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Chris' ups and downs as a human and his actions..

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Intro: Something that I feel like really set my mind on how I feel about Chris is knowing how his journey ends at the very beginning of the book. Knowing that he dies in the end, made me have the mindset of, "dang he's really going to die soon, what a crazy journey, I kind of feel bad for him." What made it a bit worse was that he knew that there was a chance of him dying throughout his odyssey, and he did it anyway despite the pain that can cause his family.

Bad: The worst thing for me that Chris did was when he left Ron Franz heartbroken from leaving him after Ron had just asked if he could adopt him. Like okay, I kind of get why he did that and ignored it so much. I mean if you think about it, he did leave his little sister who he was so fond of for this trip, so why would he stop for some random old man he just met not too long ago. It was heartbreaking to see him do stuff like that, just push everyone away, but then again it's like, damn he's really committed to this journey. He also did cause a lot of pain to his entire family, and he knew what could've happened to him before he even started his Alaskan odyssey. Despite the fact that his parents weren't the best people ever, they're still human, and reading about the pain everyone went through after finding out about his death was sad to think about. Finding out about the death of your child or sibling has got to be one of the worst pains anyone can ever experience.

Good: The thing I admired most about Chris was how committed he was to his journey and completing it. This man left his entire life's savings, his car, his good job, his family, everything. He even burnt all the cash in his pockets just for this journey, that's crazy. He never once gave up throughout his odyssey, and he was with it 100% till the end. Chris overall seemed like a good guy throughout the entire book, and I feel like that's why everyone who met him thought good of him, and really got attached to him. For example, Ron Franz was with Chris for not too long before he'd already gotten attached and asked to ADOPT him. If you really think about it, that's absolutely insane, like to ask someone if they would want to be your whole kid. I can get why some people hate Chris for what he did, but I respect him for being so straightforward and not stopping no matter what. It takes a lot of guts to leave everything and everyone behind, but he did that all just to follow his dream of completing his odyssey.

Overall: My thoughts on Chris are leaning more towards liking him than hating him. I love his passion for chasing his dreams, but I hate some of his actions throughout the book. In the end, for me, the good outweighs the bad, so I admire Chris. I would never imagine myself leaving all that money and all that wealth behind just to chase one of my dreams knowing it could kill me. I would simply just say, nope, I'm just going to live my life and deal with it. I feel like if Chris had taken his dog, he would've been a lot more careful throughout his journey about where he goes or what he does. Overall though, I feel like Chris did the right thing overall, just some bad decisions in between.

#wasthepainworthit #dreamaccomplished #nomoneyneeded

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Becoming a pro soccer player, is it doable? If not, what should I do?

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Background: Playing soccer is basically what my entire life is based around on. My parents taught me how to walk while having a small soccer ball in front of me. All the generations before me in my family all played soccer, it's always run in our blood. No one has ever been considered bad either, everyone has always been either decent or really good. My grandpa, dad, and uncle, almost became pros in Ecuador but then they started a family instead and focused their life on that. I've been playing ever since I was 5, but then I stopped for a couple of years due to lack of money, and then I started again at the age of 8 or 9. I played AYSO, and our team always won our league, we went from AYSO regular team to AYSO All-Stars the next year and then moved up the following year to the highest rank which was AYSO Extra. I've always had a deep passion for the sport, and becoming a pro was always on my mind. Due to having no connections, however, I never found a good club so I can be seen. I feel like the bad training I ended up getting from the bad teams I played with after my AYSO team really messed me up. I got sick one year and I didn't play, and when I came back my whole mentality had changed and I kept telling myself I was too bad to become a pro and that it was too late. Now as a senior in high school, I still have hopes that with everyday training and a good mentality as well as a good lifestyle, I can achieve whatever goal I set my mind to. My parents tell me to always have a plan b for if plan a doesn't work out, and I've come to the conclusion that if soccer doesn't work out for me, then I will become a real estate investor. My dad is my main inspiration for that though, he would always tell me about how he can help people and support his family at the same time, and that filled me with peace. My plan in life is to do what I love and if soccer doesn't go as planned, I have something else that I will be happy with.

