A television news magazine told of a young, adventuresome man, full of life, flown into the desolate north country of Alaska in order that he might find himself among the natural beauty and mysteries there. He prepared for months. He carried sophisticated photographic equipment and more than 1,400 pounds of provisions. He packed boxes of notebooks, in which he intended to record his experiences. Record them he did. His carefully detailed notes describe his sense of wonder at the spectacular beauty of the Far North.

Day after day, he described the excitement of every experience. For months he wrote, until one day the tenor of his writing seems to have changed somehow. The transformation in the tone of his descriptions was not marked at first but it was there nonetheless. As the days passed…