An Outsiders
Look at Treadwell
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Death in the Grizzly Maze
by Mike Lapinski
Who must have this book: Anyone who wants to
know more about the Timothy Treadwell tragedy. Especially if
they have read Among Grizzlies.
Who should have this book: Anyone interested
in bears, bear attacks, or Timothy Treadwell.
ISBN: 0762736771
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I
think I am a pretty empathetic guy. When I first saw Timothy Treadwell
on TV I thought, that guy is a little out there, either brave or stupid
to be getting that close to bears. When I read Among Grizzlies
I thought, That guy is way out there but I can understand that he
is overcoming his demons. When he was mauled to death I thought, I
knew that was just a matter of time.
But then everyone started coming out with and said “I told you
so.” After a while I started to feel a little defensive for
Timothy. Then this book came out and showed me a different side to
the story and now I am having a problem defending him at all now.
Mike Lapinski got beyond the stories of Among Grizzlies and
the headlines and started to talk to those who knew Timothy Treadwell
best. He talked to his friends, his family, his detractor, and his
benefactors and the story that came out was one of subtle deceit.
I don’t think Timothy ever meant to harm anyone with his , but
he seems to have gotten himself caught up in an addiction to his own
celebrity and the adrenaline of living with the bears.
Lapinski uncovers a string of deceptions from claiming to be an Australian
or an orphan to openly lying to his main benefactor that he would
never bring his girlfriend to the bear refuge. Lapinski also goes
over Timothy’s history of breaking the rules of bears and even
the Katmai National Park. In the end, I even have problems believing
Timothy’s claim of overcoming drug addiction with the help of
the bears.
I still think that Timothy was a good guy at heart. He was engaging
and people flocked to him and his causes, but something wasn’t
quite right. Maybe he was just to caught up in being a celebrity,
maybe he was bi-polar as the author suggests. Hopefully his legacy
will be constructive and teach everyone to respect the bears and keep
their distance. But I write this one day after seeing a commercial
for an upcoming special about a photographer who gets his pictures
by walking up to wild bears. Maybe the allure is too much for the
lesson to be learned.
Overview
The book start with an interesting and plausible retelling of the
fatal mauling, pieced together from journal entries and evidence.
It is very possible but we will never know. From there he dedicated
chapters to each facet of the story from Treadwell’s first experiences
to his rise to fame. He also covers related subjects like adrenaline
addiction, the Katmai National Park, poaching, and the possibility
of Timothy being bi-polar. In each chapter he talks to those who knew
Timothy to recreate what he can.
One part I particularly like was his chapter on Amy Huguenard. To
me, she is the real tragedy in this story, hidden in the shadow of
the Timothy Treadwell story. Even the bears that are shot during the
recovery get far more press and sympathy than Amy. It is nice to see
someone give her some notice, and the author give her a respectful
treatment. (For that matter he also treats Timothy respectfully.)
He ends the book with some more conjecture. He dedicates
a chapter to the chance of bear spray being able to avert the tragedy,
which it may have. Another chapter tries to figure out who killed
Timothy and if anyone shares the blame with the bear and Timothy himself.
Lastly he looks at Timothy’s legacy which in many ways still
waits to be written.
Author
Mike Lapinski is a veteran outdoor writer with lots
of personal bear experience from Montana bear country. His books include
True Stories of Bear Attacks: Who Survived and Why.
