Into the Wild Ethan P. by Ethan Pham (Student WHS)

Into the Wild Ethan P. by Ethan Pham (Student WHS) https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf A book about Christopher Johnson McCandless en-us 2022-12-15 22:36:25 UTC 2025-10-21 10:52:36 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f43a.png My Experiences in the Wild epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2422404011 My parents are freaks when it comes to the outdoors. Due to this, I've developed some of their habits and used them as my own when it came time to. I'm usually not an outdoors type of person though, however, if some do pique my interest, I'm always down to check it out.

One of my most memorable trips was to Utah. There was just so much to do there in terms of the trails and hikes. Me and my family took to Zion National Park and we went on many of the trails there, but unfortunately, some of the ones we wanted to attend were closed. My favorite trail there was the "Emerald Pools" as you could just see the beautifully shaded rocks and the unique green water throughout the trail. I really wish I could go again and try out "Angels Landing" as I heard the view up and the journey there is just an experience you can't forget.

As for my plans in the future, I plan to keep exploring the world till the day I cannot anymore. Most of my trips have been in-state, but I would love to check out Europe and Asia for the cultures and memories I could make there. I mean, who wouldn't want to explore the world?

]]> 2022-12-15 22:43:13 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2422404011 Chapter 1: The Alaska Interior epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2424443217 Summary: In the first chapter of Into the Wild we are from the perspective of Jim Gallien and the hitchhiker (p.3) he spots who we learn to find is Christopher Johnson McCandless himself. Gallien goes on to offer McCandless a ride to his destination where he makes some observations about McCandless on the way. He notices many things including that McCandless is traveling light for where he's headed with a small rifle (p.5), an odd map (p.5), and overall just looked underequipped. As the car ride continues, Gallien notices how excited (p.6) McCandless is and once they reached their destination he even offers him a pair of boots (p.7) to hopefully help him with his journey. After that, they part ways as Gallien drives away.

Analysis: First off, I just wanted to say that this is a great way to start the book off as we got a perspective from someone who interacted with and even helped McCandless right before his trip out in the forest. It gives a sense of mystery of what's to come next. With this chapter, I can only help but wonder what McCandless's next step was after he departed into the forest. What were his tactics for surviving out in the forest being so underequipped? Guess we'll just have to find out in the next chapter!

#mystery #INTOTHEWILD #adventurous]]> 2022-12-19 05:16:29 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2424443217 Chapter 2: The Stampede Trail epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2424443375 Summary: The story proceeds with three people, Ken Thompson, Gordon Samel, and Ferdie Swanson who set out to explore the trail in which McCandless took. As they get close to the are where the bus (p.12) is located, they find two other people there as well standing in disbelief and shock. We come to learn that they find a letter (p.12) in the bus from McCandless reading out a S.O.S (p.12) and how he is in desperate need of help to whoever finds this letter. The hikers get closer and find the dead (p.13) body of McCandless himself who has been there for two and a half weeks. We come to learn that police lated arrived on the scene and flew the remains away where an autopsy (p.13) was performed later where the culprit to his death was mostly in part due to starvation (p.14).

Analysis: Coming from the previous chapter, everything just took a big turn. After learning about McCandless's fate I still can't wrap my head around it. Based on the trailer shown in the classroom, he had everything going for him and then out of the blue decided to go out into the wild, no pun intended, super underequipped, and didn't think about the consequences of it all? This has just made the story even more intriguing. I really want to get into McCandless's mind and find out what he was thinking prior to this adventure.

#whathappened? #thejourneybegins #S.O.S]]> 2022-12-19 05:16:47 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2424443375 Chapter 3: Carthage epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2425241631 Summary: The chapter starts in the city of Carthage (p.15) where we are introduced to Wayne Westerberg, someone who had met with and worked with McCandless. We come to learn many new things about McCandless including his looks and personality. McCandless is offered a job by Westerberg which he takes and from how Westerberg describes him, McCandless was a very hardworking, ethical (p.18), and determined worker. The chapter then delves deeper into McCandless's personal life where we learn about his parents and the events leading up to his journey. After completing college, with a major in history and anthropology (p.20), he decided to donate (p.20) his remaining 24 thousand dollars to charity which not even his parents knew about. The rest of the chapter talks about McCandless going AWOL and his parents only later find out when they come to visit him.

