LIFE WITH NOAH: STORIES AND ADVENTURES O Format: Paperback

Originally published in 1997, this Adirondack classic features Richard Smith's story as he told it to William J. O'Hern in his home, on the trail, at his rustic camp called Singing Pines, and wherever they chanced to get together. Life With Noah describes a vanished way of life and tells of the friendship between Richard and the Adirondacks' last hermit, Noah John Rondeau. Through the reminiscences of Richard and his friends, O'Hern has reconstructed Smith's life in the Cold River-Duck Hole Country where he went to trap, hunt, fish, and live in his own way.

Camping, trail hiking, bushwhacking, mountain climbing, paddling and mountain biking honed his self-confidence. His recreational activities and his own natural cuiosity led to investigations into the Adirondack’s past. Years of personal research and his discovery of undocumented Adirondack history gave him the confidence to commit to learning writing skills.

Since his first successful 1997 book, Life With Noah: Stories and Adventures of Richard Smith with Noah John Rondeau, O’Hern has continued to release new Adirondack stories.

Not trained as a writer, he is motivated by his “imaginative side,” claims O’Hern. “I’ve found my hardest challenge has been the adventure of learning how to take historical information and preserve it in print.”

By blending collections of vintage photographs and the personal observations and experiences contained in the diaries, journals and personal remembrances of native folks he has interviewed, he has uncovered the key to writing. “I’ve found the close relationships helps me to write authentic eyewitness narratives about living in and adventures in the Adirondacks.”

Noah John Rondeau was a widely known hermit in the High Peaks of the Adirondack Mountains of New York State.