The Strange & Curious Tale of the Last True Hermit

[The Outdoorsman]

Pretty long but good read.

For nearly thirty years, a phantom haunted the woods of Central Maine. Unseen and unknown, he lived in secret, creeping into homes in the dead of night and surviving on what he could steal. To the spooked locals, he became a legend—or maybe a myth. They wondered how he could possibly be real. Until one day last year, the hermit came out of the forest

http://www.gq.com/news-politics/newsmakers/201409/the-last-true-hermit

 

[AltarNation]

Pretty awesome read. I found this by way of that article somehow, thought it was equally enjoyable:

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/for-40-years-this-russian-family-was-cut-off-from-all-human-contact-unaware-of-world-war-ii-7354256/?no-ist

 

[Unclebaldrick]

I love hermits. Way back when my family was creating the stereotype that later became National Lampoon's "Vacation" we saw a hermit cave in the Rockies somewhere. Didn't see the hermit, just a mine that had about a million empty cans beneath it like mine tailings. I always pictured him the way hermit's were portrayed in Uncle Scrooge comics - naked but covered with very long hair that made him look like a giant mushroom. I my mind he was always waving his arms and cursing us as we drove by in our Grand Caprice station wagon.

Nobody in my family remembers it. I wonder why I do? Did i imagine it? I think about that hermit more than I can justify. I guess my biggest question is WtF? Then i wonder if it might offer a solution for America's mentally ill. Maybe i could offer it up to one of the political parties and it will make it into their platform. Google doesn't say shit about Rocky Mountain Hermits.

 

[AltarNation]

I don't know if you imagined it or not but I know a child's mind has a remarkable ability to spin elaborate detailed interpretations of short instances of stimuli--so it's just as likely you saw a bunch of rubble and thought it looked like cans or something. Or maybe you really saw it, who knows. Maybe some homeless asshole just holed up there for a few days.

But my point is that it's pretty possible you didn't imagine it but still convoluted what you were seeing into something that seemed like a reasonable explanation for your child brain when in actuality it may have been a more dynamic explanation that would truly lay rest to the conflict of interpretation presented herein.

When I was maybe 8 we drove past a house and I caught only a glimpse of it in my peripheral vision... but therein I saw an entire detailed haunted house complete with warning signs on stakes and grave stones littered between.

Then I actually LOOKED, and it was just a regular house.

But the depth of detail in the initial impression took me aback and continues to do so when I recall the memory to this day.

 

[pinkjackyle]

there he was at that lake and not once did he mention he went fishing .

 

[Unclebaldrick]

I don't know if you imagined it or not but I know a child's mind has a remarkable ability to spin elaborate detailed interpretations of short instances of stimuli--so it's just as likely you saw a bunch of rubble and thought it looked like cans or something. Or maybe you really saw it, who knows. Maybe some homeless asshole just holed up there for a few days.

But my point is that it's pretty possible you didn't imagine it but still convoluted what you were seeing into something that seemed like a reasonable explanation for your child brain when in actuality it may have been a more dynamic explanation that would truly lay rest to the conflict of interpretation presented herein.

When I was maybe 8 we drove past a house and I caught only a glimpse of it in my peripheral vision... but therein I saw an entire detailed haunted house complete with warning signs on stakes and grave stones littered between.

Then I actually LOOKED, and it was just a regular house.

But the depth of detail in the initial impression took me aback and continues to do so when I recall the memory to this day.

From what I recall, we were driving on some very back roads. I thought CO but it could have been WY or UT. We were told about it coming up on the road from a filling station or campground and we were all looking for it. From what I recall the most visible sign was the garbage tailings which pointed right to an old 19th century style mine opening. It was pretty far up the mountain, as you would expect of a hermit.

 

[The Outdoorsman]

Google doesn't say shit about Rocky Mountain Hermits.

Them's er called hillbillys

From what I recall, we were driving on some very back roads. I thought CO but it could have been WY or UT. We were told about it coming up on the road from a filling station or campground and we were all looking for it. From what I recall the most visible sign was the garbage tailings which pointed right to an old 19th century style mine opening. It was pretty far up the mountain, as you would expect of a hermit.

Or a mountain lion.

 

[tytheguy111]

I read all five pages

Man this is awesome and I feel bad for that guy all he was trying to do was survive