The "North Pond Hermit" has finally been busted.
Christopher Knight was recently arrested in Maine at the age of 47 for a lengthy string of hundreds of burglaries going back for decades. Knight had taken to the woods at the age of 19, and had apparently been living out in the elements ever since, through blistering Maine summers and freezing Maine winters, with virtually zero human contact. (Once, in the 1990s, Knight passed someone on a hiking trail and exchanged "hello." That was the last time he had spoken to another human being, until his recent arrest.)
Police have been unable to contact Knight's family, and Knight (unsurprisingly) does not seem to be particularly talkative. It's too bad, because a lot of people have a lot of questions about how Knight has spent the last 28 years. Not to mention why he decided to give up on society at the tender age of 19 and live in the woods alone in the first place.
A game warden found Knight's camp, hidden deep in the woods, after capturing Knight on a trail cam. (Knight himself was captured while stealing supplies, and gave up without a struggle.) Knight's camp was covered in tarps to keep things dry, and featured propane tanks and batteries. Knight never made fires, as they attract the interest of other people, and had strictly used propane for cooking. He kept warm by bundling himself in layers of blankets and sleeping bags during the coldest weather. Reportedly, Knight had been a fan of news, a local rock station, and right wing talk radio shows.
Although many may admire Knight for his solitude and fortitude, and others might admire his survival skills, it must be pointed out that Knight had survived by stealing thousands of dollars worth of food and equipment from local cabins and a nearby summer camp for special needs children. However, he had managed to keep his appearance fairly tidy, and had somehow been able to struggle through decades of Maine's difficult climate.
Local lore had long held forth on the existence of a hermit in the nearby woods, but many people scoffed at the idea. Personally, I'm sure that Knight isn't the only person who has dropped out of society to live in the woods. And I have long suspected that hermits like Knight - secretive; perhaps clothed in shaggy animal skins - are the basis for many Sasquatch sightings.