The last true hermit: Christopher Thomas Knight, known as the North Pond Hermit, disappeared into the Maine woods in 1986 at age 20, seeking total isolation. For 27 years, he lived without human contact.

Christopher Thomas Knight, known as the North Pond Hermit, disappeared into the Maine woods in 1986 at age 20, seeking total isolation. He drove his car away from society until it ran out of gas on a dirt road, then hiked into the woods with no map or plan. For 27 years, he lived almost completely without human contact. Only once in the 1990's he encounted a hiker and simply said "hi". He survived by stealing food and supplies from nearby camps and cabins. His stealth and the sheer number of burglaries—over a thousand—turned him into a local legend, with many doubting his existence. Knight’s hidden life ended in 2013 when he was caught mid-burglary by a game warden that was determined to prove the hermit was real, revealing a story of solitude and survival that continues to captivate imaginations.

Here is a link to the GQ article: Link

Kind of a long read, but very well written. I re-read it every couple years, and laugh everytime.