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My experience with nature is pretty bleak. I would consider myself a city girl through and through, and as sad and boring as it sounds, I enjoy the comfort of my own home; and wouldn't go out of my way to go to places like national parks. I'm not the biggest fan of forest nature, and dislike things such as camping and hiking. However, since I was a child, there was one place in nature that I absolutely adored, and that was the beach. Anything on the water was fun to me, and I always felt like I had a deep connection to the ocean. All of the vacations that I've been on that had pools, beaches, and rivers I've adored, and the ones with canyons and forests I've hated. Lakes are a good middle ground though. Oftentimes my family plans trips around water activities because they know it's more enjoyable that way. Since we live so close to the beach, I find it much more fun to just go to the beach instead of seeing other things. It makes it accessible and fun. The entirety of last summer if I was bored I'd literally just go to the beach and it was the best thing ever because not only was there water, but I could also walk around and shop. This is me and my dear friend Medelen at the beach this past summer after a lovely picnic with friends.

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Summary: Our main character, Chris McCandless is introduced. He's thrown everything away, his money and his entire identity. He goes by his new name Alex, and is now a hitchhiker (4). He is ill equipped with an expensive backpack (1), a rifle (3), and not much food. He hitchhikes with a truck driver Gallien, who is concerned about the man's well being. The author groups the people who trek Alaska as dreamers and misfits (4), and he seems to be correct, as Gallien notes that all he has for food is a ten pound bag of rice (5). Gallien warns Alex of the weather conditions, and urges him to take his boots actually made for the environment. He also urges him to take his tuna sandwich, and asks him to take a picture (7) with his rifle.
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Analysis: I think Chris now Alex is entirely stupid. I feel like he should have done proper research before throwing everything he has away just to die later. It's almost infuriating how he has the privilege to grow up wealthy and be able to throw it all away for this "dream" that he has. It's no surprise that he turns up dead, and I don't feel bad  at all because he did it to himself.
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#hehaditcoming #hitchhikeradventures #alaskacore

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Summary: In this chapter, a group of people are described using various vehicles to navigate the harsh land that is this portion of Alaska. They travel through ridges (9) and spruce (10), and a bridge (10) that wasn't finished being constructed is mentioned. They find a bus (10) that the construction workers building the bridge used to occupy with an emergency note and a measly red flag, if one could even call it that. They also noticed a rancid smell (12) coming from the bus. It was Chris in a sleeping bag, dead for about 2 and a half weeks. His body was then taken into custody by the state troopers, who performed an autopsy (14).Because Chris had no identification on him, it made it difficult to examine him. Additionally, the weathering of the body and flesh made it difficult to determine the cause of death, but it was concluded to be starvation (14). The troopers also confiscated his belongings, one of which was a self taken photo (14).
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Analysis: While I did say he had it coming, I can't help feel bad for him because of how tragic the whole situation is. I more so feel bad for the people who had to find him, as it was probably a traumatic thing for them to come across something such as this. He worked very hard to survive, but he was simply not equipped to handle this type of survival in this environment, which makes it unsurprising that he wound up dead. At the very least, he found something to keep him shelter, and that bus probably kept him alive a whole lot longer than if he didn't utilize it.
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#theendbutnotreally #ripchris/alex #hewasadreamerfr

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Summary: It is revealed that Chris has taken refuge in the small town of Carthage. It's been two months (16) since the previous chapter, and Chris is described as expressionless (17). He wears glasses and is employed (17) by a man named Westerberg. He also goes into his past, and has many siblings, although only 1 who is directly blood related, and 6 half related. He abandons his blood family (22) and finds his found family in Carthage, and considered South Dakota his home. It's also shown that Chris had been disconnected from his family for a long while, and was comfortable with leaving his family for periods of time. He loved his car (21), and graduated (20) college (20). He would go on long trips throughout the summers alone. His siblings also offered to pay for future education, law school (20).
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Analysis:
I don't understand this man. He has the privilege of a good life: a wealthy upbringing, high education, and two parents. He's living a good life, and while his family life may not be the best, I feel like he could have made a less far fetched option of where to escape. He's done it before with his car, so I don't get why he'd turn to Alaska of all places to change his destiny. I think he's out of this world deluded, and he threw all the potential he had away.
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#foundfamily #roadtripping #ilovemycar

