The story of the man who has lived alone in the forest for 40 years

 The story of the man who has lived alone in the forest for 40 years

When he was 26 years old, Ken Smith was severely beaten, bordering on death. He then decided that he would never live by anyone's standards, only his own. He retired to the beautiful and remote Highlands of Scotland. He has lived there for more than four decades ...

Ken Smith is 74 years old and would like to turn 100 by maintaining his current lifestyle. He has lived alone in the forest for 40 years. He is an English hermit who encamped in Scottish lands. He grows his own vegetables, fishes and rests every night in his cabin watching the sunset in all its magical hues over Lake Treig.

You could say he is the Henry David Thoreau of the 21st century. Now, if the famous philosopher and author of Walden retired from the world to flee into the woods at 28, Mr. Smith did so earlier, at 26. The whole world recently learned of her unusual and interesting story in a documentary that already has thousands of viewers.

Filmmaker Lizzie McKenzie discovered him and his story by accident nine years ago. He didn't hesitate to visit her and make her an offer. From this conversation it was agreed to shoot a documentary for BBC Scotland, which has already been released and called The Hermit of Treig.

“I went to the woods because I wanted to live on purpose; face only the essentials of life and see if I can learn what she has to teach. I wanted to live deeply and reject all that was not life ... so that I did not realize, when I died, that I had not lived. "

-Henry David Thoreu-

Ken Smith lives in a sturdy and comfortable log cabin in the Scottish Highlands. It is near Lake Treig, a two hour walk from a road close to Rannoch Moor. Let's face it, who wouldn't want to live in the Highlands? Few sets are more evocative and striking at the same time.

As fascinating as it sounds to us, there is one small detail nonetheless. The man who has been alone in the forest for 40 years and who has traveled the world with his story these days does not have any of our comforts. There is a lack of running water, electricity or gas. He subsists by gathering food, cultivating what he can, fishing and collecting firewood.

His life is simple, almost spartan, but above all, his existence is happy. He gazes at the horizon with calm and serenity. He knows that the chaos of civilization will not reach him. Ken Smith celebrates his loneliness surrounded by the purest nature because he feels safe there. This natural environment is the refuge he chose four decades ago when he decided to flee all that surrounded it ...

The beating that almost ended his life ... and which gave him a new one

Ken Simit is from Derbyshire, England. At 15 he began to earn a living by building fire stations. Everything is going well until he is 26 years old. It was then that he was brutally beaten by thugs and ended up with a brain hemorrhage and nearly a month in a coma.

When he woke up, he was warned that he probably wouldn't talk or walk anymore. But he succeeded. And not only that. As always happens, something changed about him after he looked death face to face. It awakened in him the desire to explore, to get in touch with nature.

It was then that he told himself he would never live by anyone's standards, only his own. His first decision was to travel to the Yukon, the wild Canadian land bordering Alaska, where he initiated a 35,000 kilometer hike. Back in Derbyshire, his life took a different turn. As soon as he arrived, he learned of the death of his parents.

He knew then what he really wanted… This flight and this search made him the man who lived alone in the forest for 40 years and who, unlike many, managed to find his happiness and his vital balance. .

In 1984 Ken Smith decided to travel to Scotland and find the most remote place possible. It was then that he stumbled upon Loch Treig, the "lonely lake" as he affectionately calls it. He identified so much with this place that he made it his home.

The man who has lived alone in the forest for 40 years is a person who loves the earth and allows himself to be loved by it. He is a great fisherman and a skillful gardener. Also note that he has been making his own beer and vintage wine for decades.

In order not to lose touch with the rest of the world, he has a radio and a wristwatch. A few years ago, he also acquired a camera and a GPS beacon for emergencies. It was gifted to her by filmmaker Lizzie McKenzie herself in 2019.

He is a hermit, but he should not be seen as the classic figure who hates and denies humanity. Ken Smith maintains contact with his friends and family. In fact, one of his favorite hobbies is writing letters to them.

Nature, the best refuge until the end of his days

As the filming of the documentary wraps up in 2019, Ken Smith, the man who has lived alone in the woods for 40 years, suffers a stroke. Fortunately, the tag offered by Lizzie McKenzie was providential. He had time to activate the SOS signal and a helicopter took him to the hospital.

He spent about seven weeks there. His memory doesn't work like it used to, and neither does his sight. Doctors recommended that he return to civilization, but he who has his home in nature cannot stray too long from it. So Ken returned to the lake and let a ranger bring him food and visit him every two weeks.

As he points out himself, he knows his time on Earth is limited. We are just passing guests in this sometimes chaotic and sometimes extremely beautiful world. His wish is to reach the age of one hundred so that he can continue to enjoy his solitude in this privileged place, the Highlands.