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).
Solitary practice
A translation of the essay “Solitary Practice” by Zhongfeng Mingben (1262-1323) is available on the Web site of Chan Magazine at http://www.chancenter.org/ddp/chanmag/sum2003.html#solitarypractice.
Canonical hermit
The Catholic archdiocese of Philadelphia (USA) gave canonical status to a hermit in 2001. Details at: http://www.mailutilities.com/news/archive/85/1551.html. The article mentions his life in a rundown urban area, his daily routine, and his minimal livelihood. A photo of hermit Richard Withers is on the Images of Eremiticism: Hermits page of Hermitary.
Ermitage
A personalized site for readers of French is “Ermitage” at http://rmitte.free.fr/comunaute/ermitage.htm, which has a religious perspective on the subject of solitude and the eremitical life. Brought to our attention by a USA friend of Hermitary.
Jeanne-Marguerite de Montmorency
The contents of the book, Jeanne-Marguerite de Montmorency by Joseph Sigward, in the original French, are offered on this Web site. Jeanne-Marguerite de Montmorency (1646-1700), niece of the Prince of Condé, was destined for the life of King Louis XIV’s court, but she ran away, still a girl, giving up her family, her means of sustenance, her possessions, all to follow an eremitical life. Eventually she settled in a hermitage, where the passion of Jesus became the focus of her mysticism. The author drew on the subject’s correspondence with her spiritual director. The Web site is: http://www.chez.com/jeannemarguerite/. Brought to our attention by a U.S. friend of Hermitary.