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Throughout the story I always viewed Chris as very brave, reckless, & crafty. I know that if he didn't reject society, he most likely would have been a very wealthy & successful person, he was well educated & mannered as described by the many people he met along his journey. I think that despite his reclusive habits, he is very good at socializing & always being popular among his peers. I don't like how he can be very cold to those around him including his parents & Ron. Many times Chris rejected Ron wanting to deepen their father-son like bond. I find it understandable why Chris would do so as he wanted to utterly focus on his trip however I wish he still wouldn't treat people so coldly.

#lonewolf #neversettleforanyone #onthegrind

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My passion is flipping things & making money in general, I wouldn't say it solely makes me happy but it has led me to change my life & meet a lot of new people I'm grateful for & making memories along the way. How i came to get into this passion is when I first got into reselling sneakers back in December 2019. I was depressed about me not doing anything productive with my life, I knew I had so much potential but I was so upset that I was letting it go to waste. I had no hobbies or any passions, all I did was play video games, hang out, & get high whenever I had the chance. I knew I could be so much better than this & I knew that it's now or never for me to get started with something. I chose to get into sneaker reselling because I wanted to make money, I have a liking for sneakers, & I knew that it was something a lot of people my age were doing. My first year of reselling, I was so lost, I didn't have the tools or funding like everyone else did. I didn't take much risks at all, I actually lost money trying to be cheap & playing the safe route. My second year, I had a better understanding of the game however by then, sneakers were getting slowly harder to get & less profitable as well. That's when I turned to reselling consoles, specifically the playstation 5s & xbox series x everyone was trying to get their hands on. It was a lot easier and I had better margins, however things really took off for me when I got deeper into NFTs in late August 2021. I knew about NFTs originally from NBA Topshot when I got into it in January 2021, however I only knew the concept of it, I never bothered to dive deeper than NBA Topshot. This is something I regret as there is a lot I have missed out on but I am grateful I am now doing NFTs as I consider myself to be early. NFTs opened up a new world for me, it was a lot more riskier than even crypto itself but the upside is also better. I as well as my friends that do NFTs together, we have all made life changing money & learned so much from being involved & we know that this is just the beginning for us & what NFTs can do. I do not simply just enjoy flipping things just because it makes money. Along my journey, I got to befriend some amazing people that has helped me better myself and I can definitely say that without them, I wouldn't be at my current place right now. I got to pick up coding as a hobby which I have been enjoying, I like to make things, it has always been something I enjoyed doing as a child.

My current goal right now is to reach a net worth of 6 figures by the time I graduate high school, a good amount of my friends my age have already done so and I want to catch up. I also feel that six figures is a very big milestone not just for me but also for a lot of people especially at my age. I plan to achieve this by consistently doing research on NFTs & other markets, as well as learning their fundamentals & honing them into a part of my essential skillset. With NFTs being my main plan, I also want to learn how to trade futures. However  improving my investment & analysis skills isn't merely enough, discipline is a key trait I will need. Consistency is key to accomplishing your goals in life. That being said, I decided to start with making my bed daily as it helps me feel more organized. I also want to stop being in my bed most of the time when I'm home as I know that it won't make me productive at all.

#selfimprovement #thegrind #thankful

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Summary:
Chris's cause of death was concluded as starvation (p1) however we didn't know what exactly did him in. It was believed to be poisonous seeds that caused Chris's death so John Krakaeur along with his team analyzed samples of the seeds (p6) suspected to cause his death. Initially it was thought to be a compound named beta-ODAP but it was actually another (p9) amino acid named L-canavanine. The compound is similar to an essential amino (p10) acid, agrinine, so the body believes L-canavanine to be good when really it is destructive, short-circuits (p10) your metabolism.

Analysis:
It is scary how there's so many things out there in nature that can easily kill you, or at the very least cause great harm. It makes me realize that Chris must have been very resourceful to be able to survive in the wild for about 3 months, especially in a place like Alaska. Chris is someone who will actually pull off or at least makes the full effort to do what he says. This is an admirable trait as Chris can back his words with action.

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Summary:
Billie wanted to follow (pg 201) the Stampede Trail just like Chris has done. Billie states that she dislikes Alaska for a lot of reasons but admits that the place has a certain beauty (pg 202) & understands why it appealed to Chris so much. She even declares that Chris was very brave (pg 202) until the end because he held on so strongly. Billie & Walt create a memorial (pg 202) just inside the bus door to honor their son's memory & even possibly help people who may come across it. Walt is still confused about Chris but he says after visiting the bus, he got a better understanding (pg 203) & for that, he is grateful.

