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When I was younger, I used to always go on camping trips and it was one of the few things that I remember and truly enjoyed and, in my future, I really wish to continue that. Something that has always amazed me was the vastness of the great lakes and just how much beautiful nature is in that area. I wish to visit Lake Superior and just spend a week exploring and just really experiencing everything that it has to offer. After that I don't really wish to do much else, I want to live a quiet and peaceful life where I can do things that I wish to do on a whim. Where there is nothing constraining me from just saying F it and doing what I want. I like living without a plan and just seeing where something takes me no matter where I end up.
I do still wish to live in California though as there is so much to do in such a small area. I can go to the beach or up the mountains, or into the forests whenever I want.
#FulfilingMyDream #Peace #DoWhatYouWant

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I feel like even at the beginning of the book I've always respected what he has done in his life and the impact that he made on others around him. I think the fact that he had so much courage to challenge himself in ways that so many other people wouldn't especially coming from a background where he grew up with almost everything he need except for something very important. He never had a loving mother or father and I recently learned that his parents actually were abusive. This only made me respect him more as he just wanted freedom from the confines of life. Even though he left his sister behind he found a way to experience life in a way where even if it was tuff and challenging, he made came out with a positive outlook. Even when he almost died by drowning in his canoe and in the end he still says that it is great to be alive and that he felt like he was living life to the fullest extent. Many people just see him as dumb and in truth, he was wildly unprepared but I feel like in his eyes by not relying on anything except the knowledge that he did have he felt truly free from anything.

#FinallyFree #Respect #LivingLife

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Summary: In a helicopter (pg. 200) Billie, Walt, and John return to Alaska to visit the bus (pg. 202) that Christopher died in. Billie McCandless enters first and looks over her son's belongings. She grabs a pair of Chris's pants and smells them saying it smells like Chris. She also finds silverware (pg. 202) that he stole from their home in Annandale. Before leaving they left a suitcase with supplies that included Chris's bible and a note (pg. 202) telling runaways to please call their families. Billie and Walt both agree that they are glad they came. Before leaving Billie describes how maybe if Chris didn't die his actions would be admirable (pg. 203) but he did pass away. They take off and the bus slowly comes out of view.

Analysis: I think this was a perfect ending to the book because they got closure and the way they left was almost symbolic. It was like this chapter of their life is finally over and the pain that they felt from Chris's passing will slowly get smaller and smaller just like the bus fading from their view.

#TheEnd #NeverForgotten #Closure

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Summary: After not being able to attempt (pg. 188) to cross the Teklanika Chris returns back to the bus and tries to waste time till August so that he can return (pg 189) back to civilization. But on July 30th he leaves an entry in his journal saying that he was extremely weak and starving (pg. 189) due to a pot seed. Krakuer originally believes that Chris ate potato seeds in which he had purchased which poisoned him. This theory was highly unlikely though as he would have had to eaten pounds of seeds for it to effect him. The other option was that Chris ate the seeds of a wild sweet pea (pg. 191) plant which was highly poisonous and is what caused the sickness. Or option 3 in which Chris actually ate moldy potato seeds (pg. 194) that harbored dangerous alkaloids that cause the sickness he experienced. Either way Chris was starving and didn't have the necessary supplies and food to fight of the sickness. On Chris's last few days he writes a note saying that he had a happy life. Chris most likely passed away on August 18th which was the 112th day (pg. 199) he had spent in the wilderness.

Analysis: It is so sad to me that such a small mistake cost him his life. It was something that no one could have for seen as it seemed liked Chris was thoroughly educated on the plant life that surrounded him. It is also sad to see how many other ways he could have made it back but in the end he died in a way befitting of who he was.