Analysis: I tried my best to summarize the chapter, but it was a lot to take in and I don't think it's my best writing. Anyways, back to the chapter, I found it really interesting how we're getting a perspective from a second person now who had previously interacted with McCandless. I believe the author is trying to slowly feed us information about McCandless's character and how this story unfolds from the perspective of others. It's neat and I think it works quite well. Something else I found interesting was nearing the end of the chapter, we finally learn why McCandless did what he did. He simply wanted to be free and to experience life to its truest potential.

#Atlanta #BEINGFREE #OXFAM]]> 2022-12-19 22:40:30 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2425241631 Chapter 4: Detrital Wash epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2426410939 Summary: The chapter begins with a team of Park Rangers finding McCandless's abandoned Datsun (p.26). It had been left there with many belongings of McCandless's as we later came to find that he didn't want authorities involved with him so he decided to abandon the car as well as "hiding" some of the belongings there to later pick up. Fast forward a bit and now we get more into McCandless's journey. During this time, he experiences many adversities that put him down. Firstly, he starts to work for free for a Crazy Ernie, but later steals his bike (p.30) and rides off to somewhere else. He later gets into complications with a police officer and unwillingly had to give up his parents' adress as proof of residence (p.31) thus allowing his parents to be notified of his location. His luck ony gets worse as we go through his journal learning that he has gone through many rivers covering a long distance only on a canoe, then later has to sneak into Mexico (p.34). In the end of his journey, he loses over 25lbs of body weight, but states that his spirit (p.37) still goes on despite his physical injuries.

Analysis: At this point in the story, I'm starting to having a mixed opinion on McCandless's journey. On one side, we learn that he's doing it to be free and have the utmost amount of freedom possible to live his life. While I do agree with wanting to have that, in this chapter we learn about just how far he's willing to go for those lengths which we know later led to him succumbing to his fate. He abandoned his car, left his personal belongings which I thought he was going to bring with him, but he ended up leaving a lot behind. I just found it kind of foolish of him and feel as though he could've done something differently.

#DATSUNISFOUND #HUNGRY #MEXICO ]]> 2022-12-21 05:36:05 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2426410939 Chapter 5: Bullhead City epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2427015025 Summary: The chapter begins where we learn that McCandless has traveled his way to Bullhead City, Arizona (p.39). He settles down there and even gets a job at McDonalds (p.40) for a bit. We get to hear the perspective from his co workers who talk about McCandless and how he was a good worker, until he had finally quit (p.41) out of the blue one day. Later on, we learn about his "surrogate mother", Jan Burres, and her memories with him. We got to learn more things about McCandless from Burres and that he was a caring, loving, and overall outgoing person overall. He was good with anybody he met and with animals (p.45) as well. Their relationship came to an end suddenly when McCandless decided it was time to leave for Alaska (p.46). Burres gave him some stuff for his trip, and off he went.

Anaylsis: I liked this chapter as it was much calmer than the previous chapter and hearing from others about him is always interesting. A common theme I've found amongst everyone he's met was that he's a good person and hard worker, however he will deny of goods you try to provide for him unless you force it onto him. It really shows how determined and well rounded person McCandless was not only to himself, but others as well.

#Maccas #ANIMALOVER #TheJourneyContinues ]]> 2022-12-21 22:25:52 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2427015025 Chapter 6: Anza-Borrego epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2427877993 Summary: This chapter introduces us to a new character, Ronald A. Franz. We learn that he's someone who McCandless befriended on his journey and they became really close. The chapter starts off with Franz writing a letter (p.47) to a writer asking for the magazine (p.47) that depicted McCandless's death. We later then delve deeper into the relationship between Franz and McCandless. Franz was a old man who had lost his wife and only son in a car accident a while back and this led him down a dark hole. When he met McCandless however, his life was turned around. Franz was very fond of McCandless. He even had asked him to become his grandson (p.55) in which McCandless sort of dodged as he could. As McCandless left Franz yet again, he sent him another letter back, this one being very lengthy and essentially told Franz to go out and try something, become someone in this single life that he has. Franz took the advice to heart (p.58) and headed to the area near the hot springs McCandless used to stay at. He waited there for more than eight months patiently hoping that McCandless would return. Unfortunately however, he got news of McCandless's tragic end when he picked up hitchhikers on the way to Salton City. He was devastated, and went back to his drinking (p.60) habits. The chapter ends.

