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This is a photo of my family and I going camping. Although it may not be as simplistic and wild like Christopher's, it was really fun to be in nature. I enjoyed living amongst the trees for a few days. Although we had access to technology, I found that I began to not pick it up as much. There were a lot of other activities that I could engage in such as swimming at a nearby lake or just hanging around the campsite.

#Camper #Swimming #DigitalDetox

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Summary:
Into the Wild is based off a true story about a man named Christopher Johnson McCandless who braves into the Alaskan wilderness. Although seemingly normal (pg. 6) on the exterior, Christopher is a man who craves adventure. On his way to the Stampede Trail, he can be described as "gung ho" and "excited"

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Summary:
In chapter 2, we learn of how Christopher's remains were discovered. His decaying (page 12) remains were found by local hunters in his bus (page 13). On the bus, they found a camera with five rolls of
exposed film, the SOS note, and a diary (page 13). After his remains were evacuated from the site by a police helicopter called in by those who found him, the autopsy (page 13) revealed he died of starvation (page 14).

Analysis:
I feel nothing but pity for Christopher in this chapter. While I disagree with his recklessness, he was still a human with a dream.

#Deceased#Autopsy#Starvation

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Summary:

In chapter 3, we begin to learn more about Christopher before he died. Wayne Westerberg, one of his closest friends he met while traveling, describes him as "...he was what you'd call extremely ethical (page 15). He set pretty high standards for himself". He met Wayne while in Carthage, South Dakota, and soon became enamored (page 15) with Carthage. Christopher was loved by the citizens of Carthage. The town of Carthage could be considered his surrogate (page 16) family. After receiving no work in Carthage, he returned to being a nomad, hitchhiking (page 16) from place to place. This chapter also delves into Christopher's home life before he left. His family was very wealthy and his parents cared about him. A noticeable factor in the parent-son relationship is that Christopher began to refuse gifts (page 17) from his parents because he says "i'm going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought my respect." This shows he's not a materialistic person.

Analysis:
This makes me disappointed in Christopher because his parents tried their best to raise him in the way they knew how. While I understand the kind of ambitious and adventurous person he is, it frustrates me that he simply left behind a comfortable life.

#Enstranged #Hitchhiker #LeatherTramp

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Chapter four takes place in a desert, specifically the Detrital Wash located in Arizona. Along the shore of Lake Mead located in the desert, an abandoned yellow Datsun is discovered. The vehicle was discovered by Bud Walsh, a National Park Service Ranger. Inside of the car, he found  found a Gianini guitar, a saucepan containing $4.93 in loose change, a football, a garbage bag full of old clothes, a fishing rod and tackle, a new electric razor, a harmonica, a set of jumper cables, twenty-five pounds of rice, and in the glove compartment, and the keys to the vehicle's ignition. After a few days of inspecting it for anything "suspicious", the rangers drove it out without difficulty. Soon after, the yellow Datsun was used by rangers for undercover missions against drug dealers. This is ironic because the owner, Christopher, was against authority and law enforcement. Whilst his car is being uncovered, Christopher was paddling down a river in Colorado where he almost drowned because of a flash flood.

Analysis:
I think this episode highlighted Christopher's adventurous and risky side because even after almost dying he wasn't afraid of continuing on.

#Adventure #RIPCar #Abandoned

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Summary:
Throughout chapter 5, we learn more about Chris during his time in Bullhead City, Arizona. Bullhead City was the longest location Chris had stayed at. He lived an uncharacteristic lifestyle. He was working at McDonald's, opened a savings account at a local bank, and even gave his employer his social security number. Although Chris wasn't the best at his job, he was said to have been reliable. During his time in Bullhead City we also learn that he hid being a drifter from his coworkers. After awhile in Bullhead City, he traveled down to Niland to visit Jan and Bob. During his stay with Jan and Bob, McCandless oversaw one of Jan's booths at a local swap meet. Jan describes him as being infatuated with Call of the Wild by Jack London. Chris socialized with the denizens of Niland and frequently told them about his plans for Alaska. Soon enough, he decided to move forward with his plans and headed to Alaska.