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Summary: Chris (more reffered to as Alex in this chapter), abandons his beloved yellow Datsun in the desert, as the rain corrupted the engine and he drained the battery. The park rangers found the vehicle, and ended up using it for drug busts. It's ironic that he hates the government,  but his prized posession was in the custody of the government. He then hikes around Lake Mead, and finds yet another found family: Jan and Bob. They were rubber tramps, making their way by car, and took Chris in for a week. He truly appreciates the families that he finds on his journey, as he keeps in touch with them for two years and even writes letters to Westerberg while he's in prison. Chris's parents had received a hitchhiking ticket in their mail, and became immensely worried. They hired a top notch private investigator, but the efforts were futile, as nothing came up. He then buys a canoe, which he uses for transportation. He makes his way paddling to Mexico, and gets lost in the vast irrigation canals in an attempt to get to the ocean. With some help from local people, he makes his way to the Great Desert, in which while paddling his oar breaks, and his second oar is his last resort. After barely making it out alive, he ditches the canoe and ends up working for a little while in Vegas.
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Analysis: This guy is nuts. Genuinely he's so crazy, but at the same time; I get it. It's really interesting to me how he writes his journal pieces in third person, like he's making his own life into an adventure novel, and I think that part is really cool. He shows compassion for others, and people show empathy for him, and it seems to be working for him. However, he does make some really dumb decisions, and while his efforts are admirable, it doesn't quite get him very many places.
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#hestryinghisbest #bestcanoer #hitchhikeractivities

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Summary: Chris finds himself in Bullhead City, where he actually manages to settle down. He stays here for multiple months, staying stationary. He even gets a job (40) at McDonalds, and lives in a trailer (41) with another older man. He finds a sense of community, and ended up writing a postcard (42) to Jan and Bob, updating them on how he is doing. Surprised that there was a return address, they wrote back and visited him. They did flea markets (43) selling books (42), where Chris was passionate about Jack London's works. He also ends up quitting his job after a while. Jan notices that he's good with their dogs, yet reveals nothing about his background (46). The only thing he ever revealed was that he was from the Washington DC area. They end up bidding him farewell yet again, and although worried, they assume that he'll end up in one piece (46).
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Analysis: There is more to Chris than I initially thought. I am surprised at his ability to adapt, although still an outsider, he managed to get it together and stay in one place. I liked that he stayed with his newfound family yet again, like a comforting reunion. I can relate to the part where he gets super into the books that he likes, and seemingly forgets that they're even works of fiction. He immerses himself into them, and to a degree, I understand where he's coming from. He takes it to a whole new level, trying to make himself the main character of his own nature adventure, but I can understand how the fiction ropes him into doing so.
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#familyreunion #doglover #sockhater

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Summary: This chapter talks about Alex's time in Carthage before he goes all in for his journey to Alaska. He makes good memories, and meets meaningful people during his time there. He does tedious jobs (62) at the combine (62), and also talks about his family (63) issues. His sister (63) Carine is the only person in his entire family that has any idea of Alex's status, and he chose to keep it that way for a reason. Ever since he was a child, he was interestingly independent while his father was controlling, which meant that they were always arguing. This father and son (64) relationship was strained, and Alex's big break was escaping from his family. He finally reached his breaking point (64), because he couldn't do it any longer, and "divorced" his parents at last. This chapter also talks about his celibacy, and how he was never one to sleep around, and had minimal romantic relationships. His yearning (66) for his lifelong payback to his family was far more than his want for a family and children, and that is why he dies a virgin. He does however, find himself in a romantic relationship with a woman, and parties during his time in Carthage. After he leaves, he sends a few postcards (69) to his dear friends before embarking on his real journey.
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Analysis:
I think Alex is really trying so hard to be a main character of some adventure novel. And seeing that I'm reading his journals and postcards, he succeeded. I think it's very interesting that he was celibate his entire life, because he looked up to his beloved authors that much. Based on my experience, I would have thought that he would try to emulate the characters more than the author, so I found that to be interesting. I also think that his whole disappearing and going to Alaska as one huge act of rebellion to his parents is pretty impressive. I mean it worked really well, and he succeeded in shaking up his entire family, and I can respect him for that.
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#maincharacterenergy #celibacyrules #alexdisappears

