A little more than 20 years ago, search and rescue members found the remains of Willard Kitchener Macdonald, affectionately known as the Hermit of Gully Lake.

This discovery ended the final chapter of a remarkable story of a unique man who became a legend while alive and, especially so, since his death. This legendary status is ironic, considering he was happiest and most relaxed, living alone in the woods near Gully Lake, Nova Scotia, away from civilization.

I was fortunate to get to know Kitchener in his later years, thanks to an introduction by two of his old friends – Lloyd Bogle and Earle Tanner – who took me to meet him at his former shanty of a home in the province’s Colchester County. These men had gained Kitchener’s respect and friendship.

For more than three decades, Lloyd had been visiting Kitchener on foot or by snowmobile. He brought him many things over the years – food, clothes, other supplies, doctors, lawyers, social services personnel, CBC interview crews, advice and a friendly, familiar face to talk to.

Likewise, other people had befriended Kitchener over the years and dropped in periodically to visit or bring supplies. In his later years, he decided to be called Kitchener instead of the previously used Willard because there was another Willard Macdonald in the area.

Although he was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1916, Kitchener lived in the Earltown area in the 1930s. Soon after meeting a special lady, he was scheduled to take a troop train to fight in the Second World War.

Shortly after boarding the train in Earltown, he changed his mind about the army, jumped off of it, and started his 60 years in hiding. He hid out in the wilderness during the war years, afraid for his life because of the severe nature at that time regarding military deserters.

By the time the war was over, Kitchener had settled into a solitary, self-sufficient life in the wilds of Gully Lake. His homes over the years have been very basic, dirty little shacks. His love of the woods, animals, nature, and living alone allowed him to be totally satisfied with where and how he lived.

He wasn’t comfortable among crowds, and yet, once you got to know him, you could have easy conversations with him about wide-ranging topics. He loved to read. His shanty was full of books – Readers Digest was his favourite.

In the earlier years, he lived off the land by hunting, fishing, and trapping. He was a familiar sight, either walking or bicycling through the woods or along the road to Earltown, where he would periodically get his supplies from the Earltown General Store.

Although he was eligible for a pension, he did not need for it. At one point, after many cheques hadn’t been cashed, his pension was frozen. Friends and the Social Services Department made it possible for him to purchase the supplies he wanted when he wanted.

In the early 1990s, as Kitchener was approaching his 70s, Social Services built him a new, relatively modern two-story cabin. Unfortunately, despite trying it for one night – during which it rained hard on the metal roof – Kitchener decided that he didn’t like it because it was, as he stated, “too close to all that noise and confusion.”

He was referring partly to the sound of the metal roof and that the house had been built next to the forest access road, less than one kilometre from the main dirt road linking Earltown and Kemptown.

This proximity meant that he could hear the traffic sounds, which to him was sound pollution – understandable when you consider that the man had lived for nearly 50 years in relative silence, disturbed only by the sounds of nature.

He grudgingly lived in the newer structure that had been built for him, complete with a propane stove, which he refused to use, and a water hand pump. There have been many different visitors to Kitchener over the years. His old shanty was located immediately beside one of the many snowmobile trails through the Gully Lake Crown block of land, which became the Gully Lake Protected Area. In fact, there is a beautifully maintained hiking trail named and signed in his honour in the Protected Area trail system.

Kitchener was interviewed by national, provincial, and local media many times. Many curious visitors and regular visitors would come to see him.

After suffering some health issues, Kitchener was missing from his home in the winter of 2003. His body was found the following summer. All things come to an end. Such is the case for the unusual life and times of Kitchener Willard Macdonald. It is safe to say that his legend will live on for many years. ~ Story by Donald Cameron