The Hermit and Us: Our Adventures with Noah John RondeauÂ
By William J. O’Hern
O’Hern spent many years backpacking into wild places, adding to his extensive collection of remembrances and photos of the Cold River hermit shared by those who trekked in to the territory to share time with Noah John Rondeau. In The Hermit and Us, Jay describes those treasured meetings. Rondeau was not your average hermit, in that he had many friends and gave a proper mayor’s welcome to pretty much anyone who stumbled into his “city.” The book includes reminiscences of Richard Smith, Clarence Petty, Adolph Dittmar, Helen Colyer Menz, Mary Colyer Dittmar, Clarence and Stacia Whiteman, Charlie and Polly Russ, and friends the author interviewed, all people who hiked to the Cold River Town Hall where the hermit stacked his wigwam-like habitation. The book contains dozens of photos that have never been published before, and invites readers to relive the experiences of dozens of Noah’s closest friends and relatives.