#LongLiveChris #MyWayOrTheHighway #Mixmatch

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Summary: So Krakauer makes it back to his tent, all butt hurt that he didn't achieve his goal of summiting Devil's Thumb.  In a genius move, he decided to smoke a joint to make himself feel better since he's a bit depressed.  Well, he ends up setting his tent on fire causing it to vaporize one of the walls so the temperature inside drops by 30 degrees or so.  Good job, Jon!  Anyway, this causes him to think about his reason for running away to climb:  his volatile (p. 147) history with his father!  They have a very similar relationship to Walt and Chris - dad is stubborn, treats his son poorly, pushes him away with his medical school expectations (p. 148) since he himself is a doctor.  Yeah, I know: we've heard this story before.  Jon uses these complicated (p. 147) family memories as motivation:  he's going to attempt to summit the Thumb to prove his disbelieving dad wrong!  He fixes his tent by packing it with snow and forges a plan to begin his final ascent on a slightly "easier" side of the mountain, the southeast side.  At sunrise, he summons ALL of his courage and overcoming all of the terrifying (p. 150) obstacles, he finally makes it to the top - YAY!  He enjoys the view for a minutes, snaps a few pics, and begins his descent.  When he finally makes it off the mountain, he tells a few people what he did.  They aren't extremely impressed.  This makes Jon think about what he did and why he did it, causing him to say, "I thought climbing Devil's Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life.  In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing.  But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams. And I lived to tell my tale" (p. 155). Years later when writing this book, he realizes that his hubris (p.155) pushed him to his limits to achieve his goal, but that the impact his possible death had on those who loved him would've been catastrophic.  This is why he believes that Chris had NO intention to die in the wild, that he was only chasing his young, irresponsible dream.

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Summary:  To answer Billie McCandless' question at the end of Chapter 13 about why anyone would do what Chris did, Jon Krakauer flips the script and tells his own story of Alaska adventure.  At the age of 23, Krakauer decides to head to the great north to find himself not by living in the wild, but by climbing the major mountains in the 49th state.  He becomes obsessed with hiking Devil's Thumb, a very steep, challenging ascent on the glacier (p. 138) known as the Stikine Ice Cap.  Like Chris, completing this climb becomes the only important thing in Krakauer's life.  Chris obsessed over the bush, while Jon's obsession (p. 134) is this rare climbing achievement.  Much like he anticipated, the ascent is dangerous and potentially deadly.  Krakauer proceeds with caution during whiteout snow storms while crossing over delicate crevasses (p. 140) which could crack and send him tumbling down hundreds of feet.  On a beautiful May day, Krakauer decides that this is it, he must summon the courage and concentration (p. 142) he needs to summit this peak today or else...Even with the warm temps and sunny day, the ice is impenetrable and Krakauer panics (p. 143).  He can see the summit, but he can't reach it.  His only option is down.

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Chris, Carine, Walt, and Billie At Dinner After His Graduation From Emory University

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Summary: Chris's sister Carine is visited by John so that he can get a new point of view from someone close to Chris. She tells him that they had a tight bond and that they were very much alike. She talks about how Chris loved their family dog and how he wanted to take him with him on his trip. She also reflects on when she was told that Chris has passed away from her husband. She suffered very badly from his loss and refused to eat. She also has random moments where she breaks down and cries reflecting on Chris. The same happens to Bille as she ends up losing 8 pounds while Walt gains 8 pounds. In the end, Carine wonders why her brother left her all alone.

Analysis: This is one of the very few times where my respect for Chris has dipped. It was very selfish of him to leave his sister, his one true bond, without any explanation and no contact whatsoever. I get that he had a grudge against his parents but there was no reason for him to leave Carine in the dust too.

#BestDog #SiblingsBond #FinallyGone

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Summary: John Krakauer goes and visits Walt in his home (pg. 104). Walt wonders how Chris, someone with so much compassion, could cause him so much pain. Walt is someone that is usually in a place of authority (p. 104) whenever he talks people listen (pg. 105). After Chris disappeared Walt lightened up and become a softer person than before. Growing up Chris never had the most stable family life. His parents were constantly working and he never had the attention that he needed. It wasn't all bad though on weekends they would go out and camp (pg. 108) in the woods. Chris has always been academically gifted (pg. 109) but it never really mattered to him. Whatever he felt like achieving at the moment he kept pushing for it and didn't give up. Chris never cared about money and living a perfect life with his family. Then in the spring of 1986, Chris decided to take off on his adventure (pg. 116) and travel across North America and begin his journey into the wild.

Analysis: I really admire Chris's nature and his ability to care so little about certain things that many would naturally care about. I see why John Krakauer decided to add this to the book because it shows one of the many reasons why Chris wanted to escape. It seemed like even at home it didn't feel like home for him and his family live didn't help at all.

#FamilyAffair #Toxic #FinallyFree

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Summary: This chapter brings us back to the main story of Chris Mcandless. For a week Alaskan State troopers have been trying to pick up clues to figure out who this missing person was. It wasn't until a story (pg. 99) was posted on September 10th on the front page of the Anchorage Daily News, would they get their first real clue. Jim Gallien had seen the article and called the state troopers. He described to them gear (pg 99) that matched what Chris had on him that no one else knew about and told them that he was from South Dakota. The search went dead until Wayne Westerberg heard on Paul Harvey's broadcast about a kid who starved to death in Alaska. He ends up calling the Alaskan State Troopers who have been bombarded with fake calls. Westerberg fed up with them not listening tells them that he has Chris's Social Security number (pg. 101). This leads their search to northern Virginia where after searching through pages of phone books (pg.101) law enforcement are able to contact Sam McCandless, Chris's half brother. Sam flies over to Fairfax where the police show him a photograph (pg. 101) and without a doubt it was Chris. He then heads back to Virginia and drives to Maryland to tell his father that their child (pg. 102), Chris, is dead (pg. 102).