Analysis:
This chapter humanizes Christopher by talking about more of his traits. It's revealed that he is musical and is good with animals. It's a bit bittersweet because it talks of a person that didn't get to live out the rest of their life.

#Talented#Social#Dependent

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Summary:
This chapter tells a heart-wrenching story of Christopher and Ronald Franz, an elderly man Chris met while in Anza-Borrego. We know of Ronald's memories with Christopher because Franz reached out to the author of a magazine, who also happens to be the author of the novel. Ron wanted a copy of the magazine that carried the story of Christopher's journey and ultimate demise because he couldn't believe it. Christopher met Ronald Franz while hitchhiking. Christopher and Ron's relationship was very much so like father-son except Chris was always alienating himself from Ron. Ron loved Christopher dearly like his own deceased son, but Christopher always kept him at arm's length and maintain a bond with him on his own conditions. Christopher didn't like the emotional baggage that came with society. When Ron, a very religious man, found out that Christopher had passed, he renounced the Lord because he couldn't believe God would allow something like that to happen to Alex.

Analysis:
This chapter makes me infuriated with Chris. While I understand people can naturally be stubborn, it's hard to witness it. Just like everyone else Christopher had met, Ron cared for Christopher and only wanted the best for him, but Chris couldn't reciprocate those emotions simply because he didn't want emotional attachments.

#Stubborn#Heartbreaking#Alienating

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This chapter tells us more about Christopher in Carthage, South Dakota. In his return, he is back to work and is tasked with dirty, tedious jobs that nobody else wanted. It truly shows how hard-working he is. Despite his efforts, he was never good at technical tasks, such as operating a front-end loader. We also learn in this chapter that Chris was a talker around Westerberg's girlfriend, Gail Borah. Borah recalls Christopher baring his soul to her. This says a lot about Christopher and the people around him because Westerberg never probed Christopher's family problems, he simply assumed whatever the cause was, it was a good one. During his time spent with Westerberg, Christopher mentioned wanting to get married and have a family. He was described as someone who would go out and get girls just to get laid. As it turned to spring, Chris became fixed on Alaska. He even talked about the trip at every opportunity and asked for tips from experienced hunters.

Analysis:
One of the main takeaways I got from this episode was that Chris wanted to get married and have a family. From the way he had been treating the people in his life recently, it seemed to me he could never settle down.

#Hardworking #FamilyMan #Smart

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This chapter tells of society's opinions on Christopher after the news of his death was reported. Large volumes of mail came in and most heaped opprobrium on Christopher. The majority opinion was that McCandless was a fool and his death was pointless. Most of the mail was sent in by Alaskans who scolded Christopher and critiqued his life choices. One of the letters sent talks about how there have been many men similar to Christopher. It is said that many people have marched off into the Alaska wilds over the years, only to never reappear. While Christopher may have shared similarities with these people, he certainly wasn't incompetent like many claimed him to be.

Analysis:
This chapter really shed light on who Christopher is outside of his personality and what the world thought of him even in passing. I agree that he wasn't incompetent or a nutcase, or any of the other terms he was described as by strangers. He was simply built differently.

#Different #Competent #Haters

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Summary:
Chapter 9 is about a man named Everett Ruess. We are told the story of Ruess because he is very similar to McCandless. Everett was born in Oakland, California to a well-off educated family. He took his first-ever solo rendezvous when he was sixteen, hitchhiking Yosemite and Big Sur, ultimately winding up in Carmel. At the end of this summer, he returned home long enough to earn a high school diploma. Soon after, he was on the road again and although he stopped by populated areas and visited his family once in a while, he eventually spent the remainder of his life on the move, living out of a backpack with little money, no home, and often no food at times. He also wrote many letters throughout his travels. Ruess' writing strongly resembles McCandless, "I have been thinking more and more that I shall always be a lone wanderer of the wilderness. God, how the trail lures me... After all the lone trail is the best.. I'll never stop wandering". His passion for the wilderness and exploring it goes hand in hand with Christopher McCandless' ideologies. Just like McCandless, the people he met on his travels stopped hearing from him and he would send out one last letter before disappearing. When his parents received a mass of unopened mail that was supposed to be for Everett, a search party was sent out. The search party discovered "NEMO 1934" carved into a stone slab in Davis Gulch, a deep gash in the Utah canyons. It was speculated that "NEMO 1934" was Everett because of a book called Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules, where the protagonist is named Captain Nemo. Everett's father said Everett had read it many times. To this day, it is still unknown what happened to Everett. There are many rumors, such as he lives a quiet life under another identity and married a Navajo woman, or that he had drowned in a river. Although we may never know what exactly happened to Everett, it is clear that we can see similarities between him and McCandless.