Analysis: Another great chapter yet again, this one being a lot more impactful and proving further how much of an impact McCandless had on others. He was a beam of sunlight and only spread good around others he met. It's sad to see that Franz, someone who deeply cared about him had to be presented this information in that manner and just have been waiting. Honestly, it shows how much a single person can change your life just like that. I do wonder, is Ronald a real person and what is his actual name?

#WhoIsRonald? #Oh-My-GodHotSprings #Closure]]> 2022-12-23 06:44:47 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2427877993 Chapter 7: Carthage epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2438730792 Summary: We are taken back to Carthage where we learn of what Westerberg's been up to and how is the workplace is like being shorthanded (p.62) on staff. We then delve seven months earlier when McCandless was still alive and was working for Westerberg. His reasoning for working for him was that he needed new gear (p.62) for his trip to Alaska. McCandless is a great worker doing the most tedious (p.62) jobs and overall just being a great worker in general. We come to later meet Gail Borah, Westerberg's girlfriend and her and McCandless later become good friends. We also learn that McCandless was most likely a virgin (p.66) based off Carine and Billie's recollections and that he was a very moral (p.65) person. He does this to stay more focused and to only fulfill his duties at hand. The chapter ends with McCandless sending his final goodbyes to Westerberg and some of the people he met along the way.

Analysis: I really liked this chapter for one moment in particular as it does resonate on a personal level, but seeing how McCandless was able to push it aside is just great! I assume with the goodbye letters at the end, in the next chapter we'll really start getting into his journey.

#Virgin #LiveYourLife #GoodbyePeople]]> 2023-01-10 03:54:16 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2438730792 Chapter 8: Alaska epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2440044537 Summary: Jon Krakauer uses this chapter to show his readers that other men have come to their demise (p. 70) on Alaskan adventures, even if the circumstances are a bit different from those of Chris McCandless. First up is Gene Rossellini, the modern day caveman! Gene heads north from the lower 48 in the early 1970's. He's a super intelligent guy looking to test himself in Alaska ...sound like anyone we know?? Well, "the mayor of Hippie Cove" as Gene is called lives a prehistoric existence, testing himself to see if modern day man can live in the same way as the cavemen did it back in the day. Gene tries his hardest, but sadly writes, "I learned that it is not possible for human beings as we know to live off the land" (p. 75) before plunging a knife through his heart when he realizes the true extent of his failure (p. 75). Next up is crazy John Waterman. Lots of similarities to Chris: he's from the D.C. area, has MAJOR issues with his dad and is super smart. John is an accomplish climber and alpinist (p. 79) before he starts losing his marbles, running for president of the United States on a platform to end hunger. SPOILER ALERT: He doesn't win the election! Anywho, John comes unhinged, decides to climb the most difficult mountain in all of Alaska in the dead of winter and is never heard from again. Alaska state troopers believe he probably fell down a crevasse (p. 80) to his death, although his remains were never found. And last up is poor Carl McCunn. Another transplant from the lower 48, Carl is the life of the party - just like Chris. Good guy, fun to be around, charming, but lacks common sense & thinks someone will bail him out if he ends up in trouble. Similar to Chris, he hatches a plan to go off into the wild for a few months BUT he fails to set up an Uber (think Uber plane!) to come back and pick him up. The summer turns to fall and McCunn is starving and freezing. But wait...a plane flies overhead and it looks like Carl is going to be rescued!!! Unfortunately, Carl doesn't know that waving ONE hand in the air means you're good, no need to rescue you instead of throwing TWO hands in the air, the universal sign for HELP!!! Carl is dying a slow and painful death by a mix of starvation and frostbite, so in his final diary (p. 81) he explains that he shot himself in the head to end his misery. Guess Chris doesn't sound that crazy or unprepared after all, huh???

Analysis: This chapter is just wild. We are introduced to three other people who had attempted to explore Alaska similarly to Chris and all ended up losing their lives. Based on this alone, we can tell Alaska is a super dangerous place, and seeing how Chris is doing so far in the story, it doesn't look good for him which we already know is true. I'm curious about what the next chapters hold for us about his journey. I'm really interested in how his journey will differ from the one we read about today and how he kept himself mentally stable for the challenge that was to come in Alaska.

