The Man From the Cave

The Man from the Cave is a uniquely compelling blend of investigative journalism, biography, and personal philosophy. Author, adventurer, and mentor to generations of backcountry hikers, Colin Fletcher discovered a dusty old trunk full of belongings at the mouth of a Nevada cave, and, upon studying the contents, became obsessed with finding out all he could about the former mystery tenant.

Fletcher wrote of his quest in the San Francisco Chronicle and subsequently heard from an elderly woman who had been the cave-dweller's erstwhile romantic partner; his name: "Chuckawalla" Bill Simmons.

With this key piece of information in hand, Fletcher followed Simmons' trail through several states and visited the National Archives, as well as Simmons' hometown of Braddock, Pennsylvania. Tracking down friends and family members, he meticulously knits together the colorful past of a former military man who was a gambler and tried his hand at prospecting, all the while wandering about the American West under a series of pseudonyms.

As with his other books, including The Man Who Walked Through Time and The Thousand-Mile Summer, Fletcher's narrative becomes as much about the author as about his subject: both men were wanderers, seeking many diverse and often solitary experiences. Anyone who enjoys high adventure and true tales of life on the fringes of society will find this a fascinating read.

This book is also available from Echo Point Books as a hardcover (ISBN 1648373771).