I needed to understand how this faceless man had become a ubiquitous and mercurial guru—and wormed his way into the brains and hearts of my community. So I emailed Givens and asked him to meet up.

above sea level, the mountain sweeps to 20,320 ft. above central Alaska in a single cascade of rock and ice. In summer, McKinley is merely inhospitable; in winter, it is deadly. For one thing ...