Analysis:
Chris's parents wanted to get closure of Chris because they have been so confused by Chris's death. They didn't know why it happened or why he even went on the trip in the first place. Visiting where Chris's last moments had helped them gain that closure they needed. They made a memorial dedicated to him & left survival supplies so that deaths like Chris's could possibly be prevented.

#thefinale #rip #memories

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Analysis:
Despite Chris having an extremely lean (pg 188) diet, he seemed to be in relatively good health. However, on July 30, his entry in his journal states that he is extremely weak (pg 191) because he ate wild potato seeds. It is found out that Chris however did not get poisoned because of wild potato seeds, he instead ate wild sweet peas, which is known to be toxic (pg 191). It turns out that Chris did not make a mistake telling wild potatoes & wild sweet peas apart. It turns out that he ate a poisonous variety of mold (193) that grew on many legume species during the summer. It is also discovered that Chris's lean diet & starvation had caused his body to not be able to flush (pg 195) out the poison, otherwise he would have been fine.

Summary:
This makes me realize that Chris wasn't as careless as I thought, he instead made an innocent mistake that came with a grave consequence. Had he just known about the mold or even had a better diet, he most likely would have made it out alive. I do also find that though Chris made a mistake with the moose meat that caused it to spoil, he was simply misinformed by the people he asked for advice. If he had preserved the meat properly, he wouldn't have been starving & wouldn't have succumbed to the poisonous mold or starvation at all.

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Summary:
A year after Chris's decision to not cross the Teklanika River, Krakaeur is on the opposite bank, hoping to cross (pg 173) the river. He feels that if he does so, he would be able to visit the bus & get a better understanding (pg 173) of Chris. Krakaeur interviews Gordon & Sam, who has discovered Chris's body. They insisted that Chris had killed a caribou instead of a moose & said he was extremely ill-prepared (pg 177). Many critics compared Chris to Sir John Franklin, perceiving them to be arrogant and not having adequate respect (pg 181) for the land. Chris was sufficiently skilled however he simply took risk-taking to the extreme (pg 182).

Analysis:
Throughout the book, it has been shown that Chris has always been underprepared & had very little regard for himself. He was skilled however his problem was that he got cocky & thought he could get by with what little he had. Chris already knew he was underprepared however he didn't care at all due to his nature of not having any sense of danger when it comes to his own life. If he had been more careful, I definitely believe Chris would have made it out of Alaska alive.

#perspective #daredevil #extreme

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Summary:
Gaylord Stuckey is usually leery (pg 159) of hitchhikers, yet he reluctantly picked up Chris. Chris chats with Stuckey, talking about his family, including the fact that although his father is a genius, he is also a bigamist (pg 159). Before Stuckey lets Alex of his truck, he pleads with Alex to call (pg 160) his parents, but to no avail, Alex brushes off Stuckey's request. Despite many people worrying for Chris's safety, he is still very confident (pg 162) that he is skillful enough to survive the bush (pg 165).

Analysis:
Chris has very little regard for his own life, dismissing everyone else when it comes to their concern about him. He even bothers to keep people in the dark when it comes to his safety to the point where he refuses to contact his parents as per Stuckey's demands. This makes me see Chris as selfish but I also understand why he is selfish, as he has been hurt severely from when he discovered his family's dark secret.

#hitchhikers #mia #lonewolf

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Analysis:
From an early age, John Kraukeur's father wanted him to pursue a career in medicine (pg 147), or at the very least, law. Similar to Chris, John came to a revelation that his father figure was not perfect (148) at all. This enraged John & he felt that it was beyond his power to forgive (pg 148). As time passes, John begins to see his father for what he really is & even spirals down into madness (pg 149) of drug abuse. John is able to relate to Chris, to the point he also went on his own journey just like Chris had done so. He thought the journey would change his life, however, it proved to change almost nothing (pg 155) for John.

Summary:
I thought John only wrote about Chris not just because he found his death interesting & that he went on a journey similar to how he did. However, in this chapter I find out that John has also become estranged from his father just as Chris did. They both held their father figures in very high regards, but they eventually realized that their fathers weren't actually they were perceived as this whole time.

