At one point in time, contemporaries Noah John Rondeau and Mose Ginsberg lived less than fifty miles from each other in the Adirondack Mountains of northern New York State.

It is hard to imagine two vastly different people. One was a self-proclaimed hermit who spent a major portion of his life in the woods away from town and society. The other was involved with family, friends and community from the moment he arrived in the Adirondacks. One believed in his own independence and self-sufficiency; the other's creed was interconnection -- providing and caring for those around him. One was a solitary hunter, guide and woodsman; the other was a citizen of a small thriving town who avoided hunting and fishing for sport.

At second glance, Noah John and Mose had more in common than one might think. Noah John's family moved from Canada and his native tongue was French; as a young immigrant from a small Russian town, Mose, too, had to learn English as a second language. From an early age, both were subject to discrimination; Noah John for his French-Canadian lineage, Mose for being a Jew.

Neither man had a formal education, yet both refused to be limited by this. Noah John learned to read science, history and philosophy on his own; Mose became a successful businessman and civic leader. Both came from poor families and were forced to earn a living at a young age. Each learned a variety of skills. They were both enterprising, inventive, and adaptable.

Alone or as an integral member of a community, Noah John Rondeau and Mose Ginsberg each found the freedom to conduct his life to the best of his ability in the unlikely setting of the mountain wilderness. Their stories are important pieces of Adirondack history.