Analysis: It is absolutely insane to me just how lucky the turn of events was for them to discover the true identity of the dead hiker. The fact that Wayne was able to reach the end of  Paul's broadcast and hear it is what led to the discovery that it was Chris's body. Also the amount of work that was required for law enforcement was insane back then. Also if it wasn't for the connection that Chris made with Wayne this may have been just another story on the news that goes cold.
#LuckyMan #JohnDoe #MysteriousHiker

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Summary: Another chapter about a dude who isn't Chris McCandless.  Everett Ruess shares many similarities with our main character though - he's a wanderer (p. 90), free spirit, well liked risk taker and lover of all things solitude and wilderness.  Everett is a bit younger than Chris when he begins his vagabond (p. 91) journey, dropping out of UCLA after only one semester to follow his dream (p. 96) of living a nomadic existence.  Unlike Chris, Everett focuses his travels in the southwest rather than north, but like Chris he also renames himself choosing the moniker Nemo after the character Captain Nemo in the Jules Verne classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. And yes, Nemo the fish we know today is named after that character, too!  While on a solo expedition in Utah, Ruess seemingly disappears, never to be heard from again.  A search party is sent to find him after he goes incommunicado (p. 93), but other than finding his donkey, some cave drawings/graffiti he made and pieces of his gear, Ruess was never seen again.  Stories vary on what happen to him - maybe he was a victim of his own reckless innocence (p, 97) and fell while hiking or possibly drown, but some speculate that he was murdered by Native Americans.  No one ever found him or his remains, so Everett's end remains a mystery.  Like Chris, Everett's passion for nature and adventure won out over a conventional life, yet neither man made it out of the wild...

Analysis: I think it goes to show that nature and the wild is something that is so alluring to so many individuals and it shows that people like Chris or Ruses are just people following their passions just as many others would do if it was something different. Even if they passed due to unfortunate circumstances it doesn't make them crazy or different as they are just following their passions.

#GoneButNotForgotten #Mystery #LivingLife

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Summary: Jon Krakauer uses this chapter to show his readers that other men have come to their demise (p. 70) on Alaskan adventures, even if the circumstances are a bit different from those of Chris McCandless.  First up is Gene Rossellini, the modern day caveman!  Gene heads north from the lower 48 in the early 1970's.  He's a super intelligent guy looking to test himself in Alaska ...sound like anyone we know??  Well, "the mayor of Hippie Cove" as Gene is called lives a prehistoric existence, testing himself to see if modern day man can live in the same way as the cavemen did it back in the day. Gene tries his hardest, but sadly writes, "I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know to live off the land" (p. 75) before plunging a knife through his heart when he realizes the true extent of his failure (p. 75).  Next up is crazy John Waterman.  Lots of similarities to Chris:  he's from the D.C. area, has MAJOR issues with his dad and is super smart.  John is an accomplish climber and alpinist (p. 79) before he starts losing his marbles, running for president of the United States on a platform to end hunger.  SPOILER ALERT:  He doesn't win the election!  Anywho, John comes unhinged, decides to climb the most difficult mountain in all of Alaska in the dead of winter and is never heard from again.  Alaska state troopers believe he probably fell down a crevasse (p. 80) to his death, although his remains were never found.  And last up is poor Carl McCunn.  Another transplant from the lower 48, Carl is the life of the party - just like Chris.  Good guy, fun to be around, charming, but lacks common sense & thinks someone will bail him out if he ends up in trouble.  Similar to Chris, he hatches a plan to go off into the wild for a few months BUT he fails to set up an Uber (think Uber plane!) to come back and pick him up.  The summer turns to fall and McCunn is starving and freezing.  But wait...a plane flies overhead and it looks like Carl is going to be rescued!!!  Unfortunately, Carl doesn't know that waving ONE hand in the air means you're good, no need to rescue you instead of throwing TWO hands in the air, the universal sign for HELP!!!  Carl is dying a slow and painful death by a mix of starvation and frostbite, so in his final diary (p. 81) he explains that he shot himself in the head to end his misery.  Guess Chris doesn't sound that crazy or unprepared after all, huh???