#ALASKAISSCARY #PeopleAreCrazy #WOOHOOCHRIS

]]> 2023-01-10 22:02:01 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2440044537 Chatpter 9: David Gulch epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2440045823 Summary: Another chapter about a dude who isn't Chris McCandless. Everett Ruess shares many similarities with our main character though - he's a wanderer (p. 90), free spirit, well liked risk taker and lover of all things solitude and wilderness. Everett is a bit younger than Chris when he begins his vagabond (p. 91) journey, dropping out of UCLA after only one semester to follow his dream (p. 96) of living a nomadic existence. Unlike Chris, Everett focuses his travels in the southwest rather than north, but like Chris he also renames himself choosing the moniker Nemo after the character Captain Nemo in the Jules Verne classic Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. And yes, Nemo the fish we know today is named after that character, too! While on a solo expedition in Utah, Ruess seemingly disappears, never to be heard from again. A search party is sent to find him after he goes incommunicado (p. 93), but other than finding his donkey, some cave drawings/graffiti he made and pieces of his gear, Ruess was never seen again. Stories vary on what happen to him - maybe he was a victim of his own reckless innocence (p, 97) and fell while hiking or possibly drown, but some speculate that he was murdered by Native Americans. No one ever found him or his remains, so Everett's end remains a mystery. Like Chris, Everett's passion for nature and adventure won out over a conventional life, yet neither man made it out of the wild...

Analysis: I absolutely loved this chapter. One thing about me is that I love a mystery and not knowing what really happened to Everett leaves everything up to your imagination. Maybe he lived off an abandoned house in Utah and is still there to this day, maybe he moved countries and decided to just go AWOL. There are so many possibilities that make this mystery all the more interesting. Doing some research, he was born in 1914 making him around 109 at the present time so he most likely is dead, but who knows... I wonder what will happen during McCandless's journey as we dive deeper into the remaining chapters.

#WhatHappenedToEverett #NEMO #ADONKEY]]> 2023-01-10 22:03:58 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2440045823 Chapter 10: Fairbanks epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2441488746 Summary: The chapter starts with a piece of writing from the New York Times where it depicts a body found in Alaska. Police go on to investigate as they slowly meet the people that Alex met along the way during his journey. First up is Gallien, as soon as he saw the headline on the news, he immedietly called the police and explained in detail of his connection with McCandless and provided them with the name Alex (p.99). This however led faulty lead (p.100). Next up is Westerberg who heard the news from Bobby, which then led to him search through his employers work forms (p.100) in hopes of finding McCandless. The first form turns out to be a troll, but the second form provided does give Alex's real name and social security number. This leads the police to Virginia where they find out that McCandless's parents moved out to Maryland (p.101) however, McCandless's sister Sam is there and is the first to know about his passing. Sam heads up to the police department (p.101) and is asked to identify a picture of McCandless. She is shown a "head shot" (p.101) of him which turns out to be true. The chapter ends with Sam think about how she'll tell her parents that their son is dead (p.102).

Analysis: This was a nice little chapter. We got to learn a little about the aftermath of McCandless's death. The people that he met instantly recognized him and spoke out hoping to identify him. I thought it was also really cool that we were able to get introduced to a new character, Sam, McCandless's step-sister technically? Anyways, Sam is the only one there to learn about McCandless's death and that's quite interesting to learn about.

#AfterMath #TheJourneyEnds #TheFriendsWeMadeAlongTheWay]]> 2023-01-11 21:48:40 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2441488746 Chapter 11: Chesapeake Beach epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2443262167 Summary: In this chapter, we learn about McCandless and the relationship with his family. We learn that Chris's dad Walt had actually cheated on his first wife with his secretary (p.106), Billie. This caused him to split from his previous wife and start a family with Billie. Then CHRIS IS BORN! He was said to be born with unusual (p.106) gifts and this led him to be a very talented person growing up. He was exceptional in school. Later we learn that Walt was offered a job at NASA (p.107), but soon quit and became self employed. Fast forward and we learn more of Chris and how fearless (p.109) of a child he was. He always pushed (p.112) for more and wanted to go beyond a challenge, a high achiever (p.109). The chapter ends with Chris planning for after high school.

Analysis: I'm a bit lost. His family seemed great and fine. Sure they ran into some complications, but nothing life threatening or very serious. I'm curious as to how his family could've affected his decision to leave. Maybe we'll get more in the next chapter, but yeah that is interesting. Family dynamic was all there, but maybe he was just missing something in his life :thinkingemoji.

