Petro Zailenko died in California in 1981, and the records that surrounded his death contained a rather unconventional detail: his occupation was listed as “hermit” and his address as a hollowed-out tree stump in Hendy Woods State Park. Zailenko, known locally as the Hendy Hermit, had spent roughly 18 years living in and around the redwoods of Mendocino County, and used shelters that were made from fallen trees, bark and branches.
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