Analysis:
It was surprisingly a lot easier to humanize Everett Ruess and made me root for him. I think it's because he had a healthier relationship with his family and took the time to let them know how he was doing, even if he wasn't directly communicating with them.

#TwinFlames #NEMO #Disappearance

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Summary:
Chapter 10 tells of the story of how Christopher's body was identified. When the news was published, many people from across the world claimed that they knew him. It wasn't until Jim Gallien, the man who dropped him off near the Stampede Trail, called the police. He claimed that he gave the man a ride. The police were skeptical at first, but after given more information from Gallien, they finally had a true witness. Soon after, word got to Westerberg about the anonymous man found in Alaska. The description made Westerberg realize it was Alex and he phoned the police. Likewise, with Gallien, the police initially did not believe him, but after providing information that wasn't given to the public, they believed him. Westerberg was able to provide them with Christopher's name and Social Security number. The police finally had a name and home for Christopher. At this time, Walt and Billie McCandless had by then moved, but the police were able to track down Sam McCandless, Walt's eldest child from his first marriage. Walt and Billie were finally about to learn of their child's demise.

Analysis:
This episode had me silent in thought because his family was about to find peace.

#RIP #JohnFound #Disbelief

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Summary:
Chapter 11 sheds light on Christopher's family. Krakauer met with Walt McCandless in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, and observed that it was a very wealthy area. Because Walt and his wife, Billie, often fought, this led to Chris having a closer bond with his sister, Carine. Christopher was a high achiever in school. He was also said to be a very athletic and hardworking student, as he ran cross country and always showed extreme determination to succeed in every task he undertook. Christopher had grown up comfortably, Walt's business succeeded and they were able to buy a 30-foot catamaran, an extremely expensive boat, and take their children out on a cruise. The family often went camping, which most likely sparked Christopher's wanderlust.

Analysis:
It's very interesting to learn more about who Christopher was before his journey. It shows what kind of person he is and why he is the way he is.

#Childhood#Wealthy#Hardworker

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Summary:
In this chapter, we began to see why Christopher's relationship with his family began to unravel. After Christopher's high school graduation, he takes a trip through the American West. Before he leaves, he gives his father a gift of an expensive telescope. Soon after Chris returns home and attends college for a little while, he began to change. It is discovered that he found out about his father's infidelity. After discovering this, his resentment toward his father only grows bigger and he begins to disconnect from his family and becomes irrational. The distance can also be explained by the fact that he did not have a telephone in his apartment. In 1990, after he graduated, he gave all the money his parents had given him for law school and left college in his yellow Datsun.

Analysis:
This makes me really feel for Christopher. I understand why he would be angered and distance himself from his family. He must've felt betrayed by his father if he wasn't even able to forgive him.

#Anger#Resentment#Telescope

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Summary:
This chapter talks about Carine, Christopher's sister. Even before this chapter, we hear about how much Christopher adores her. She is similar to Chris in many ways, looks and personality. They are both energetic and is self-assured. When Krakauer visited Carine, he observes Carine's appearance and notices that they looked identical, almost like twins. When Carine found out about Christopher's death, she immediately screamed in denial. She flew to Fairbanks to bring home Alex's remains and then flew to Anchorage to cremate his remains. Both Billie and Carine were in so much pain over Chris' death that they stopped eating and began to lose weight. Walt on the other hand was compulsively eating away his feelings in order to cope with the loss of his son.