How to get there: My plan for getting closer to my dream, which is becoming a pro soccer player, starts off with having a healthy and steady lifestyle. To even think about becoming a pro, you need to do an EXHAUSTING amount of training, and make sure you're eating healthy and sleeping well. Right now, I'm not doing the best with my sleeping habits, but I'm trying to fix that by sleeping early. I usually go to sleep around 2-4 am, but starting from this week I changed that. Recently, I've been going to sleep ranging from 7-10 pm. For me, that is a huge step up. Now, this is where I start training nonstop and I start eating better. I eat too much junk food, and it's not helping me with either my stamina or health. Training-wise, it doesn't necessarily have to be with someone, I can do it by myself at a park, and work on my touches or shots. In order to become a pro though, you also have to have connections in order to be seen by scouts or important people in that organization. I have sort of a connection now, which is Mr. Gimenez. He's a teacher here at Westminster, and I know he coaches multiple ECNL teams (the highest rank for club teams), and he also coaches the Golden West Soccer team. They win league almost every year from what I hear of, and I know he has good connections as well, so getting seen by him is a huge must. Before that though, I need to train a lot more and a lot harder. A chance of becoming a pro isn't just given to you, you have to work your ass off for that chance, and that's something I'm willing to do.

#Iwillmakeit #hardworkpaysoff #positivemindsetiskey

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Krakauer's obsession leads to answer?...

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Summary: This article is all about Krakauer's obsession with finding out how Chris McCandless' death really came to happen. There were a couple of theories that people had but all of them ended up being proven false. There was one theory however that continued through which was that Chris had eaten a bad seed. Not knowing for sure bugged Krakauer enough for him to "inspire a series of hypotheses about the toxicity (p 5) of the said seeds, a protracted debate with Alaskan chemists and multiple book revisions. In Chris' diary (p3), he wrote, "Extremely weak. Fault of potato seeds (p 4) " Krakauer had believed that "these seeds ...had killed him." He sent these seeds to the Michigan lab, Avomeen Analytical Services, and after about 9 months and $20,000 (p 9), he found out that the seeds did contain a toxin that messed up with your metabolism and would lead you to starve (p 10).

Analysis: Finding out that Chris' death was really due to a toxic poison in seeds was kind of annoying to me in a way. When I think about it, it's like wow, that was a really stupid way to die. I feel like he could've survived through his journey if he hadn't eaten those seeds. It's also weird to think about how scary nature can be sometimes, yet beautiful. I also think about how obsessed Krakauer is about knowing more and more about Chris's death. And for him to spend $20,000 just to find out is CRAZY to me.

#Timeandmoneyspentwell #obsessed #natureispainful

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Summary: The Epilogue takes place around 10 months after Chris McCandless' death had occurred. Jon Krakauer goes with Walt and Billie to visit the bus where McCandless had passed away. Their original plan was to travel through the Stampede Trail as Chris had done, but instead, they took a helicopter. When they traveled by foot first, they had taken 15 minutes (pg 201) to travel what had taken Chris 4 days. by the Sushana River,  where Chris had gone for his daily water. They ended up at the bus where his dead body was found, and they went inside to look at his old possessions. Billie had found a pair of Chris' pants, she put then to her face, and then told her husband, "Smell," (pg 202) "They still smell like Chris." Walt and Billie were talking about the place, Billie had talked about how pretty the setting was, and Walt responded with, "I have a lot of reasons for disliking Alaska, OK?" "But I admit it -- the place has a certain beauty (pg 202). I can see what appealed to Chis." Billie was talking about how people had told her that they admire (pg 203) Chris for what he was trying to do. Then she goes on to say, "If he'd lived, I would agree with them. But he didn't, and there's no way to bring him back (pg 203).

Analysis: I really like the setting of this chapter, it's probably my favorite place in the book (the bus). I say that because it's something I would want to see for myself, the bus where Chris McCandless' journey had ended. The conversations in this chapter were quite perfect, the way they talk about how they hate the place but they love it because of its beauty, and how they understand why Chris was so appealed to it. The ending of the chapter was very soothing, as they all watched the bus slowly disappear while they fly away in the helicopter.