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Summary: 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???
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Analysis: While I do think that it was good for the author to add these stories of other men who have attempted something similar, it's interesting to note that they all die at the hands of nature. If anything, Alex could and should have used these men as reference to NOT embark on his crazy journey. However, as they all have something in common with Alex, I'm not surprised that he did it as well. They all seem to have some sort of internal problems that they feel that Alaska could fix, and they turn to it to fill the gaps. What I'm not understanding is, why Alaska? What is the appeal of it and why do all the crazies flock there.
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#alaskaneverloses #gettherapyinstead #pleasegetprofessionalhelp

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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...
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Analysis: Maybe it's the fact that he doesn't end up in Alaska like all the men in the previous chapter, but I can respect him a bit more. His lifelong philosophy and mindset of being a wanderer makes more sense to me than one big act of rebellion. He's moreso doing what he feels like he was meant to do rather than act out because of others, and doing what makes you happy is always the way to go, even if you die a tragic death. He definitely seems more stable and less mentally ill than the other examples.
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#followyourdreams #wanderermentality #naturewinsagain

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Summary: This chapter talks about the investigation that insued after Chris's body was found. The case was found to be very difficult to piece together, and very perplexing (99). When they would find a small lead, it would get them nowhere (99), and so the hunt for Chris's identity continued. An article for Anchorage Daily News was published (99) about a man who died with all his belongings in Alaska, and it eventually reached the New York Times. Gallien, the man in the beginning of Chris's journey who helped him get to Alaska, giving him his boots and some food, called the number to help. Throughout the entire investigation, the police were frustrated with the sheer number of people calling thinking the body was of their loved one, in addition to prank calls. However, Gallien persisted, and told the investigators things that weren't released. It was also thanks to the film (100) of self portraits that had gotten developed of Chris that helped with the investigation. Westerberg is another key person who called in for Alex, and found the job papers that Alex had to sign to work for him at the grain elevator. At first glance, the entries in the papers were phony answers from Alex, but upon further inspection, his given name and social security number (101) were put in, and they were accurate to his identity. The investigators then told one of his half brothers in Virginia, and the chapter ends with his half brother struggling to figure out how to break the news to his parents.
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Analysis: I think that this is a really key chapter to the entire story that happens after Alex dies. While his journey in Alaska is a book of it's own, it's interesting to see the struggle of the investigators, and how they managed to find his identity without the use of modern day technology. The hunt for Alex was one that proved to be significantly difficult, and the fact that they were able to find a solid and accurate lead was very impressive to me. However, I do feel bad for his half brother who has to be the messenger for the news to Chris's parents.
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#foundatlast #filloutyourformsproperly #newspapersrule

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Summary: This chapter talks about Chris's parents and his entire life leading up to his grand journey. He lived in a luxurious waterfront townhouse (104), and had a boat as well. For his entire life, his father Walt was always the one in control (105). He was in a band, and often worked for space (104) programs. He separated (106) with his first wife, and then married Billie. From this second marriage was Chris born. From a young age, Chris had unusual gifts (106), and while not antisocial or a loner, people noticed that he could keep himself entertained for hours at a time. Chris and his sister, Carine, were both musically (110) gifted, played a multitude of instruments. He wasn't the best at sports because of his mentality of never looking into the small details of doing things, and would only do things his way. He played sports (110), but since he was refusing to fix things like form and posture, he wasn't the greatest at most of them. That was, until he started running (111). It didn't need a lot of technique, and quickly he became obsessed  (113).with it. He would take Carine's dog on runs with him as well. He did well in school, and his parents managed to convince him to attend college if he wanted to make a strong impact on the community around him. He also hated the concept of money and wealth, which is ironic because he's been making money since his childhood. He used this money to purchase his car, and his resentment for his parents only grows.
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Analysis: This chapter made me respect Chris a whole lot more. While his lifelong philosophy seems arrogant, and ignorant, he acknowledges that he isn't doing something and moves on instead of dwelling. He's definitely eccentric, but I think that isn't necessarily a bad trait to have. Seeing his oddness since childhood is interesting because I can kind of resonate with that, and I can understand him. I get where he comes from, and his big act of rebellion that is his Alaskan journey makes more sense now.
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#familytherapywouldhavehelped #carinebestsister #xcstar