Analysis: I think its really cool that there is so many individuals who still have this passion to do things that are out of the comfort zone. I think conformity is something that has always controlled so many and even though they didn't have a good plan they still strive for something dangerous and different to excite themselves. Even though in the end it seems like nature always wins. I think it shows that Chris isn't really that crazy if some many before him also want to travel to do these dangerous things.

#DaddyIssues #NatureAlwaysWins #CrazyMen

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Postcard From Chris McCandless to Wayne Westerberg

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Summary: Jon Krakauer heads to Carthage, South Dakota to gain the knowledge of Wayne Westerberg and his experiences with Chris McCandless. Seven Months prior Chris walked into Wayne's office saying that he was ready to work to gather supplies for his trip to Alaska. During this time Chris did hard work and eventually was taught howto operate a front-end loader. Wayne discovers that Chris wasn't born with the most common sense (p.62). Before leaving Wayne discovers the reason for the disconnect between Chris and his family. Chris says that he wishes to divorce (p.64) his parents and never speak to his parents due to the authority (p.64) and oppressive nature that they asserted on to him. Something odd though was that Chris died as a virgin even with his out going personality and good looks. He believed in his heroes like Thoreau and John Muir who were inspirations to him. This showed his yearning (p.66) for nature (p. 66) which was too strong for any need of  sexual contact. He also had a sense of independent nature (p. 64) where relationships will only cause problems for him. He has a going away party in Carthage before finally setting off for Alaska. In early May Wayne receives a postcard from Chris saying that this is the last you will hear from him and that he now walks into the wild (p.69). He sends a postcard too Jan Burres and Bob too saying that this is the last they will hear from him.

Analysis: It is sad that was actually the last time they received any communication from him and it wasn't due to the fact that he was living in the wild but that he has passed. I think it is really cool that he was able to create such a big impact on others and be able to connect with them with ease and I think it's due to the fact that because he always knew that in the back of his mind he was most likely eventually going to leave so he had no anxiety or struggle talking to others since it may be the last time he does talk to them. There was no fear or social anxiety when it came to him.

#FamilyProblems #Nature>>> #IntoTheWild

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Slab City, California - Salvation Mountain

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Summary: In chapter 5 we get to see what Alex is like when he is put into situations involving the "confinements" of society. during this chapter Alex reaches Bullhead City Arizona and stops movement for 2 months (pg. 39). In this city he was working a job (pg.39) at Mcdonald's and even opened up a savings account. One weird thing that his coworkers remembered about him is his hate for socks (pg.40) and one of his coworkers was even surprised to learn that he got the job. During this time he also tried hiding the fact that he was homeless and said he lived in Laughlin. In reality, he was camping out in the desert (pg. 41) at the edge of town. Tired of Bullhead City he travels out to the Slabs a place for drifters and sundry vagabonds (pg.43). Here he felt like he fits in and was friendly with everyone. Eventually, though he moves on and continues his journey heading west not accepting anything from the people he left with.

Analysis: I think this chapter really shows why Alex wants to leave society and live a life by himself living off the wilderness. It seems like he doesn't like the feeling of being indebted to others even if he isn't. In this chapter, he isn't willing to accept anything from Burres and even when a girl develops an interest for him he doesn't reciprocate anything back. It seems like this feeling is what made him want to escape from his actual family in the first place.

#Life'sABore #MickeyD's #SlabCity4Life

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Summary: This is the chapter where we learn about all the challenges that Alex faced during his trip across the country and into Mexico. It all starts in Leak Mead where Alex decides to park for the night but gets caught in a flash flood wetting his engine and not allowing it to start. He left a note (pg. 26) taped to the windshield that read, "This piece of s**t has been abandoned. Whoever can get it out of here can have it." When he gets to California, he gets ripped off by a man called crazy Earnie and escapes by stealing one of the bikes left in the yard of the man's ranch (pg. 30). Then on August 10, he gets a ticket (pg. 31) for hitchhiking and tells the officer his address in Virginia. This causes his parents to launch a massive search (pg. 31) to find Alex, but it turns up nothing. Alex then chooses to head down to Mexico where he gets in a dangerous predicament traveling down many canals (pg. 34) trying to find a way to the ocean but it comes to no avail. He ends up getting picked up by duck hunters that take him to El Golfo de Santa Clara where he spends the next week and a half. During this time he almost dies after getting stuck out in the sea by powerful tides (pg. 36) but makes it back. He decides to travel back to the United States and is able to concoct a story that allows him back in but he loses the handgun (pg. 36) that he carried for most of his trip. After taking random jobs in Los Angeles he makes it back to Las Vegas but even with everything he faced he says that he was joyful living to the full extent and that it was great that he was alive.