#woke #drugabuseislifeabuse #twinsies

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Summary:
Many people speculated that Chris went on his journey with the intention of suicide (pg 134) however Krakaeur doesn't completely agree with that theory. He believes that it was out of a passion (pg 135). Krakaeur experienced this when he first saw the Devil's Thumb, having a fascination (pg 135) with it and wanting to climb it. He had no doubts that climbing the Devil's Thumb would transform (pg 135) his life. The Devil's Thumb proved to be a very hard journey, even for an experienced alpinist like Krakaeur, sobbing (pg 141) & feeling embarrassed during his ascent.

Analysis:
I find it interesting that Krakaeur, the author, went through a similar phrase to what Chris had gone through, but pulled it off successfully. They both felt that this journey would fix or transform their lives for the better, even though they knew it would be a perilous journey. They felt that they had an urge and that it needed to be filled, no matter what it may cost them.

#passion #ihaveadream #onthegrind

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Summary:
Chris's parents can't help but wonder that if they had let Chris take (pg 128) the dog with him, he would still be alive. They knew that Chris never thinks twice about risking his own life, but he would never put Buckley, the dog, in any danger (pg 128) at all. Carine states that even after 10 months when Chris had died, she still strongly grieves (pg 129) for him, crying every day. Carine's grief had progressed to the point where she lost her appetite (pg 131). Billie had also been affected severely, she never got the closure she needed to understand (pg 132) why Chris had done what he did.

Analysis:
It makes me really feel for Chris's family as they definitely feel like they take part of the blame for contributing to his death. This is especially because they refused to let Chris take Buck with him, who they know that Chris would never put in any form of danger at all. I understand why Chris would act this way as well, as I also have a dog whom I love dearly. To me, dogs are just so innocent and pure in nature, they can have nothing but love for their owners.

#doglover #puppies #mansbestfriend

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Summary:
Chris's early life is explored in this chapter, we find out that Chris has always been rebellious by nature. When Chris got lost in the Mojave Desert, Walt told him he wanted Chris to be a bit more careful (pg 119) and inform them about his whereabouts more often. This actually upsets Chris and made him more distant from his family when it came to his plans (pg 119). After his graduation from high school, Chris began to resent his parents, when he learned (pg 121) of Walt's double life with his first wife, Marcia, and Billie. Chris never confronted his parents about that matter, but instead to rage (pg 123) in silence. Though Chris was distraught with his parents, Billie insisted that she could hear Chris calling out for her help (pg 126) during his hour of need.

Analysis:
I begin to understand Chris more and why he was so distant from his parents despite them loving him very much. Chris was clearly deeply wounded from discovering his parent's secret and he felt like he could never look at them the same way anymore. It makes sense to me now why Chris resents his parents so much now, though I do find it interesting how during his last moments, he "called out" to his mom for her help. It makes me wonder if Billie's vision was true, would it mean Chris came to term with his parents and finally forgave them?

#brooding #itsnotaphasemom #emo

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Walt says the hardest part is that it's simply not having Chris around (pg 104) anymore. Walt spent a lot of time with Chris and felt really close to him, despite being frustrated (pg 104) by him at times. The chapter goes on to describe Chris's early life, one example being that Chris kept to himself (pg 107) despite being very socially adept. He was also described as a high achiever (pg 109), excelling academically with little effort. He however always wanted to do things his own way, even disregarding his own grade in physics for an assignment he felt had stupid (pg 109) rules. Chris had the capabilities to become extremely successful in life, but in the end, he wanted to live life completely the opposite of what was expected of him. When his former boss offered to pay for his education (pg 116), he rejected the proposal, wanting to spend his time traveling.

Summary:
Getting a glance into Chris's early life, I realized that if Chris really wanted to, he could become an extremely successful person, maybe even on the likes of the multi-billionaires we see. He had an extreme amount of potential waiting to be tapped into, but he found it to be a waste. He would much rather do what he wanted, never abiding by anyone's expectations of him. Knowing this, it makes me wonder about what if Chris didn't go on that trip & that there could have been so much he could have done for society.