#inpeace #slowlyfadingaway #timeheals

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Summary: This chapter is mostly about the bond between Chris and Carine (his sister). It starts off with Carine already knowing about Chris' death, and she's looking at a picture of with with an affectionate smile (pg 128). She's looking at a picture of him talking about his smile. Then Carine brings up their dog, Buck (pg 128) which she says Chris was crazy about. She talks about how Chris wanted to take Buck with him. His parents said no though because Buck had just got hit (pg 128) by a car and was still recovering. Carine wonders if Chris' journey would've ended up differently if he had taken Buck with him. Then the chapter goes to Fish, Carine's wife, telling her the news for the first time. Carine at first was in denial, but then started crying and wheeping for 5 hours (pg 130). Carine and Sam had gone to pick up Chris' ashes, and on the box, Carine noticed Chris' middle name was misspelled, it had an R instead of a J. She was mad at first, but then she said "Chris wouldn't care. He'd think it was funny" (pg 131).

Analysis: I really like this chapter in the way that it shows how Carine's mindset is throughout after knowing his death, and when she first finds out. It's nice to see her think about Chris and what he thinks would be funny when she sees his name being spelled incorrectly. Her reaction to finding out about Chris' death I feel like is exactly the same way I would react if one of my siblings had died. About Buck, I also really do wonder if his journey would have ended up with him being alive if he had taken Buck with him. Because being so emotionally close to a pet, makes you want to protect them and make sure they're always safe and good.

#different ending? #mourning #he'shomenow

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This chapter starts off talking about Chris McCandless' death in Alaska (pg 70).  A lot of negative mail was sent by Alaskans talking about how they saw nothing positive at all about Chris' lifestyle or wilderness doctrine (pg 71). They said, "Entering the wilderness purposefully ill-prepared, and surviving a near-death experience does not make you a better human, it makes you damn lucky." The rest of the chapter is mainly stories about other people that traveled to Alaska just like Chris did and how their odysseys went.  Where a Vietnam vet had died, there was another cabin stocked with meat (pg 73) just three miles down-stream. Then there was another man named Rossellini who wrote to his friend, talking about how he felt it was possible to become a Stone age native (pg 75). But he later learned that it is not possible for humans to live off the land. The chapter ends with talking about Chris McCandless and how he was as a person. It says, "he wasn't a sociopath, he wasn't an outcast,. McCandless was something else - although precisely what is hard to say. A pilgrim (pg 85), perhaps.

Analysis: This chapter is really interesting with it giving examples from other people's stories about going into Alaska and starting a journey in it. It's pretty safe to say for me that Chris McCandless was actually really prepared and nearly not as crazy as people say compared to the other guys. In this chapter you learn that entering a fight against Alaska is impossible to win, and Alaska will never lose. Each individual's story is different but the same as well with the fact that they all have the same ending.

#AlaskaAlwaysWins #Deathwish #DoNotEnter

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Where the title of the book comes from; Into the wild.

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Summary: This chapter starts off talking about relationships, how many creative people fail to make mature personal relationships, and some are extremely isolated (pg 60). Then it talks about how an avoidant (pg 61) infant might very well develop into a person who is not anywhere near close to being dependent upon interpersonal relationships. (Chris McCandless?) Westerberg later appears in the chapter and starts talking about how there were gaps (pg 63) in Chris McCandless' thinking. He then talks about how there was a horrible stink in his house, which ended up being grease at the bottom of the microwave. Alex seemed to never notice the smell, I believe it's because he's so smart that he doesn't notice some things he might not notice due to it being irrelevant to him. Chris left a note to Carine complaining about his parent' behavior and how he can't wait to, "never speak to either of those idiots (pg 64)" again. There was this girl who had a crush on Chris but he never mentioned any romantic entanglements to either Westerberg or Borah. It seems that McCandless was drawn to women but remained largely or entirely celibate (pg 65), as chaste as a monk. The last letter Chris McCandless sent to Westerberg says, " It might be a very long time before I return South. if this adventure proves fatal (pg 69) and you don't ever hear from me again, I want you to know you're a great man. I now walk into the wild.