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This chapter discusses the messy family history that is Chris's family. First off, it talks about Chris as a child. He's described as cynical (120), and overconfident (118) about many things. Because he was a gifted child, he often assumed he could luck out and excel at a multitude of things, however it isn't his reality. He didn't talk to very many people, and was very forward about getting things done. He was also an entrepreneur at a young age, and it was something else that he was good at. One summer, he discovers that his father's previous marriage (121) was continued even after Walt split with Marcia. He lives a double life, and divided (121) his time between the two families. It was really messy, and it affected both families greatly. The families tried to move past the situation, but Chris's anger was built up, and his resentment (123) only grew. He goes on a number of road trips (124) after that, and only keeps contact with Carine. His parents were severely worried about him, and the chapter ends with Billie's nightmare about Chris in need of help.
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Analysis:
Every chapter I seem to understand Chris more and more. At the beginning, I thought he was dumb and crazy, but now that I've seen the severity of his family drama, I understand him more. I'm not surprised at the fact that he holds resentment for his parents, and I don't blame him for it growing and growing, and eventually finding an escape. The drama is messy, and I am not a fan of Walt. Keeping it from his second marriage only made the entire situation worse, and ultimately, it is his fault. If he communicated, or even better, never cheated in the first place, this story may have turned out way different.
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#cheatersdeservenothing #familytherapyASAP #mensuck

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Summary: In this chapter, the news of Chris's death finally reaches Carine, his beloved sister. It starts off with Buckley, Chris's childhood dog (128). The possibility of Chris surviving if he brought Buck haunts Carine, because she knew that he wanted to take it with him. However, he didn't, so it seems that we will never know what would have or could have happened had Chris brought Buck along with him to Alaska. Growing up, they had their differences (129), but definitely grew up close. Carine, unlike Chris, wasn't opposed to the idea of wealth, and owned an auto repair business (129) with her husband Fish. This chapter talks about Fish breaking the news to Carine, and at first he's down and she thinks its a joke. Once he tells her, she goes into a fit of screaming, and later calms down. They get into the car and Fish drives her to Walt and Billie's house, but along the way she stops at a church (130) to try to get some answers. Later on, she retrieves his ashes (131), in which his middle initial is the wrong letter. She gets upset at first, but realizes that Chris would have thought it was funny anyways. After the plane ride home, Billie and Carine ended up losing weight, while Walt gained weight in response to their loved one's death.
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Analysis: While some may be irked by Carine's response, I cannot blame her in the slightest. If anything I really feel for her, sometimes fits of hysteric screaming are necessary to move forward. It's also interesting how on the way to Billie's house she stops by a church to try to get some answers out of God, but he doesn't answer. I find the similarity to the Ron dude striking because he gave up god and religion after Chris's death. It's just a matter of how much Chris's death really affected the people around him, and how they take the blame for it because they could have stopped him or something. This goes especially for Carine, because she was the only one who knew anything about Chris's wherabouts, and I can definitely see how she could feel responsible for his death.
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#buckforever #ilovecarine #carinefanpage

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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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Analysis: I think Krakauer is more of a reliable and realistic source of the want for adventure. While he knows that the journey will be harsh, he knows when to quit, unlike Chris. I get how the obsession feels though, and talent/ skill will never beat obsession in my opinion. I wonder what got Krakauer to get to the point where he was obsessed with climbing this mountain, because of Chris's tragic backstory, I cant help but contemplate what drove John to do something similar. It's interesting to be able to pull from the author's own experience, and perhaps Chris McCandless was the person who drove him to climb the Devil's Thumb in the first place.
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#whatswithmenandalaska #hequitbuthelived #chrisisntcrazy

