Dr. Smith was a professor when I was a wildlife student as CSU, so the book is a remarkable personal view of someone I knew. Smith writes about his experiences staying at Browns Cabin for four months, near timberline in the Sawatch range of Colorado. There is natural history of the animals he sees such as the pine martin and jay, and his reflection on the sometime unwelcome intrusions of visitors, back packers, and especially motorcycles. He at times writes idyllic, but also talks about taking 4 hours to wash his cloths. He does not filter, and at times appears as a curmudgeon, other times more gregarious, and always reflects how he reacts to both people and nature. He also gives a brief biography of his life ... which has some very personal moments about family deaths. Anyway, I respected him as a teacher, and now also respect his as a man. As an aside, some current info about Browns Cabin, shows that camping is not suggested because of hantavirus, so the place may now have the solitary that Dwight sought.