海角大神

For years, Troy Knapp was a figure in the mist, a figment floating across the rugged backcountry of southern Utah with a rifle slung over his shoulder and a grim set of the jaw. What he needed, he took, often from shuttered mountain cabins.

For years, his name wasn鈥檛 known, until authorities matched a partial fingerprint from a cabin window to a California man who disappeared in 2002 after running afoul of authorities in the Golden State. But before then, motion-trigger cameras had caught several snapshots of the elusive, mysterious and possibly dangerous 鈥渕ountain man,鈥� sparking widespread debate about his identity.

On Tuesday, Knapp鈥檚 nearly seven year walkabout ended after a tip brought local law enforcement to his tracks, which they followed to a cabin where they could hear someone chopping wood. After a brief shootout, Knapp dropped his rifle and said, reportedly with a smile, 鈥淕ood job, you got me.鈥�

Knapp has been charged with a string of burglaries across several counties, and he will also face attempted murder charges for his decision to shoot at a law enforcement helicopter, which also traded fire with Knapp. No one was hurt.

To many in the area, Knapp had become a menace, even terroristic. In a January 27 court filing, authorities claimed he had begun to leave threatening notes, including one that said, 鈥淗ey Sheriff 鈥� Gonna put you in the ground!鈥�

Sometimes he left cabins spotless, other times he wrecked them. Meanwhile, theories blossomed about his identity: Was he one of the 鈥渓ost boys,鈥� members booted from a polygamous sect in the area, who also, like Knapp, have an affinity for coffee and alcohol pilfered from the cabins?

Finally, as Knapp himself reportedly is regaling deputies with stories about his adventures, a more poignant question has emerged: Was Knapp a true 鈥渕ountain man鈥� who felt justified in using others鈥� property because they were intruders on 鈥渢he mountain.鈥� Or was he a lightweight cat burglar, incapable of real bootstrap survival. Either way, Knapp never hurt anyone. He told a couple of hikers who later tipped off police, 鈥淣ot to worry, I won鈥檛 shoot you.鈥�

Similar questions arose after the capture of Olympic bomber Eric Rudolph, who had lived in close proximity to the North Carolina town of Murphy for years, surviving most likely with the help of locals.

Mr. Rudolph, experts said, stayed in a 鈥渃omfort zone鈥� at the edge of society. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe he was a good survivalist,鈥� Kevin Reeve, director of the Tom Brown Tracking School, said in 2003, at the time of Rudolph鈥檚 arrest.

Knapp didn鈥檛 seem to have the same need for human proximity. In fact, his motive seems to come down to a credo he gave police: 鈥淚 don鈥檛 hate people. I just don鈥檛 like them.鈥�

But his exploits haven鈥檛 impressed everyone.

鈥淭roy James Knapp 鈥� is so far from being a true mountain man it isn鈥檛 even funny,鈥� writes Michael Gist Burson in a letter to the editor of the Standard-Examiner newspaper in Ogden, Utah. 鈥淩eal mountain men, like Jedediah Strong Smith, didn鈥檛 break into others鈥� cabins in order to survive in the wilderness. For punishment, Knapp should be put into the wilderness with nothing. We鈥檒l see if he really has what it takes to be a true mountain man.鈥