"Jackrabbit" Johanssen
Apropos of last week’s essay on longevity (“Live ‘til 100?”), the In House Critic (IHC) suggested a peek at the life of “Jackrabbit” Johanssen who lived to the venerable age of 111 years, 204 days (underscoring the truth of the saying that “every day counts…”).
Not only that, but for the last 22 days of his life, he was the oldest man on the planet.
Boy, talk about longevity – this guy had the elixir!
Early years
Born near Oslo, Herman Smith-Johanssen learned to ski during childhood, employing the Telemark turns that had at that time been recently devised. As a teen, he met Fridjof Nanssen, who, in 1888, had skied across Greenland. Nanssen taught him to ski on so-called “rubber ice” – the Jello®-like surface that congeals in frigid weather over sea water.
“…and in his young years he also skied with Roald Ammundsen, famously the first man to reach the South Pole,” according to Old Schoolers.
Johanssen earned a mechanical engineering degree from the University of Berlin and spent a long professional career in the field of heavy machinery manufacturing and operations. At one point, he and his family lived in Cuba, where, as a sales engineer, he represented several manufacturers of sugar cane harvesting equipment.
Later life
But his love of skiing eventually transported the family to Canada, where he utilized his engineering skills in the service of logging equipment manufacturers. What a treat it must have been for him to conduct business on back woods trails.
“Long before there were formal distinctions between cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, and ski jumping, he was practicing the sport whenever -- and wherever -- he could. An expert in every sense, he soon earned the nickname ‘Jackrabbit’ for his uncanny ability to hop around in deep snow in dense woods and travel extreme distances.” (source: Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network)
Maple Leaf Trail and other achievements
In the 1930s, the Canadian Pacific Railroad was interested in carrying passengers from Montreal to the Laurentian Mountains. After enduring much arm-twisting, the government granted $2000 for the project. Unfortunately, most of the funds were expended on a publicity exhibition at Madison Square Garden.
This left very little for trail markers – and nothing for labor. Ultimately, Jackrabbit installed the trail markers by himself. Sometimes, volunteers assisted.
However, this effort enabled him to devise the trail of his dreams. In so doing, he also generated goodwill amongst landowners and skiers who volunteered for the work.
Canadian Pacific Railroad gave him a free railway pass. And the many inns seeking skiers to fill their rooms offered him a meal and a bed now and then. Characteristically, however, Jackrabbit frequently preferred his sleeping bag out on the trail and under the stars so that he could easily pick up the next day where he had left off.
“The railroad let me do whatever I wanted,” he once reported. “They understood what I was doing for the region. Then, I cut trails between hotels, where I always got something to eat. I never went hungry!”
This venerable 249 mile Canadian cross-country ski trail includes Mt. Tremblant as well as gorgeous country in the eastern provinces.
Jackrabbit laid trails around Lake Placid, New York, as well, and was a founder of Lake Placid’s Sno Bird Ski Club.
World War II started when Johnssen was 65. He attempted to enlist but was turned down.
“[Jackrabbit] was annoyed but thought that he might still be accepted if he could prove that he was in good physical condition. He maintained a log of his mileage while keeping the Maple Leaf Trail open. His record: 1940-41: 980 miles; 1941-42: 960 miles; 1942-43: 1155 miles.” (Source: Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network)
Johanssen was a frequent contestant in ski races throughout his life. In his last race, at age 75, he placed third in a field of 20 contestants.
Live ‘til 100? No prob. The ‘Rabbit celebrated his 100th birthday by touring the Arctic ice fields with his daughter. He also popped over to visit his baby sisters (ages 92 and 94) in Norway.
During a 1987 to his homeland, Johanssen suffered a heart attack and died.
WIIFY?
Embrace eccentricity.
According to the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network:
“In 1930, the International Intercollegiate Ski Meet was held at the Manoir Richelieu in Murray Bay, Quebec. [Jackrabbit] was the chief - of course - and remembers the occasion with pleasure because he was made an honourary Red Bird at that time (the Red Birds is a McGill University graduate ski club founded in 1928).
“The announcement of his election was made at dinner on the [snow] train coming back to Montreal. To show his appreciation, Johannsen stood on his head on a table in the dining car while the train rocked along the northern roadbed.
“Thus began the traditional ceremony, so familiar to generations of Red Birds. For some years after that, 'Mrs. J' had forbidden him to engage in such shenanigans, but in December 1962, on the occasion of the annual Red Birds Moose Dinner at St. Sauveur (a couple of miles from Piedmont where [he lived at the time]), he disobeyed her when someone gave the old challenge, ‘Can you stand on your head, Jack Rabbit?’ He was 87 at the time.”