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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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Analysis: Maybe it's a cycle. The parallels of having an unreliable father figure must make their sons want to find some sort of purpose that isn't what their families have pushed upon them. It's interesting that after all is his toils and troubles, he barely felt any different. It made him think about his purpose in the first place, and applied his own thinking to Chris. He doesn't think Chris had any intention to die in the Alaskan wilderness, because he didn't even think about it when he was climbing. I think that they're running away from their problems by convincing themselves that they aren't because they're going on difficult journeys, replacing their plausible life goals with something entirely irrelevant.
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#gettherapybeforegoingtoalaska #dontsmokewhileclimbing #helived

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Summary: This chapter talks about Chris's first few months in Alaska. He ends up at a public campground and meets a man at the pool (158) going the same way. After some convincing, the man agrees to take him to the halfway point of his destination, as picking up hitchhikers (158) interfered with his job of delivering an RV and could get him fired. However, after a few days, the man enjoyed Chris's company so much so that he decided that he would take him the entire way after all. He gets dropped off at the University of Alaska, and there he buys a gun (160), and sends postcards (160) from the University's post office. He then makes his way to the campgrounds in which he uses the bus (163) that his body is later found in as shelter. The majority of the chapter consists of excerpts from Chris's journals about his trials and troubles regarding his experience with hunting. He kills various game, from ducks to geese, to at last: a moose (167). He is overjoyed at this, and writes many entries about his joy in killing it, but also his struggle to preserve it.
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Analysis: It's interesting to see how easy it is for Chris to be liked by complete strangers. While it may be because people were much more open to talk to other random people back then, the fact that he was likable enough for the man to drive him the entire way is so interesting to me. Additionally, his firsthand accounts of his struggles to hunt for food is another thing that makes me question how he stayed alive. He was a thin man, and the amount of concentration and resilience he must have had in order to successfully hunt is very impressive to me.
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#moosefordays #bestfriendchris #alaskacore

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This chapter talks about Krakaur's firsthand accounts of exploring the area that Chris did. They both had to cross the Teklanika River (173), but the difference was that Krakaur had not only a map (174), but also friends to accompany him. If Chris had had a map, he would have learned that one singular mile from where he was, there was a cage zipline that could get him to the other side, and even a place where he could get help. It was a metal cage attatched to a cable (175), and Krakaur talks about how he had to climb the rope to get the cage back to the other side where his friends were. While Chris never would have chosen to utilize a map, it's saddening to know that help could have been so close to him and he never knew it. After Krakaur and friends make their way through dense vegetation (176), they make it to Chris's shelter and death spot. The bus (176). They see all of Chris's abandoned belongings, that added character to the inside of the bus, along with writing along the walls of the bus. As Chris's story is open to the public, people were sure that Chris was ill prepared (182) for the Alaska trip. This was because experienced hunters thought that Chris had actually killed a caribou (177), and since they have killed many before, the general public trusted their opinions. However, after examinations of the skeleton, it turned out that Chris was right after all.
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Analysis: It's interesting how quick people were to push the "this rich boy doesn't know what he's doing in the wild" agenda after the hunters said that the moose was actually a caribou. Even after death, Chris got the last laugh proving them wrong. It's also interesting to note Krakaur's infatuation with Chris's journey. While it's interesting, I didn't think that he would go as far as visiting the isolated place that was the bus itself. It seemed like a very fulfilling experience for him, and writing about it adds a lot of depth to the novel.
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#caribouormoose #cablecage #busmuseum