#iamaboss #scholar #sigmamale

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Summary:
When Chris died, many people were trying to find out who his corpse was. His body was found with a diary filled with entries on flora & fauna, leading to people speculating that he was a field biologist (pg 99). This speculation led to nowhere (pg 99), being nothing but a dead end. There was one lead that proved useful however, that being the W-4 forms (pg 101), that Chris has filled out when he worked for Wayne Westerberg. Chris had filled out his social security number (pg 101) on the forms, leading to Sam McCandless, Chris's older half brother, being contacted by a Fairfax County homicide detective. When Sam found out about his brother's death, he drove (pg 102) out to Maryland to inform his parents about Chris's death.

Analysis:
I feel bad for Chris's family, especially Walt, as he was extremely close to Chris so he was impacted a lot when he found out about Chris's death. I do find it weird that Chris filled out the first W-4 form with false information but on the second form, he provided his real social security number. It really makes me wonder why he did that, could he maybe trying to give a lead in case he does die and people need to identify his body?

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Summary:
Davis Gulch is described as a small watershed (pg 88) that travelers have relied on for its oasis. The country surrounding Davis Gulch is desiccated (pg 88), with little vegetation and shade from the sun. In Chris's postcard (pg 92) to Wayne, he sounds strangely similar to Everett Ruess, declaring to continue living his lifestyle for some time. Reuss was a man who died, on an apparent journey to the Navajo Reservation to meet his friends. Reuss had hidden all of his stuff in a cave (pg 96) & took off onto his journey while playing Captain Nemo. Reuss & Chris are both compared to the Irish monks (pg 97), moved by their courage, innocence, & and urging desire.

Analysis:
During the comparison of Chris & Reuss to the Irish monks, I was shocked as I didn't know about them at all and how they were in America, way before even the Anasazi. I find this baffling as I never learned about this in history and it also makes me realize that there were a lot more people like Chris out there. This makes me think that if Chris probably wished he was born earlier, so he could have a lot to explore and wouldn't have to deal with the pains of modern society.

#history #nemo #journey

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Summary:
When news broke out about Chris's death, many people believed him to be mentally disturbed (pg 70). Nick Jans wrote about him having sympathy (pg 72) for Chris's family, but not Chris himself. He thought Chris to be filled with arrogance (pg 72),  overestimating himself against Alaska. The story switches over to a man named Gene Rossellini, who attempted to live like a Stone Age native for 30 years, mysteriously ended (pg 75) him life before making his grand trip. Rossellini & similar other men in this chapter were such nutcases (pg 85), that even Chris himself would appear mentally sane.

Analysis:
Chris now appears to me as a normal man, who was just extremely passionate about his goal. If you look at the other characters, they are much much worse cases than Chris, especially Rossellini. Another would be Carl McCunn, who had the fantasy of leaving into the wild with a beautiful woman. They all appeared to have some kind of fantasy they wanted to live, Chris's fantasy was the more realistic & sane one.

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Summary:
Chris is described as a man who has gaps (pg 63) in his thinking, meaning he is intelligent but he tends to ignore the obvious because he is so focused on his current task. Chris felt oppressed by his parents & that they were treating him with disrespect, leading to him pushing past his breaking (pg 64) point. Westerberg was talking about Chris that he was a man who takes relationships (pg 65) seriously and doesn't look for meaningless one-night stands. When Chris left, Borah noticed that he was crying (pg 68), giving her a bad feeling they wouldn't be able to see Chris again. Westerberg received a letter from Chris, who was saying his farewells & that he will now be walking into the wild (pg 69).

Analysis:
Chris is a very passionate man who is willing to give up everything just to achieve his goal. He didn't bother with any of the girls he met along the trip due to that passion but also because of his moral code. Chris doesn't want to waste time on a relationship that won't go well, he views them as sacred, in contrast to today's modern hook-up culture. Despite Chris being a "lone-wolf," he still treasures the people he befriended and the memories he made, as shown when he cries before leaving Borah and the others.

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Summary:
Chris meets a man named Ron Franz, who tragically lost his family due to a car accident (pg 50) while he was overseas. Chris and Franz spent a lot of time (pg 51) together, creating a very close father-son bond with each other. He even learned how to make his belt (pg 51) from Franz's leathercrafting skills. When Chris left, he mailed Burres & Franz, calling himself a hobo (pg 53) because he was jumping trains and riding the rails. Despite Chris & Franz growing close together, Chris continued onward with his trip, leaving Franz behind, and once again Franz is reminded of his lonely (pg 56) existence.