#WhatReallyHappened #FAMILY #DatsunB210]]> 2023-01-13 07:39:34 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2443262167 Chapter 12: Annandale epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2444203502 Summary: In this chapter we learn of the real reason why McCandless decided to do what he did and went out on his journey. Chris had just graduated (p.117) from high school and was on his way to his own personal trip. We also learn that he gets into Emory (p.119) and at first seems very happy and enthusiastic, but soon we learn he isn't himself at party (p120). What really happened was that during his trip, he learns of the truth surrounding his father. Walt's marriage didn't go as smoothly as we thought. He was living a double life with Marcia and Billie. He raised two families like it was not a big deal and it was not until he divorced (p.121) Marcia that things finally had ended. We then learn that this led to Chris showing the emotion of anger (p.122) and it started to show by the years. He starts to resent his parents, complain about things, and just acted off. The chapter concludes with us continuing off of when McCandless left for his journey.

Analysis: I liked this chapter. It really showed how much his family problems really affected him. Especially with what Walt did. I could never imagine doing that or having that happen to me, it would just destroy me. This gives us an answer finally as to why McCandless left.

#TheTruth #NoToCheaters #WALTISABADMAN]]> 2023-01-14 05:34:12 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2444203502 Chapter 13: Virginia Beach epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2447578231 Summary: In this chapter, we get a view of how Carine reacted to her brother's death. The story starts with Carine depicting how Chris would give a recalcitrant (p.128) squint in many of the photos with his parents and how that was his usual look it seems. We also learn of Chris's dog, Buck (p.128) who was everything to him. Unfortunately, Buck got really injured, but Carine wonders what would have turned out differently had their parents allowed for Chris to take Buck with him on his trip. Carine and Chris have many similarities in terms of personality. As we learn they're both really energetic (p.129) and troublemakers as children. Now getting into Chris's death, she still can't get over it after ten months. She always seems to think about him and breaks down whenever she does. We are introduced to Carine's husband, Chris Fish, funny amirite? Anyways, he is the one who tells her about Chris's death as he was informed by Sam at work. Carine breaks down believing the news to be untrue then begins to scream (p.130). The rest of the chapter goes on with Sam delivering the ashes (p.131) of Chris to Carine and the chapter ends with Carine questing her brothers death and breaking down.

Analysis: I like how with each of the chapter that goes by, we get more reactions of the people who were close to him and how it's affected them. With Carine she is deeply distraught and emotional over it all and hopefully in the next chapter, we learn more about his reasonings and all that. So far up to now, I have a good idea of why he did what he did so I'm excited for what's next.

#ChrisIsCremated #Fish #CarineGetsBadNews]]> 2023-01-17 22:43:58 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2447578231 Chapter 14: The Stikine Ice Cap epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2449002163 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.

Analysis: This story just took a complete 180. This chapter proved what an author Krakauer was himself. He had a goal and coincidently went to Alaska to climb Devil's Thumb. His actions are similar to those of Chris and he even goes through hardships similar to Chris. Near the end of the chapter, he is left with only one option and I think this builds the perfect suspense for the next chapter of what is going to happen next. Maybe something life-changing.

#DevilsThumb #WAUTHOR #KrakauerIsBrave]]> 2023-01-18 21:29:54 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2449002163 Chapter 15: The Stikine Ice Cap epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2449002674 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.

Analysis: What a chapter. It's crazy how eerily similar Krakauer is to Chris EVEN WITHIN THEIR FAMILIES! Anyways, I thought it was funny when he smoked a joint and his tent caught fire, but he goes back to re-climb the mounting after being motivated by his relationship with his dad. I can relate to this as whenever I go to the gym, I always think about how I can be a better person to others around me and my past and that is my motivation each and every time. Even when Krakauer tells some people of his accomplishment, they didn't seem to care honestly and you just have to know that whatever you do, you do it for yourself and it doesn't matter how others feel. You should be doing things to make you feel proud of yourself, not for them. I loved this chapter.

#TentIsGone #DevilsThumbHasBeenConquered #BEPROUD]]> 2023-01-18 21:30:22 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2449002674 Chapter 16: The Alaska Interior epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2450707619 Summary: We are introduced to a new character, Gaylord Stuckey, who McCandless meets at a pool (p.158) where they strike up a conversation and where McCandless asks if he could get a ride from Stuckey to Alaska (p.158). At first Stuckey wasn't too sure of it, but reconsidered after talking more with McCandless. Stuckey told him he would take him half way there, but changed his mind after getting to know McCandless better during the trip and thus took him farther. Stuckey and McCandless depart, McCandless promising (p.159) he would send a letter back. The story then continues off where Gallien drops McCandless off on the Stampede Trail (p.161). The journey FINALLY BEGINS! We get to him exploring the trail and he starts writing in his journal. His journey sounds promising based on his logs in May. He's catching all these animals, but later he catches a Moose and it starts to get infected with maggots (p.167) which he soon regrets catching. Soon, he was satisfied (p.168) with his journey and decides to go back home. On July 3rd, he tries to leave, but the rainy weather was so bad that it would've killed him if he tried. The chapter ends with him walking back to the bus (p.171).

