How One Hermit Survived Almost 30 Years In The Woods
Imagine you own a vacation home in rural Maine. You may have heard legends of a mythical creature that lurks in the shadows and breaks into people's homes. Suddenly, you begin to notice there is food missing from your pantry. Then, some of your clothes are gone. Although there is no proof of a break-in, you can't help but feel that something is wrong.
This is the sort of terror that the residents of North Pond lived in for 27 years, but that's also the way the last true hermit managed to survive alone in the woods for so long. Read on to learn about who the hermit really was.
Something Strange Began Happening At North Pond
In the late '80s, something strange was happening to the community of North Pond, Maine. Residents found batteries missing from flashlights and certain food missing from their refrigerators.
Propane tanks that were believed to be full were suddenly completely empty. Families kept pointing fingers at each other. They were sure none of them would do anything so trivial, which only added to the confusion. People drove themselves crazy trying to find an explanation for these mysterious happenings.
Multiple Burglaries Terrorized This Rural Vacation Spot
Soon, things started getting menacing. Residents would notice little details, such as scratch marks on doorframes and chipped wood next to window locks. More things went missing. It was clear that North Pond was being burglarized.
People changed their locks and installed security systems to no avail. They didn't know if it was one person or a group of people that were committing these crimes and worse, if they were dangerous. For almost 30 years, North Pond residents felt haunted by something or someone, but they didn't know what or who.
People Couldn't Catch Whoever Was Committing These Crimes
The citizens of North Pond were as vigilant as they could be. North Pond is a rural area, however, and permanent residents didn't live close enough to each other to be able to catch anything. Other cabins in the area were vacation homes that were vacant a majority of the time.
Thefts were reported to local authorities, but they could do little to help. At one point a resident posted a note on their door urging the burglar not to break in. The resident even offered to leave out whatever the culprit(s) needed if they just let them know. There was never a reply. The robberies continued. Before the authorities could figure it out, a dangerous urban legend was born...
The Legend Of The North Pond Hermit Was Born
Even more peculiar than the mysterious robberies were the items that were being stolen. Batteries, kitchenware, clothes, books, magazines, and junk food were always reported missing. But items of immense monetary value were never taken from these homes.
As these burglaries raged on for decades the person or persons responsible have become fodder for local legends. Ghost stories about the "North Pond Hermit" were swapped around the campfire. With no answers for so long, possible explanations for the thefts have veered into myths. The North Pond Hermit was also called the "Hungry Man," the "stealthy yeti," or "Maine's Loch Ness monster."
The Police Were Hardly Any Help
Local authorities tried everything to catch the North Pond Hermit over the years. Two county sheriff's departments, the Maine state police, and even the game warden service conducted foot searches, flyovers, and even dusted fingerprints with no luck.
But after so many years, Maine game warden Sergeant Terry Hughes became obsessed. He was determined to catch the hermit. With the help of border patrol agents, he installed top secret Homeland Security equipment at the Pine Tree Camp at North Pond where he often volunteered. Sure that the hermit would strike their kitchen in the off-season, he waited for about two weeks.
Sergeant Hughes Finally Hit A Breakthrough
On a brisk April night just after 1 A.M., Hughes's motion detectors went off. The hermit was at the camp. Having had this moment planned down to a 'T', Hughes rushed out of his home and made it to the camp in about four minutes.
He crept up to the kitchen window to confirm his suspicions. He spotted a single man filling up his backpack, but the man was a little chubby and clean shaven — not what he expected. Could this seemingly normal guy be the burglar who had been terrorizing North Pond for almost 30 years?
The Man He Saw Was Not What He Expected
Careful to be discreet so as to not scare off the burglar, Hughes quietly called for backup. He phoned Maine State Police Trooper Diane Vance, who had also been chasing down the hermit for many years.
Hughes was just a game warden, so it was Vance that actually had more authority to make a legitimate arrest. He noticed the burglar head toward an exit different from where he'd entered. Knowing that the hermit often escaped without a trace, Hughes knew this would be his only chance to catch him. As the burglar slipped out of the dining hall, Hughes ambushed him.
The North Pond Hermit Was Finally Caught
"Get on the ground!" Hughes bellowed. The burglar made no attempt to escape and did not resist. Candy spilled out of his pockets as he lay facedown. The North Pond Hermit was finally apprehended.
Once Vance arrived, the North Pond Hermit was placed in handcuffs and they sat him down for questioning. This man was strangely pale, wore outdated glasses, and had on some lightly worn winter clothes. He was clean, didn't smell, but had no identification. He refused to speak, so Hughes eventually left him alone with Vance. After they gave him water, he eventually started to talk.
The Hermit's True Identity Is Revealed
"My name is Christopher Thomas Knight," the man told Vance. She also learned that he was born on December 7, 1965. He had no address or car, and he didn't pay taxes because he lived in the woods.
Knight didn't know how long he had been living in the woods. He stopped keeping track of months and years long before that. He did remember that the Chernobyl nuclear-plant disaster happened just before he decided to leave for the woods. That was in 1986. Knight was only 20 years old back then. He was 47 by the time he finally got caught in 2013.
Knight Didn't Resist Arrest Because He Was Ashamed
Christopher Thomas Knight confessed to his crimes almost immediately, admitting that he was ashamed. He had committed at least 40 robberies a year, which amounts to hundreds of break-ins.