Analysis:
This chapter breaks my heart because it always hurts to lose a loved one. Christopher's family must've been worried sick about where he was and if he was okay, only for him to ultimately show up at home, dead.

#RestinPeace#Family#Grief

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Summary:
This chapter tells of John Krakauer's journey in Alaska. Male authority is more likely to feel a pang of hunger to please, this is shown during Christopher's and John's excavations. At a young age, John had always dreamt of climbing mountains, especially in Alaska. He became obsessed with hiking Devil's Thumb, a glacier known as the Stikine Ice Cap. This glacier is known to be extremely dangerous with harsh weather conditions. He planned to spend around a month on the Devil's thumb.

Analysis:
This helped me understand the urge to travel and adventure that both Christopher and John had. While I may not agree or see the ultimate purpose, I can understand why they felt the need to chase this high.

#Men#Adventurers#Danger

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Summary:
This chapter continues to tell the story of John's expedition on the Devil's Thumb. After being defeated by the harsh weather, he smokes a joint that he was planning on saving for when he gets to the top, in order to cope. This proves to be a terrible idea. The marijuana made him hungry, which led him to catch his expensive tent (loaned from his father) on fire. Similar to Christopher, John had a strained relationship with his father. His father was very clear about what kind of future he wanted for John but John wanted something else. He wanted to infuriate his father just like how his father infuriates him. This anger fueled his ambition to climb the Devil's Thumb, in a way, proving something to his dad.

Analysis:
I could really see the similarities between Christopher and John in this chapter. I can understand why John has such a fascination with Christopher, because they are very similar.

#TigerFather #DrugsareBad #Ambition

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Summary:
In this chapter, we go back to Christopher's expedition, otherwise known as the Alaskan Odyssey, once he finally arrives in Alaska. At first, he struggles to hitchhike but is soon picked up by a man named Gaylord Stuckey. He spends around 3 days with him where Stuckey warns him of the snow in Alaska. Soon after, Christopher is dropped off at Fairbanks University, where he studies the force of Nature he is soon to meet. After leaving Fairbanks, he was picked up by Jim Gallien, who dropped off Christopher at the Stampede Trail. Because his last human interaction was with Jim Gallien, everything we know of him after is from his journals. He was living a fairly decent life in the woods and decided to head back to civilization. Unfortunately, the snow had melted and the stream he had originally crossed to get to where he was, had risen too high. As a result, he is stranded alone in the middle of the woods.

Analysis:
This was a chapter that I was really excited to read when we first started to learn about Christopher's life. It shows the reason for his ultimate demise.

#Capable#Civilization#TooLate

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Summary:
To get a better understanding on Christopher's last days, Jon Krakauer, Roman Dial, Dan Solie, and Andrew Liske, went to the Stampede trails. It is discovered that Christopher abandoned his map because he felt that it was cheating. Unfortunately, that map could have saved his life as there was shelter down the river. The river also split into smaller streams a mile down, in which Christopher could've crossed. When the men entered the bus, they felt as if they were intruding on his home. They slept in the bus and talked about how Christopher deserves respect, despite many people thinking Christopher was just another loopy boy.

Analysis:
This is really refreshing to see that people respect Christopher. While he may have been the reason for his ultimate demise, he was able to hold out for quiet awhile, which is impressive within itself.

#Brave#PutRespectonHisName#AlwaysUseAMap

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Summary:
This chapter tells of Christopher's last few days. He began to experience a calorie deficit because he was burning more than he gained. According to his journal, on January 30th, he states that he is feeling extremely weak due to a pot seed and is starving. Due to the toxins, he shortly becomes incapacitated. He knows that he will soon die. He writes an S.O.S note, followed by a devastating goodbye note.

Analysis:
This chapter was extremely heavy for me. I feel as though I know Christopher. There were many factors that contributed to his death and although he could've prevented it himself, I respect him for continuing to follow his own values.