Analysis: I really like just how well Alex is taking everything that comes at him. He is such an optimist and has made every situation into something good even when he was close to death he still enjoyed his life to the fullest. It's cool seeing his growth as a person and the skills he has learned during his trip.

#LuckytoBeAlive #GreatToBeAlive #Nothing'sGonnaStopMe

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Picture of "War and Peace" the book that Chris gave to Wayne Westerberg

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Summary: Chapter 3 describes his journey before reaching Alaska in the city of Carthage, South Dakota. We learn here from Wayne Westerberg that many people got attached (pg. 16) to Alex while he stayed here, Wayne included. Westerberg describes him finding a hitchhiker on the road and mentions the characteristics of Alex. Alex tells Westerberg that his destination is the Saco Hot Springs, but Westerberg couldn't travel that far. He decides to drop Alex off 10 miles from where he was picked up but because of the rain, they both decide to stay in Westerberg's trailer. Westerberg then offers him a job (pg. 17) in Carthage if he ever needs it. Alex ends up showing up and taking his offer. Westerberg describes Alex as hardworking and ethical (pg. 18). Due to unfortunate circumstances, Westerberg has to serve time in prison because of pirating cable television. Alex ends up not being able to stay in Carthage anymore because of this but he ends up calling South Dakota his home. We then learn that Chris was actually from a well-off family and went to Emory University. After graduating he sends a final report card to his parents before going on his journey to create a new life for himself and disappear (pg. 21) from his old self.

Analysis: I think so far I learned that Chris is very sporadic with his choices and it's in his nature. He ends up making a lot of decisions that are just very questionable but I guess that is because he wants to escape this life that has been built around him. It seems like he wanted a life where instead of things being handed to him he had to work hard to receive what he wanted which is what happened in Carthage, he worked hard and received everything on his own.

#Escape #ANewLife #Hardworking

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Summary: In chapter 2 we begin to learn more about the dangerous terrain that Chris would have had to travel to reach the abandoned bus, which he made his home, that was left on the Stampede Trail. The Stampede Trail is notorious for its boggy thickets (pg. 10) that lined the trail. One September afternoon six people from three different parties would make a grim discovery. On the outside of the bus, there was an SOS note (pg. 12) begging for help. Which led to one of the men entering the bus (pg. 10) and discovering Chris McCandless's body inside a sleeping bag. In the morning a police helicopter would come to recover Chris's body along with a camera with five rolls of exposed film (pg. 13). The most probable cause of death was starvation (pg. 14).

Analysis: I wish that he would have just brought more with him or at least a backup supply as he just needed to last two more weeks. It was unfortunate what happened but I hope that he doesn't regret the decision that he made to travel and gain the freedom he always wanted. It was sad that he passed the way that he did.

#RIP #DangersoftheWilderness #ToLate

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Picture of Chris where he got dropped off before the Stampede Trail.

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Summary: Chapter 1 of Into the Wild shows the beginning of the end of Alex or Chris McCandless journey across the U.S. and his entry into the Alaskan bush (pg. 4). All he has with him is a small backpack, a rifle (pg.3), and a map (pg. 5) to guide him and protect him along the way. Chris was a real gung-ho who wouldn't let anyone stop him from his journey. This is when he was dropped off at the front of the Stampede Trail and began his journey into the wilderness and he takesa picture with the camera (pg. 7) that he brought with him.

Analysis: I don't understand his need to challenge himself this far but that doesn't mean much coming from someone like me as I tend to stay within my boundaries. It seemed like he just wanted freedom, and this was his way of expressing it. If only he carried more supplies with him, we may have seen a different story where we learned about someone that experienced Alaska's wilderness instead of it ending tragically.

#AlaskaInterior #Freedom #livinglifetothefullest

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Growing up I spent a lot of time in outdoors. I would go camping every few months to places where we were completely separated from others. I learned how to fish and swim from my dad who has always been an outdoorsman. He would go deep sea fishing almost every weekend before he had my brothers and I.

As I grew older we stopped going out to camp as much but I still have a great appreciation for the outdoors. I have taught myself to live vicariously through Youtubers who are constantly out in nature doing things I wish I could do. I still every once in a while do go on hikes with my friends though.

I hope that when I grow older I have the opportunity to explore the outdoors as I once have. I also want my kids to realize just how beautiful nature is and for them to experience the things I experienced as a kid.