Analysis: I enjoyed this chapter a lot, it was a little sad but al so like a bit relatable and I felt a bit of connection with it. The fact that he actually stuck to his word and left everything behind is pretty inspiring, even if what he did was a bad idea.  It also pretty cool to see like how much of an impact one person can have on someone else in such a small period of time.

#virgintilldeath #myfarewell #imawareoftheEnd

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This chapter is probably my favorite chapter in the book so far. It starts off with a letter from a Christian (pg. 50) man named Franz wrote asking about Chris McCandless' death. He requested a magazine (pg. 48) which covers the story about the death (pg. 48) of Chris McCandless. Franz was the man that was most affected (pg. 48) by McCandless' death. They met when Chris was hiking and Franz offered him a ride to his camp. While in the car, they conversated and Franz told Chris about how he lives alone, and his wife and kid died in a car accident due to a drunk driver. He then got into drinking himself for the next six months, where he would then stop and salve (pg. 50) his loneliness. Him and Chris bonded a little more and grew closer, which then led to Franz getting attached to Chris and he couldn't get the young man off his mind (pg. 50). Right before Chris was about to leave to San Francisco, Franz asked Chris if he could adopt (pg 55) him. Which Chris answered with, "we'll talk about it when I get back from Alaska, Ron." Franz then waited for him to come back, but then he hears the news from an Indian youth, that Alex McCandless had passed away. This got Franz depressed again, and he said "I prayed. I asked God to keep his finger on the shoulder of that one; I told him that boy was special. But he let Alex die. So on December 26, when I learned what happened, I renounced the Lord. I withdrew my church membership and became and atheist." He also started drinking again, and he hoped it killed him.

Analysis: This chapter is so sad to me. I mean Franz had finally met someone who he truly felt made him a littler happier and connected to, then he asks Chris is he could adopt him and become his grandson, but Chris dodges it. And then when Franz finds out about Chris' death, and goes from a Christian to atheist, is so heartbreaking. Also the fact that he started drinking again after so long. :(

#alone #ITrustedYou #MovingOn

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Summary: In this chapter, McCandless whines up in a city called Bullhead City. He ended up really liking this city and settles down in it for a while. He also got a full time job (pg 39) at the McDonalds while staying there, where he was commuting to everyday on a bike. While staying here, he presented (pg 40) himself as Chris McCandless, instead of his fake name Alex. When he applied, he also gave them his real Social Security number. This was an uncharacteristic break (pg 40) from his cover. The manager and assistant manager at the McDonalds describes Chris as good worker (pg 40), real dependable, but also very off in his own universe. The manager confronted Chris about him smelling bad one time, which kind of made him mad (pg 41). Once people found out that Chris was a drifter (pg 41), they offered him soap, and rides home (pg 41), but he politely declined. After a while, McCandless ends up quitting the job and meeting this old man whos name is Charlie. Charlie offered Chris a place to stay at in his trailer, and so he did for a little. Chris leaves the trailer due to his confrontation from his manager and meets up with his old friend from Slabs. He then says goodbye to them and departs to Alaska (pg 46).

Analysis: This chapter surprised me a little when it said that Chris McCandless presented himself as his actual government name. It also very much surprised me that Chris would do something like settle down when he was so committed to getting to Alaska as soon as possible. It was a little refreshing though, throughout the whole book its all about traveling, it's nice to see him settle down and relax for a bit.
#settleddown #workingfulltime #ihateconfrontation

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Summary: In this chapter, There is a man named Bud Walsh, who the National Park Service ranger. We follow him throughout the chapter. Walsh got sent to the backcountry of Lake Mean National Recreation Area (pg 26) to tally bear-paw poppies so that the federal government would understand how scarce plants are. Welsh ended up finding an abandoned car which had a 25lb bag of rice, a football, some loose change, a guitar,  old clothes, etc. This was originally Chris McCandless' car (pg 27), but Walsh isn't aware of that. He ended up jump starting the car, claiming it for himself, the car was called a Datsun (pg 27). Roughly two days after McCandless had set up camp beside Lake Mead, a wall of thunderheads reared up in the sky, and it began to rain. McCandless tried to get his car to start but the battery had died. This got him thinking about bringing the car to the rangers but then he had remembered that his license plate had expired (pg 28) as well as his vehicle registration. This then led him to deciding that he would continue his odyssey (pg 29) on foot.

