Into the Wild - the Journey of Christopher McCandless

The story of Christopher McCandless, also known as Alexander Supertramp, has been told by more than one author. The most popular of the stories, Into the Wild, was written by Jon Krakauer in 1996. In 2007, the story was made into a movie, directed by Sean Penn. In the book by Krakauer, the author retraces McCandless two year journey that ultimately led him to the Alaskan outback where he eventually died. The author quotes many of the writings that McCandless had left behind before his death. These writings, along with interviews with people he encountered before his journey into the Alaskan outback, show that McCandless had no intention of dying, but a desire to experience life to its fullest.

McCandless started his Alaskan journey in Dawson Creek, which is on the Canadian/Alaskan border. He hitchhiked from Dawson Creek to the Laird River resort where he was picked up by Gaylord Stuckey. Stuckey drove McCandless from the Liard River Hotsprings, which is just on the outside edge of the Yukon Territory, to Fairbanks Alaska. While speaking to McCandless about his reasoning for wanting to live in the wild, "He said it was something he'd wanted to do since he was little... said he didn't want to see a single person, no airplanes, no sign of civilization. He wanted to prove to himself that he could make it on his own, without anybody else's help." (346) These statements, made by McCandless, are obvious signs that he didn't want anything more than an adventure while pursuing his own personal solitude.

McCandless began his journey in the Yukon Territory on April 28 after being dropped off on the Stamped Trail. He had forgotten to pack writing paper so he used the margins and blank pages in the books that he had packed to keep a journal. On May 1, he came across an old bus and documented it as "Magic Bus Day." (349) The bus had some creature comforts, "a bunk and a barrel stove, and previous visitors had left the improvised shelter stocked with matches, bug dope, and other essentials." (348 - 349) This would be his "home" for the next several months.

The first sentences of his "declaration of independence", that he wrote on a sheet of plywood that covered the window of the bus, also shows he was just looking for and adventure. "Two years he walks the earth, no phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. Ultimate freedom. An extremist. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road." (349) All of these statements show this was his dream to roam the country, living off of the land.

His first week in the bus was difficult. Entries for that week included "Weakness," "Snowed in," and "Disaster" (349) show that he was not prepared for the extreme conditions of the Alaskan outback. He was having a hard time killing game which was documented with a journal entry that said "4th day famine." (349)

On May 23 he traversed a three thousand foot mountain that was north of his location which gave him a view of the Alaska Range. His journal entry for the day was short and sweet "CLIMB MOUNTAIN!" (349) This seemed to be a turning point for him. His spirits were lifted and shortly after returning to the bus, he began killing game, seemingly at will, including poaching a moose. His outlook on life, at this point, was good.

He had felt like he had fulfilled his desires by early July. He shaved his face and began his trip back out of the wild. On July 5th, on his way back out of the wilderness, he came back to the Teklanika river. It was flowing to fast for him to cross. He made his way back to the bus. His journal entry was as follows; "Disaster....Rained in. River look impossible. Lonely, scared." (354) By this time it seems as though he had given up or maybe he was going to try and wait for the river to subside. His true intentions for returning back to the bus are unknown.

Although he had many ups and downs that were documented in his