Wildlife photographer Stephen Kirkpatrick had a simple plan for his 1995 trip to the Peruvian rain forest. A freelancer, he would fly to Peru on his own dime and follow a seasoned jungle guide to an area of the rain forest that even natives consider remote.

While others scouted this virgin territory for potential eco-tours, Kirkpatrick, aided by his own guide Aschuco, would photograph something so rare and wonderful that it would catapult him to the staff of National Geographic. Farewell to the financial anxieties of a divorced man with three boys to support. After all, biologists routinely find new species of birds and frogs on every scientific expedition to Peru's "biologically unknown" parts.

Naturally, it wasn't that simple. Too late, Kirkpatrick applied some elementary logic to the crude drawing he had of their destination. "If no one's been there before, then how could a hand-drawn map be accurate?" he thought.

And that was just the start of his troubles.

On the second day in the jungle, a traveling companion dumped all the group's food, reducing them to scavenging for palm grubs and fish. Hired porters renegotiated their contracts at whim, at the worst possible moments. And despite his best efforts, the jungle humidity rendered his treasured cameras useless.

The rain that supports the lush vegetation nearly took Kirkpatrick's livelihood by soaking his film, mildewing his bag and clouding his lenses. Some of Lost's most frustrating moments are Kirkpatrick's painstaking accounts of setting up his shots, only to have his Nikon jam.

If the camera miraculously came to life, head guide Esteban was hustling the group to the next disaster. "Lord, if wildlife photography is what you want me to do, then why won't you let me do it?" Kirkpatrick prays.

Good question.

Yet Kirkpatrick believes this was the life God means him to lead. Lost begins and ends with Kirkpatrick's profession of faith to his sons: God will take care of me, whether I'm swept down river, or have no T-shirts to trade for food, or am clinging to a tree in a downpour. God will take care of me.

While his belief is an essential part of Lost, the theme is low key. Wisely, Kirkpatrick leaves the theatrics to the televangelists.

His faith is more personal. Kirkpatrick punctuates the misery with fun moments: playing with children in an Indian village, bantering with his fellow traveler Darcy, explaining the typical American lament, "Are we there yet?" to Aschuco. Lost has a comfortable tone, even at its most dramatic.

And it is dramatic.

The five-man expedition finds itself utterly lost during its 15-day, 80-mile ordeal in the jungle. Just when things look hopeless for the group, they hear a boat. When it comes into view, they see that it is piloted by a teenage Indian boy. Unfazed by the sight or smell of the starving men, he agrees to take them out of the jungle.

But first, he needs to visit his father upstream. He promises to be right back. "And the check is in the mail, too?" Darcy sneers.

"The Lord said we'd get out of here," Kirkpatrick answers, and begins gathering his gear.

It would be fair to say that their savior's return was cause for celebration. But it's the boy's answer to their elation that stops the show: "I told you I'd come back for you. Why are you so surprised?"

Kirkpatrick leaves the meaning of this comment for the reader to interpret. Whether it illustrates the mystery of faith, the fulfillment of a prophecy, a promise kept or just unbelievably good luck, readers will rejoice in the boy's return.

As the boy leaves them in town, Kirkpatrick realizes that he doesn't know his rescuer's name. It's the last detail in a long line of others that hint at the author's less appealing side. With all due respect to divorced fathers, it seems unfair to label child support "my ex-wife's check." Surely he was present at the creation of the boys he so clearly loves.

And when the guides are building the raft they hope to float, as per expedition plan, it seems reasonable that all hands would be called on. Instead, Darcy and Kirkpatrick nap on the beach.

Likewise, readers wanting to know what happened to Kirkpatrick's fellow travelers, particularly the faithful Aschuco, will be disappointed. The Kirkpatrick writing team could not find room for an epilogue? It leaves a bad taste of the Great White Hunter, which Kirkpatrick surely did not intend.

A map showing where the group was, or thought they were, also would have been a nice addition.

Despite these oversights, readers looking for adventure will find a healthy dose, as will those looking for inspiration - or even an excuse to beg off a trip to uncharted areas.

Lost in the Amazon: The True Story of Five Men and their Desperate Battle for Survival

• By Stephen Kirkpatrick, as told to Marlo Carter Kirkpatrick. W Publishing Group, 240 pages, $21.99.

• Grade: A-

Christine Jacques is a freelance writer living in Golden.

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