Analysis:
Chris doesn't let his attachments get in the way of what he wants, no matter how close the bond may be. I do wish Chris came back alive so he could fulfill Franz's wish of wanting to adopt him as his son. Franz is a very lonely man & Chris knew that as well but also wanted Franz to help himself and not rely on relationships with people for happiness. I do not think Chris was trying to be disrespectful when he was giving advice, I believe Chris was just trying to be straight forward as possible to help Franz really get his message.

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Summary:
Chris spent his time on the coast (pg 39) of Oregon during July & August before eventually making his way into the desert (pg 39) and then Bullhead City, Arizona. When Chris applied for a job (pg 40) at McDonald's, he gave his real (pg 40) information instead of the usual fake identity. Chris eventually quit his job when he felt overwhelmed by people trying to help him out and finding out more about him.

Analysis:
I find it ironic when Chris is very against the government as well as the capitalist structure of the economy yet he applied to McDonald's. It's strange how he even gave out his real information even though he didn't want to leave any traces behind of his past life. I view Chris now somewhat to a turtle, when a turtle feels threatened, it turtles itself from danger, similar to how Chris just books it when he feels confined by people.

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Summary:
Rangers from Lake Mead National Park found an object covered by a tarp (pg 26) at the edge of a riverbed. What was found was an old yellow (pg 26) Datsun, that formerly belonged to Chris. The rangers traced (pg 27) the serial number of the Datsun and it led to the Hertz Corporation. The reason why Chris abandoned his beloved Datsun was that the engine (pg 28) wouldn't catch anymore & he didn't want to deal with the authorities, so he left his car behind. Chris's parents find out about him and decide to hire a private (pg 31) investigator to find him.

Analysis:
Chris is very adamant about his beliefs, to the point he would sacrifice his beloved car just so he wouldn't have to deal with the law. He is willing to make sacrifices & let go of things he feels will hold him back or have no use to him, like the money that he burned. Chris is a very bold man who doesn't go back on his words, although he may make dumb decisions, he never folds, which is something I find very admirable.

#acab #neverfold #cantcatchme

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Summary:
During Chris's footloose (pg 15) journey, he arrives in Carthage, a small town in South Dakota. He meets Wayne and is hired by him at his grain elevator. Wayne describes Chris as the hardest worker (pg 18) he had. Wayne discovers Chris's real (pg 18) name but never figured out why he changed his identity. When Wayne got arrested and Chris had no work to do, he decided to resume his nomadic (pg 19) journey of being emancipated (pg 22) from society.

Analysis:
Chris is a very hard worker and also very social, able to form friendships with new people easily. He enjoys the simpler things in life & is not a very material person at all. If he never decided to go on that journey, I'm sure he would become a very successful person in life.

#nomad #freespirit #alwaysonthegrind

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Summary:
Within the frozen-hearted (pg 9) Alaskan wild, there lies a bus (pg 12) where Chris has been found, in a sleeping bag, lying in his death (pg 12). A letter is also found, written by Chris, a last desperate plea for help (pg 12). This attempt only resorted in futility (pg 9) as Chris was only found after two and a half weeks after his death. At 8:30 AM,  a police helicopter arrived to investigate the scene, taking Chris's remains with them. A signature had been penned at the bottom of Chris's note but it was not enough information to help police identify who he was.

Analysis:
If Chris didn't try to hide or change his identity, I doubt this story would ever get the publicity it currently has right now. People were shocked at how a man with a bright future could throw it all away to go on what could practically be deemed as a suicide journey. My opinion on Chris still remains the same, an ambitious & brave man who felt confined by his family & past lifestyle and wanted an escape.

#trapped #mia #freedom

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Summary:
Chris is a man that was different from many other people, you could not classify as normal in any way. He was determined about his trip, well aware of the dangers that lies ahead of him yet gung-ho about it. Chris persisted with his driver that he would be fine with his very minimal levels of gear and protection.

Analysis:
Chris is very stubborn
Analysis:

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This was about 5 years ago, when I went to Yosemite National Park. It was very cold throughout the trip, especially when night falls. I didn't have access to wifi so it was a good chance to disconnect. It felt nice getting to eat foods I normally don't get to eat, like marshmallows, breakfast skillets, etc... I got to be around a lot of family members during the trip, some I have never even met or rarely get to see. It was a good opportunity to catch up with everyone, take a break from my normal life, and overall make new memories.