Farmer Jim
Well-Known Member
The Stranger in the Woods - Michael Finkel.
When he was nineteen, Christoper Knight suddenly decided he`d had enough of modern life and went to live off grid as a hermit, in a remote part of Maine, New England.
He had a back pack, a cheap tent, a torch and some very basic cooking equipment and very little food. He also had no prior knowledge of survival skills or woodcraft.
Yet somehow he managed to live for twenty seven years in the woods, by foraging, raiding holiday homes in the Winter, gradually learning survival skills as he went along and creating a fully functioning, but hidden camp in the woods, before being caught in a trap by the local police.
Despite temps getting as low as -20 in the Winter, he never once lit a fire, for fear of getting caught !!
He had no intention of ever returning to main stream life and fully intended to live in the woods for the rest of his life.
With great difficulty, the author slowly gets Knight to open up whilst he`s in jail and through a series of interviews with him narrates his story.
It`s a fascinating read, as Knight wasn`t mentally ill, or a loner, he just suddenly decided he`d had enough one day and that was that.
At 200 pages, it`s an easy read and would make a great film too.
When he was nineteen, Christoper Knight suddenly decided he`d had enough of modern life and went to live off grid as a hermit, in a remote part of Maine, New England.
He had a back pack, a cheap tent, a torch and some very basic cooking equipment and very little food. He also had no prior knowledge of survival skills or woodcraft.
Yet somehow he managed to live for twenty seven years in the woods, by foraging, raiding holiday homes in the Winter, gradually learning survival skills as he went along and creating a fully functioning, but hidden camp in the woods, before being caught in a trap by the local police.
Despite temps getting as low as -20 in the Winter, he never once lit a fire, for fear of getting caught !!
He had no intention of ever returning to main stream life and fully intended to live in the woods for the rest of his life.
With great difficulty, the author slowly gets Knight to open up whilst he`s in jail and through a series of interviews with him narrates his story.
It`s a fascinating read, as Knight wasn`t mentally ill, or a loner, he just suddenly decided he`d had enough one day and that was that.
At 200 pages, it`s an easy read and would make a great film too.
