According to the Web site, Fellowship Charitos is “a non-profit corporation that supports the religious vocations of Hermits, Anchorites, Religious Solitaries, and others who follow the eremetic lifestyle.” The organization is run by Sister Molly, an Episcopal nun located in Utah. A free newsletter is available, with a donation for cost encouraged, and a forum on Yahoo Groups is maintained. URL: http://www.fellowshipcharitos.com.
Ohio hermit
“Uncle Jimmy” was a nineteenth-century hermit on Ballast Island, one of the Lake Erie islands of Ohio. This summary dates from 1898. URL: http://www.middlebass.org/Uncle_Jimmy.shtml.
Bill Porter (Red Pine)
A Seattle Times article about Bill Porter (also known as Red Pine), translator of ancient Chinese hermit-poets Cold Mountain and Stonehouse, author of Road to Heaven: Encounters with Chinese Hermits. URL: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/books/2001845874_redpine29.html
Two immigrant hermits
Australia: The curious story of Valerio Recitti, an Italian immigrant who became a hermit in Australia. The site includes a couple of photos of the restored cave that was his dwelling. URL:
http://www.griffith.nsw.gov.au/GriffithVisitorsCentreAttractionsHermitsCave.htm
Massachusetts: The Scottish-born John Smith emigrated to Erving, Massachusetts, in the late nineteenth-century and took up residence in a cave behind a so-called castle, where he promoted himself but also lived a self-sufficient life. Both sites include a photo of Smith. URL:
http://www.nentc.com/johnsmith.htm and
http://www.ervingmass.org/Public_Documents/ErvingMA_WebDocs/hermit.
Grand Canyon hermit
Louis Boucher was a reclusive explorer and prospector in the Grand Canyon who lived as a hermit at the turn of the 19th-20th century. A great many natural objects are named after him: Boucher Creek, Boucher Rapids, Boucher Trail, Hermit’s Basin, Hermit Camp, Hermit Canyon, Hermit Creek, Hermit Rapids, Hermit’s Rest, Hermit Road, Hermit Shale, and Hermit Trail. Pictures of Boucher’s dwelling area can be found on the Web: remains of his cabin (http://www.kaibab.org/tr981/gc981514.htm), his cabin fireplace (http://www.kaibab.org/tr981/gc981513.htm), and his orchard (http://www.kaibab.org/tr981/gc981511.htm). Some contemporary photographs (from the Grand Canyon Historical Society) of Boucher’s 1891 exploration are available: (http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Museum/5907/boucher1.html). Reflections on Boucher’s star gazing can be heard in an NPR audio segment from March 2002 (http://discover.npr.org/features/feature.jhtml?wfId=1140327).