Remarkable story about the light fingered hermit

[John Fenna]

Got to disagree there. If someone burgles homes, he does harm - he steals the portion of life the owner put into earning the money to buy their things - that time cannot be regained. If you really think he has done no harm, best leave your home unlocked and post a sign saying "help yourself".

plus one to that!

 

[mrcharly]

And did no real harm at all

I disagree hugely with you there. Someone takes a group out to an established camp. They know there are propane cylinders, tarps stored there.

They arrive and find those gone. That could be a minor inconvenience. It could be a very very major problem, particularly if the camp is for disabled people and the group leader was relying on the stores they'd placed in the camp.

 

[Gray]

This is not a survival story, this is the story of a thief who couldnt be bothered earning a living and so decided one day that other people can pay for him. Look at those pics, he stole all of that, somebody has paid for all that stuff in one way or another. After 27 years you'd be self sufficient, I didnt see any pics of smoked meat or fish. Nor did i see him growing anything, hes just a bone idle thief.

 

[Qwerty]

Another article on the incident and how the local community have responded.

Gratitude, confusion, sympathy and anger. A range of emotions ripples through the people who say they were victims of repeated burglaries by the infamous North Pond Hermit for almost three decades.

To some, Christopher T. Knight, 47, has become a folk hero, admired for his ingenuity and survival skills. For many others, he's a troublesome thief who made them fearful, and they're glad the suspect is behind bars.

Brooks and her family have had a campsite on Little North Pond for more than 40 years, and they suspect the hermit stole her son's Old Town canoe and used it to scout the shoreline, seeking evidence that people had brought in food or other items he needed.

"The thing that he took that was of most value was your privacy. You no longer had control of your home," Hollands said, adding that he eventually took to bringing a shotgun with him when he was heading to camp alone.

"He took away your sense of security, your sense of freedom. You didn't feel comfortable walking in the woods at night. Here we're having campfires at night with the kids, and there's some creep out there in the woods sneaking up on you."

http://www.pressherald.com/news/hermits-capture-brings-sense-of-peace_2013-04-14.html

 

[Stringmaker]

This is not a survival story, this is the story of a thief who couldnt be bothered earning a living and so decided one day that other people can pay for him. Look at those pics, he stole all of that, somebody has paid for all that stuff in one way or another. After 27 years you'd be self sufficient, I didnt see any pics of smoked meat or fish. Nor did i see him growing anything, hes just a bone idle thief.

Agreed.

Without his profiting from the efforts of others he'd have been a bleached pile of bones in no time.

 

[mountainm]

He's a parasite.

 

[redandshane]

Quite a few people that I know of. Not without purchase true enough; you have to buy the traps, the guns, the ammo, the fishing tackle, the archery equipment, and the appropriate licenses. Nothing illegal at all though. You buy those things (an investment of about $3000 initially for equipment and licenses the first year and another $ 300-$400 per year thereafter) and sell the furs for about $$35,00 per year if doing it full time and treating it as your only job. I helped a cousin run his part time trapline one season and he made a good chunk of change doing it as a hobby. All perfectly legal. In Alaska the investment is a bit more perhaps but then so is the rreturn.

Thanks; that's none then in reality




Without the trapping aspect (and thus no monetary return) I still know personally of a few dozen people who subsist entirely on hunted deer and trot-lined catfish; again, all perfectly legally.

You're partly right in that it's not "bushcraft." But then it's not "survival" either. It's simply the way they're way of life. And there's no debate involved; it's fact.

You can not survive on protein alone but I guess a bit of homesteading and foraging could provide other necessities

Also seems a bit interesting that when you speak of "my neck of the woods" (the eastern side of the country, particularly the Southeast) you seem to believe that the pre-Columbian Native Americans here were primarily hunter/gatherers. They weren't. They were primarily farmers with established trading routes extending 100s of miles.