Analysis: Its kind of weird to me how he tried starting the car when water was already inside of the engine? He also had jumper cables, so why not just wait for someone to come by and help you? Although I can understand that he might've not waited because he was in a rush to get into Alaska. Still though, makes me think about that. Also, why did he go through the wash when there was a road the whole time? Sort of random to me, he could've just went down the road.

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Summary: There was a small town called Carthage located in South Dakota (pg 15), with a population of 247. In this setting, Chris meets someone named Wayne Westerberg (pg 16). Wayne was reminiscing in alone bar thinking about Alex. Wayne mentions that he picks up a lot of hitchhikers and he has them work for him. Chris actually ends up working for Wayne for a while, and Wayne describes Chris as the best worker he has ever had. Wayne also says Chris is very ethical (pg 18), which is a little weird knowing that Chris is actually very footloose (pg 15). Chris ended up writing a letter to his real family, which was his school transcript, and his final GPA was 3.7. That was the last (pg 22) time they would hear from him.

Analysis: I question why Chris didn't just stay with Westerberg, I mean he had everything he needed. He had a job that he enjoyed with Westerberg, and he also offered him a place to stay. I also wonder why Westerberg would do anything illegal with black boxes. Also, after Chris had just finished university, what made him drop everything in his life? Including his parents?
#yolo #newadventure #bymyself

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Summary: The second chapter caught me off guard completely. In this chapter, Alex (McCandless), ends up being found dead during his traveling. The first paragraph of the chapter describes the land as a desolation, lifeless (pg 9). Then later describes the wild as a frozen-hearted (pg 9) Northland Wild. McCandless' body was found with a note, which was him asking to please (pg 12) help (pg 12) him, begging to be saved in God's name. The doctors that analyzed McCandless' body stated that his body weighed (pg 14) sixty-seven pounds. His cause of death is still 100% certain but doctors believe it was due to starvation. (pg 14)

Analysis: I felt shook the second Ms. Moore mentioned that the 2nd chapter talks about McCandless' dead body being found. I find that kind of smart of the author to do because this says that the whole book is about his journey.

#death #bus #hunger

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Summary: Into the Wild starts off with a lot of foreshadowing and a pretty strong beginning. The book is about a man named Christopher Johnson McCandless who wants to start a trip (pg 4) with nature and travel to Alaska. From the beginning, it was already very clear that he was determined (pg6) to start his new path. He gets a ride from a man named Gallien, and he then asks to be dropped off as far as the edge of Denali National Park, where he plans on walking deep into the bush (pg 4) and living off the land. Alex kept all of his travel belongings to a minimum (pg 5) which was a little odd due to how long he planned on being out with nature. Gallien was turning the truck around after dropping Alex off, and he was thinking to himself, "I thought he'd probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway. That's what any normal (pg 7) person would do." It's a little visible to notice that Alex is doing things his own different way.
Analysis: I kind of respect Alex for doing what he truly wants making the sacrifices he's currently making for this trip. He's 100% committed and I respect him for that as well. He's very straightforward and seems like an all-around good guy.

#committed #hardheaded #nofear

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I was never really the nature type of kid when I was young. I was all about going out and hanging out with my friends outside but I never really had a passion for exploring nature yet. As I grew older and I watched movies about how people go out and become one with nature almost as they lived their happiest lives.

I started to grow a passion for traveling and seeing the world once I went to Ecuador by myself and saw nature's beauty there. Seeing the different types of creatures and diverse habitats in Ecuador made me want to travel to other countries and see theirs as well.

Going to Ecuador and seeing the jungles and volcanos there were really made me fall in love with nature and how beautiful it really is. I went skylining in Ecuador right next to a waterfall in a Jungle and the wind in my face as I was going down felt amazing. The whole experience was overall ten out of ten and I would do it all over again.