Desperately Seeking He-man: 'Cosmo' scares up 4,000 mates for outdoorsy 'Rhett'

A man who braved living among wild animals in near isolation for 18 months on a remote island is waging a different war today - fighting off thousands of women seeking companionship since Cosmopolitan advertised his wild-man ways.

To date, about 4,000 women have written to Michael Modzelewski since his image appeared in November's issue advertising feats such as running a marathon on China's Great wall, swimming with killer whales and trekking the African veldt.

"It's still coming in," he said.

Now the author of Inside Passage, Living with Killer Whales, Bald eagles and Kwakitul Indians has grist for a new book on the state of romance in America based partially on his letter-reading experiences.

Exploring the complex dealings between males and females could prove as exciting as his experiences with the wildlife of Blackfish Sound in the Inside Passage, the coastline between Seattle and Alaska.

A sense of wonder and respect for the natural forces that shape the wilderness comes through in Inside Passage. whether being trailed overhead by a bald eagle or interacting with the native wisdom of the Kwakiutl, who nearby islands, Modzelewski paints a picture of constant challenge from environmental forces and consequent learning about his inner workings.

Besides dealing with occasional bouts of loneliness, which he battled by writing friends the 12-page letters that became the basis of his book, he was always concerned about injury. The nearest help was a dozen miles away by water, a journey that could take up to two days in rough seas.

One groggy morning, he sliced through his thumb while chopping wood. Without a needle or thread, Modzelewski pulled a strand from an old shirt, ran hot water over a straightened fish hook, took a shot of rum and stitched his wound.

Getting to know the local Indians proved enlightening, especially after one had vowed to come back in the spring and pick up his bones after the harsh winter had passed.

Perhaps the most important lesson he learned was that becoming egoless frees the soul to do almost anything in this world.

Modzelewski returned to his island refuge recently to shoot footage for a documentary based on the book that should air on PBS stations next year.

'Gone With the Wind', another book he is working on will document the slaughter of approximately 200 pink dolphins per month in the Amazon River for their left eyes; locals believe carrying the eyeball will make them irresistible to women.

Modzelewski, who divides his time between Berkeley, Calif., and Phoenix, does speaking engagements about his adventures and is also working on answering letters from Cosmo readers. He has titled his latest book project Looking for Rhett: Romance in the 1990s.

The Gone with the wind reference comes from a conversation he had with a woman in Atlanta after a statistically minded friend figured out that about one in four of the responses came from the South.

"We're lookin' for Rhett," she said. Modzelewski figures many women are searching for a man who's a tad reckless, yet intensely romantic.

Apparently he fits the bill, and responses have come in from all kinds of women - including a former Playboy bunny, a female prisoner and a former Miss Memphis who dated John F. Kennedy Jr. eight times.

Modzelewski is bracing for a new slew of letters when he appears as the (fully clothed) centerfold in the June issue of Alaska Men. Poor guy.