple-syrup; and http://frenchlouie.com/

GQ or Gentleman’s Quarterly has published an article by Michael Finkel about Christopher Knight, the so-called North Pond Hermit, who was arrested in April 2014 for stealing from Maine summer camps in the vicinity for 27 years. The article is titled “The Strange Tale of the North Pond Hermit” and is published in the September 2014 issue. The Bangor Maine News has a succinct summary.

The article is based on interviews that are the first public statements of Knight, who insists he was not a hermit but a thief, and indicates that he will have a hard time adjusting to society upon his release from jail, for he is obliged to retain a job and to stay out of the woods. From the Bangor Maine News:

“Sitting here in jail, I don’t like what I see in the society I’m about to enter,” Knight told Finkel. “I don’t think I’m going to fit in. It’s too loud. Too colorful. The lack of aesthetics. The crudeness. The inanities. The trivia.”

URLs (GQ): http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201409/the-last-true-hermit;
(Bangor Maine News): https://bangordailynews.com/2014/08/20/outdoors/north-pond-hermit-tells-gq-people-want-me-to-be-this-warm-and-fuzzy-person/