He may have been traveling for diplomatic or social purposes — to visit relatives or trading partners on the other side of the mountains.

He may have been a guide or companion for others making such a crossing.

What went wrong — why he ended up in the ice rather than completing whatever journey he was undertaking — is not recoverable from the evidence.

The alpine environment is unforgiving.

The weather in the Tatshenshini-Alsek mountains can change with extraordinary speed.

Glaciers are hazardous.

A traveler caught in a sudden storm, a fall into a crevasse, sudden illness, or any number of other catastrophic possibilities could explain how a knowledgeable traveler ended up dead in the ice.

He was apparently alone when he died — no other human remains were found near him.