Although it is a crime, it's pretty impressive that Knight got away with this for almost 30 years. He said he never broke in when someone was home and was careful to leave little to no trace. He only stole what was necessary — food, propane, clothes, reading materials. He did admit that everything he owned was stolen, except for his eyeglasses which were from the '80s.
He Was Actually From A Nearby Town
After looking him up in the system, Vance learned that Knight had no criminal record. He explained that he grew up in Albion, Maine, just under an hour away from where he was living in the woods.
Investigators soon found Knight's senior picture in the 1984 Lawrence High School yearbook. He was wearing the same exact glasses he had on when they found him. Though Vance was sure that Knight was not dangerous, he was still arrested and charged with burglary and theft. That night he was taken to the Kennebec County jail, where he slept indoors for the first time in 27 years.
Michael Finkel Wanted To Tell Knight's Story
It's a wonder why Knight decided to up and leave behind life as he knew it for a life of isolation in the woods. GQ journalist Michael Finkel exchanged letters with Knight and spent up to nine hours visiting him in jail to learn his story, which was later recounted in a book, The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit.
Knight told Finkel that he had a normal upbringing and "good parents," but made a point to say that "We're not emotionally bleeding all over each other. We're not touchy-feely. Stoicism is expected."
He Had A Normal Life Before Going Into The Woods
Knight grew up with four older brothers and a younger sister. Before going into the woods, Knight's outdoors experiences were from moose hunting trips with his father. They'd often sleep in the back of their pick up truck, under the stars.
He had good grades in high school but was a bit of a loner. After graduating early, Knight followed his older brothers and enrolled in a vocational electronics course at the Sylvania Technical School in Massachusetts. He then took a job installing home and vehicle alarm systems, skills that proved useful when he started breaking and entering.
One Day He Just Decided To Walk Away
In 1985, Knight bought a brand new Subaru Brat but he wouldn't be using it for too long. He quit his job after less than a year and drove back up to Maine, passing through his hometown without stopping.
"I drove until I was nearly out of gas. I took a small road. Then a small road off that small road. Then a trail off that," Knight told Finkel. After parking the car and leaving the keys in the center console, he was off. "I had a backpack and minimal stuff. I had no plans. I had no map. I didn't know where I was going. I just walked away."
He Wandered For Two Years Before He Found His Spot
Christopher Thomas Knight's life of solitude began in the summer of 1986. He started out by camping in one spot for about a week, before continuing on hiking south. Eventually, he lost track of where he was.
After roaming around for about two years, he found the perfect spot to settle in. Nestled between boulders and shaded by maple and hemlock trees, Knight's campsite wasn't noticeable if people were to pass by. You really had to search for it. He slept in a simple nylon tent that was covered with layers of brown tarp. Camouflage was key.
Eventually, He Had To Resort To Stealing Food
At first, Knight was able to get by foraging for food. He ate roadkill and took vegetables from people's gardens. But he knew that he couldn't sustain himself on vegetables alone and that's when he resorted to stealing.
"I was always scared when stealing. Always... It was usually 1 or 2 A.M. I'd go in, hit the cabinets, the refrigerator. In and out. My heart rate was soaring. It was not a comfortable act." Knight added, "I'm a thief. I induced fear. People have a right to be angry. But I have not lied."
No One Could Believe How He Possibly Survived Out There For So Long
People were skeptical that Knight survived all those years sleeping outside. Some even suggested that he ought to have slept inside one of the cabins he broke into, maybe even use the bathroom. But he insisted that he never once did any of that.
Knight's campsite was in a clearing that was about the size of a bedroom. He had an area for washing up, a nearby latrine and dump site, and a two-burner stove. People couldn't believe that Knight survived the harsh winters out in the wilderness, but he did. He spent all of the fall seasons preparing for it, bulking up on stolen junk food and alcohol.
He Only Spoke One Word To One Person In 27 Years
Knight was careful not to leave a traces of his presence anywhere he went. He'd scatter pine needles over borrowed canoes after using them and was careful not to venture out in winter, for fear of leaving footprints.
He never even got sick or had to see a doctor for almost 30 years — you have to be around people to catch something. For almost 30 years, Knight truly had no contact with the outside world. The last time he encountered another human, he recalls, was in the '90s. He passed a hiker in the woods and merely said, "hi." — the only time he spoke to someone in 27 years.
The Court Didn't Know What To Do With Him
Knight spent months in jail while they decided what to do with him. A case like this had no precedent. Citizens who were affected by Knight's crimes had mixed emotions once the truth was revealed.
For years North Pond residents had lost their peace of mind, not knowing what or who was lurking out there. But once they found out about Knight, many of them were sympathetic. Even though they were victims in the case, sending Knight to prison was too cruel of a punishment for someone that really meant no harm and just wanted to be left alone.
Christopher Thomas Knight Ultimately Wants To Be Left Alone
Six months after his arrest, Christopher Thomas Knight appeared in court and pleaded guilty to thirteen counts of burglary and theft. The Kennebec County Superior Court sentenced him to seven months in jail, much of which was already served while they were deliberating his case.
Knight was also sentenced to two years of probation, meeting with the judge every Monday and abstaining from alcohol. Within this time, he found a job with his brother and stayed with his mother in the house he grew up in. No one really knows what's become of him now, since he wants to continue to live as invisibly as possible.