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This chapter talks about the details of Chris's day to day before ultimately succumbing to starvation. He starts off the chapter in what we think is an abundance of food. He hunts (188) very successfully, catching a multitude of game. However, the foods that he is consuming are very lean, and his calorie intake isn't meeting how much he's burning tracking and hunting all day. He reads various books (188) during this time, and highlights many passages, along with various annotations. He talks about finding refuge in nature (189), and resonates with said book. He ends up eating wild potatoes (190) that the indigenous people of the area have eaten for millennia. Using his botanical book, he eats the wild potatoes for weeks. When the seasons change, the potatoes become tough, leaving him unable to eat them, so he resorts to eating the seed (191) pods of the bush that sticks out. While there are many theories as to how exactly the seeds killed Chris, there is one that is the most plausible. One of these theories being that Chris didn't actually mix up the potatoes for wild sweet peas, and that he was actually just unfortunate enough to eat the seeds when they were moldy (194). After consuming them, Chris became very weak. His body didn't have enough fat to fight off the sickness, and he begun his spiral of starvation (195). He writes his SOS note that the people find 2 weeks later, and takes a picture (195) of himself before death.
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Analysis:
It's interesting to look at the possible theories in which Chris died. I wonder how the scientists figured out his exact cause of death, along with multiple other plausible theories. It's quite saddening to see him die via mold, because after all the effort he put in, to be done away with mold is a probably less dramatic than he would have wanted. Starvation is not a pleasant way to die by any means, but believing that just before death he had just one moment of bliss probably meant a lot to his family once they found out his exact cause of death. Again, many were quick to jump on the argument that he didn't know what he was doing, but in the end his name was eventually cleared.
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#moldyseedpod #botanistcore #lastselfies

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Summary: Walt and Billie go on a honorary trip (201) to Chris's campsite in Alaska with the author, John Krakaur. They take a helicopter (201) there, because while Billie wanted to hike as Chris did, the Teklanika was simply too dangerous to cross at the time. They end up making it to the bus; (201) Chris's shelter and deathbed. It's bittersweet seeing all of his belongings still in the bus, things like his pants and the mattress that he died on. Billie notes the smell (202), and this experience makes them feel closer to Chris. She admires his courage and bravery to follow through until the end, and even Walt comes to accept it. He says he was baffled (203) at first, but after seeing how he lived and the landscape, he understands his son more. They leave a memorial (202) plaque and a bible (202) in the bus for those in the future who may come across the bus.
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Analysis: It's interesting how this novel ended. Walt and Billie were the ones who visited the bus, yet they are also the reason that he was determined to get to Alaska in the first place. I think it's pretty ironic, and also the fact that they felt closer to him after going to the bus while he was the least close to them makes an interesting note. It's also a bit saddening to note that Chris's beloved sister Carine didn't come. While I do understand that the wound may be too deep to be able to confront what made up his presence and livelihood, I think it would have been more meaningful to end the book off knowing a sibling that he loved dearly could have been the one to see the last pieces of him.
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#teklanikaisimpossible #cutespoon #helicoptercore

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In the beginning, I really hated Chris. To me, he had everything he wanted; money, an education, and a solid career ahead of him. However, as the book progressed, I began to understand him more. Realizing that a person is just a jumble of their own life experiences, I began to sympathize with him. I admired how likable he was, because that was how he got to where he got. I also really understand his infatuation with his books. I go through similar things with pieces of fiction, and also go through obsession periods. As freaked out as I was that I went from being a hater to relating to him, I did not approve of the way he rebelled from his parents. Throughout the entire novel, I had the constant thought that the entire family should just get therapy. It really would have prevented a lot of things, but then I realized that therapy and mental health wasn't really a thing back in the 90s, so I can't really get upset with how he handled the situation. Overall, Chris was alright, and even though people may have thought it was a stupid idea because he ended up dying, I think that he was content with the results of his own doing. I feel that similar to me, he simply accepted the fact that he challenged the possibility of death, and death won.
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#alaskawinsagain #alexandersupertrampsona #chrisfanpage

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My goals for the future pertaining to education are attending community college and from there getting into nursing school. I want to get my Bachelors of Science in Nursing, and from there get a stable job at a hospital working in Labor and Delivery. It's always been an interest of mine to work with mothers, and ironically enough I don't even like children all that much. Once I have financial stability, I will branch out into my interests. Expanding my closet with the money I earned to buy pieces that I've been pining for. I've been wanting specific vintage clothing pieces for forever, and being able to casually buy them when I have enough money is something I want to experience. Part of searching for designer pieces is traveling to various places to shop. Another huge dream of mine. I would love to thrift in different states and countries to shop for different things, specifically places in the middle of nowhere like Idaho or something. I have a feeling that the thrift stores there would have clothes I'd like. I would also love to go thrift shopping in Japan. Not only does they have affordable pieces, but Japan as a whole has been a dream travel destination for a really long time for me.
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#shopaholic #thrifteverything #babydeliverer