Alone in the Forest for 20 Years!?

As an avid camper, it comes with no shock factor that I feel very comfortable when alone in the forests. This past summer for example, I was living in the rainforest with four other people, at least a solid two hour hike from the nearest road. Even though we were stocked with food and pots to boil water, for the most part I am confident in my adaptability and resourcefulness and believe that if needed, I could survive without these necessities for at least a week or so. However, I am no outdoor survival expert, and at some point I would need to find easy food and clean water, and clothes and shelter to stay warm in the winter. Furthermore, it takes a certain physical and mental strength to be able to survive alone without the luxuries of modern civilization. Even with proper gear and supplies, I don’t think I would last more than a couple weeks on my own before strongly desiring the comfort of my family and friends. In order to live on your own in the wilderness, you must be strong, adaptable, and resourceful, even if that means taking necessities from those who are better off.

When I heard the story of Alan Como, a man who had been living as a hermit in the woods around Beaver Pond in the Adirondacks, I felt like my camping experiences were diminished to a few quick walks in the park. After all, Como had been living in the forests for 20 years (Lehman 2007). However, Como hadn’t been living completely off the land – he had stolen many necessities like clothing and food from nearby houses and summer homes. After several reported burglaries and sightings of a man in the woods, police began to narrow in on the Beaver Pond region in Northern Warren County, attempting to apprehend the suspect and stop the robberies. Warren County sheriffs and state police searched for over a year to no avail. Eventually, a snowplow operator noticed that someone was biking on the snow-covered road at 2:30am. Thinking something was not right, the snowplow driver followed the man, who at one point took off on foot. The snowplow operator contacted the police, and after a two-day search followed by a foot-chase, Como was finally apprehended by police (Lehman 2007). The 56-year-old had evaded the law for 20 years (Lehman 2007). I can’t imagine living in the Adirondack winter for such a long amount of time, and I feel that Como deserves a lot of credit for what he must have endured.

            While this arrest may bring comfort and reassurance to those whose houses had been broken into, Alan Como’s arrest came with some backlash of the local community. For example, the Adirondack Almanac published a statement saying that the police should not have charged him for random crimes, and that Como should not need to serve 4 years in prison for “cutting $250 worth of trees” (Warren 2007). This is an interesting debate that displays the tensions between locals and summer-home owners in the Adirondacks. While the Adirondack Almanac agrees that Como should be punished for his thefts, editor John Warren makes a vibrant complaint by arguing that, “if you choose to live outside the boundaries of mainstream society, you may find yourself a target for the police state” (Warren 2007). The clash between free will and conformity in the Adirondacks has been prevalent since before the founding of the park – when people had to be adapting and evolutionary in order to stay alive through its harsh conditions. While I agree with Warren, in that we need to respect all people’s life choices, when it comes to robbery, those who steal from others for a living need to be punished. After all, without law, there would be no civilization.

Sources:

Lehman, Don. Police Identify Woodsman. The Post Star. 1 Jan 2007. Web. 23 April 2016.

Warren, John. Screwed: Adirondack Beaver Pond Hermit Alan Como. The Adirondack Almanack. 5 April 2007. Web. 23 April 2016.