That's right - all the runnners who have met him (Pope) report that he is a good guy, and no one has anything bad to say about him.
The confrontation with hunters? He has a history of having to deal with those guys over the years, because that is his training ground, so naturally, he feels somewhat agressive to protect part of his "turf" - yep, I know, it is not his personal property, but the way the hunters ride around and create stress has probably something to do with Pope's antipathy toward those people.
Pope is so focussed on his running, that other areas of his life have taken a backseat, but not having a wife and kids has allowed him the 'luxury' of choosing that mostly solitary path. But he leads, from the reports offered, a kind of monastic/frugal life which many of us could learn something from, wrapped up, as we are, in acquiring so many possessions, only to discard them soon after for newer models.
Others have commented that Pope is not 'productive' to society, but Pope is a good example of a person living a quiet, healthy life, espousing, along the way, good minimalist living habits, difficult to emulate for most materialistic Americans. If Pope is reading this - good luck to him.
Ghost in Korea