Were being the operative word
Thanks for a reply from the continent though. In reality I know nothing of different Native American tribes Very interested in their ways of life though
In fact I guess the immense variations and sheer scale of geography involved make that the case; so I accept it was a rubbish analogy
I was a way of life and he did survive
Also interesting the different attitudes of the local people towards the man and his lifestyle; much like here or anywhere I think

 

[santaman2000]

Were being the operative word
Thanks for a reply from the continent though. In reality I know nothing of different Native American tribes Very interested in their ways of life though
In fact I guess the immense variations and sheer scale of geography involved make that the case; so I accept it was a rubbish analogy
I was a way of life and he did survive
Also interesting the different attitudes of the local people towards the man and his lifestyle; much like here or anywhere I think

I'm a little confused here. I your comment that copied above. But the bit that didn't copy and was placed in my comment, "None then in reality?" Actullay a great number of people make their living that way (current estimate is about 125,000 proffessional trappers in thre US alone) That was my point. Trapping (particularly in the North) is a very, very, very common way of life. Even more so now that the market for furs is opening up in China as their economy grows. Both for naturally trapped furs and for US/Canadian farm raised furs. www.animalpeoplenews.org/03/1/russianKoreandrivepelt103.html

Keep in m ind though that the link is to an anti-trapping article.

 

[santaman2000]

They should do a TV programme about the ones you know, the last lot on TV were full of crap.

Most that are willing to be filmed tend to not be all that good in my experience Rik. Which ones in particular are you referring to as "full of crap?" LOL. There's a lot to choose from in that statement.

 

[rik_uk3]

Most that are willing to be filmed tend to not be all that good in my experience Rik. Which ones in particular are you referring to as "full of crap?" LOL. There's a lot to choose from in that statement.

Mountain Men was awful, as was Doomsday Preppers...and I'm a prepper but thought what a load of bull, The Colony ....almost lost the will to live watching some of that. I love good American fact based programmes like Judge Judy and 'Real Houswives of ???' though

 

[santaman2000]

Mountain Men was awful, as was Doomsday Preppers...and I'm a prepper but thought what a load of bull, The Colony ....almost lost the will to live watching some of that. I love good American fact based programmes like Judge Judy and 'Real Houswives of ???' though

I saw a few episodes of Mountain men. Somewhat realistic although a caricature. But equally very boring. Never saw Doomsday Preppers (or even heard of it until on this forum) nor The Colony.

Judge Judy fact based?

 

[brambles]

And did no real harm at all

Since you feel that way, how about posting your address so that we can all stop by and help ourselves to your belongings?

 

[redandshane]

Since you feel that way, how about posting your address so that we can all stop by and help ourselves to your belongings?

Ha Ha You are welcome anytime The doors open .
as was the one in question
You may have a problem with Sasquatch though
Its petty theft not a Bank Robbery
And yes I do feel little harm was done in the grand scheme of things
"There but for the grace of god go I" I reckon

 

[santaman2000]

Ha Ha You are welcome anytime The doors open .
as was the one in question.......Its petty theft not a Bank Robbery......

Over 27 years he "broke in" the camp several times. that doesn't sound like an open door to me. That's burglary (a felony) whereas petty theft is a misdemeanor. Also petty theft has different definitions in different states, generally anything of value greater than about $700-$1000 is considered Grand Theft. As are certain particular items regardless of their monetary value (such as "one head of livestock") I'd be surprised if the total value of items in at least one of his thefts didn't reach that amount. Not to mention that if he ever lifted a chicken from someone's flock (which would seem entirely possible) he meets the criteria for "one head of livestock."

 

[redandshane]

That Is it sorted then. The evidence is irrefutable
Someones gonna burn for this
Job done
I should have been a solicitor/attorney.
Dead man walking
I should never have got involved in this thread
I started with sympathy now and I am advocating the death penalty.
So it goes!

 

[santaman2000]

That Is it sorted then. The evidence is irrefutable
Someones gonna burn for this......

Unfortunately no. He'll likely receive a light sentence and also get credit for "time served" while in jail awaiting trial and sentencing. Then once in actual prison, he'll get "gain time" of approximately 1/3 off his original sentence. With current budget cuts, COs won't be able allowed to write any DRs that would cancel his gain time cause if they did, he'd have to serve the entire sentence and most states can't afford to incarcerate criminals the full length. The unofficial policy is, "Push them out the gate as soon as possible."

 

[rik_uk3]

That Is it sorted then. The evidence is irrefutable
Someones gonna burn for this
Job done
I should have been a solicitor/attorney.
Dead man walking
I should never have got involved in this thread
I started with sympathy now and I am advocating the death penalty.
So it goes!

Your seeing sense at last, good man.