#Goodbye#RestinPower#Strong

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Summary:
In this final part of Into the Wild, we are able to get some kind of closure on the situation. Walt and Billie, along with John, visit Christopher's bus in the Stampede Trail. Billie originally wanted to travel on land along the trail, just like Chris did, but the river conditions made it near impossible. They flew by helicopter. When they arrive, they take notice of the beautiful scenery and how much Chris must've loved it. When they entered the vehicle, the silence was deafening. Billie left a suitcase stocked with a first-aid kit, canned
food, other survival supplies, a note urging whoever happens to read it to "call your
parents as soon as possible." Walt installs a
memorial just inside the door, a simple brass plaque inscribed with a few words. In a way, they are comforted by being in the presence of the bus. Just knowing Chris was there comforted them.

Analysis:
I think this was a phenomenal ending to the story. It comforts the reader knowing that Christopher's parents were able to understand him more, even in passing.

#LivelikeChris#Comforted#YOLO

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Summary:
This article explains the mystery behind Christopher's death. Even after McCandless was declared dead by starvation, Jon Krakauer wanted to know exactly why, thus he circled back to McCandless's diary (P. 3). McCandless's diary says "Extremely weak. Fault of potato seeds", leading to the audience and Krakauer to inspire a series of hypotheses about the toxicity of the said seeds. Krakauer took a crash course in organic chemistry, teamed up with another chemist, and hired a company to test seed samples. They found that the seeds contained a lethal concentration of beta-ODAP, a compound that has caused gradual weakening and paralysis in famine (P. 4) victims relying on a certain pea. He sent the seeds back to the lab to do more research and they discovered that while the seeds did contain a toxic (P. 2) compound, it wasn't beta-ODAP, it was another amino acid called L-canavanine. The plant that McCandless was eating was the Eskimo potato (P. 7). When he began to starve, he had to rely on the seeds. Unfortunately, the roots become unpalatable (P. 9) in the midsummer (P. 9) and began to become toxic. If someone were to solely depend on the seeds during the wintertime, it would kill them.

Analysis:
This article was very eye-opening, especially when they said Christopher most likely would've survived had he not been weakened by the seeds. It truly goes to show surviving in the wild is difficult when you aren't completely 100% knowledgable about the environment, no matter how athletic or how much common sense you may have, nature has it's secrets.

#VegetablesHaveSecrets#ScaryPotatoes

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My future odyssey is to study abroad, specifically in South Korea. I've always been interested in traveling and I think studying abroad will better my college experience. Being able to temporarily live, eat, and learn in a foreign country. It sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime experience being able to be a college student in South Korea. I am very fascinated with the culture in South Korea and I think it'd be really fun to go there. Overall, I think I'm very interested in studying abroad, no matter where it'd be a learning experience that I would never forget.

I realized that I wanted to study abroad because I was fascinated with the locals whenever I traveled. I was enthralled by how different they lived from me. This sparked my interest in temporarily living abroad.

I plan on studying abroad during one of my years in college. While I may be missing out on the stereotypical American college experience, I think this is something that I need to do in order to expand my horizons. I am hopeful that the college I end up will have a study abroad program.

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If I had to choose one word to describe Christopher, I would say he was an admirable person. Right off the bat, we hear about how Christopher donated his college fund to a charity. My first impression of him is that he was unhinged. Who would willingly go out into the wild, never to be heard from again? He was a nomad, hitchhiking from place to place. As a homebody, I was in shock, especially because his home life was a lot better than others. While his parents did fight, he was living comfortably and had a family who cared about him. Of course, Christopher wasn't a materialistic person so it made sense that he felt suffocated whenever his parents bought him gifts. One of the things I hate about Christopher is how emotionally unattached he is to everything. The people he met along the way such as Ron Franz, Bob, and Jan, and Gail, truly cared for him. Unfortunately, he was only a passing memory in their life as they were for him. It frustrates me that there were people who only wanted the best for him, but he was so stubborn that he refused their help and only called them when he needed something. I can understand why Christopher most likely acted like this. If he had gotten emotionally attached to any one of them, he most likely would've stayed with them and given up his dreams. He only had one thing on his mind, his Alaskan Odyssey.

#LiveYourLife #ChooseYourOwnPath #TakeRisks