Analysis: I liked this chapter. We're finally on the journey! He meets another person who likes his company and he's finally in Alaska, the stampede trail. The ending really just showed how unfortunate his situation was. He just wanted to escape from his home and enjoy the freedom of nature, but the circumstances in Alaska caused him to be forced to stay and eventually it leads to his death. Unfortunate, but nature does its things.

#Trapped #STAMPEDETRAIL #BackToTheBus]]> 2023-01-20 06:27:20 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2450707619 Chapter 17: The Stampede Trail epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2451721240 Summary: The chapter begins where we learn that Krakauer himself is at the Teklanika River where McCandless was at during his trip. This was the river (p.173) that had stopped McCandless in his tracks. This in turn with not having a map (p.173) ultimately led to his death later on. Krakauer, with the proper equipment and his buddies, decide to cross it and learn that a aluminum basket (p.173) was actually there if Chris had headed a few yards down and would have allowed him to cross the river that way. Krakauer notes it was a fun (p.175) ride to go across the river with all of his buddies. Later on, they go back to the bus where McCandless had died. In there, they essentially call McCandless an idiot because he couldn't differentiate a moose from a caribou (p.177), but later learn that it really was a moose and they just hated on him to hate. They salvage around the bus just looking over at some of the things McCandless had with him. The chapter goes on with Krakauer and his buddies setting up a campsite, discussing McCandless, the reasoning for his journey, then sleep by the fire as the chapter closes.

Analysis: Another long chapter that gives us a lot of information about McCandless yet again. McCandless's arrogance led to his death and that is shown through a variety of things such as the map, his hubris to keep pushing, etc. I believe he really could've made it had he had that map though. A shame to know that he died in this way, but it made for an interesting story. Getting to see Krakauer actually be hands-on during this journey of a book was the cherry on top.

#MooseOrCaribou? #TeklanikaRiver #MAPS]]> 2023-01-21 06:00:50 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2451721240 Chapter 18: The Stampede Trail epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2454164125 Summary: Chapter 18, the final chapter if we're excluding the epilogue and in this chapter we learn of McCandless's final moments. The chapter begins where we learn of McCandless headed back for the bus (p.188) after this failed attempt to cross the Teklanika. There was plenty of game (p.188) available and so he decided waiting it out wouldn't hurt. However, what he didn't quite realize was that even with with all the food and meat he had caught, it didn't meet the required calories he needed. We later learn that on July 30th, he writes in his journal that he had just eaten potato seeds (p.184) which have caused him to be on the verge of death and has caused him to starve (p.189). Krakauer then composes three hypothesis to explain what had happened to McCandless. The first hypothesis is that he might've been poisoned (p.190) from the potato seeds he was ingesting. The second hypothesis was that he might've consumed a different variety (p.190) of potato which might've killed him. The final hypothesis was that maybe there was mold on the seeds causing his death. The story continues with talking about how McCandless would've made it to a cabin had he walked just 6 miles there. The chapter ends with McCandless dying at peace.

Analysis: A nice ending to the book. We learn of some of the possible ways McCandless had died from the author and even some insight on what he could've done. Not much more to say, I liked the ending to this book!

#PotatoSeedsNotFun #Peace! #TheEndOfTheJourney]]> 2023-01-24 04:06:41 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2454164125 Epilogue epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2455639662 Summary: The LAST LAST chapter of the book. In this final chapter, we learn that Walt and Billie get some closure and visit Chris. They get there via helicopter (p.201). They finally reach the bus (p.202) and make a few comments about it and enter the bus. They take in the interior (p.202) as they gather their thoughts. They're there for two hours (p.202) just taking in the bus as a thought. Later, Billie puts down a first aid kit, canned food (p.202) , and other survival supplies for someone to find in the future if they are ever in the situation in which McCandless was in. The chapter ends with them getting back in the helicopter and going back home.

Analysis: Thoughts on this chapter was that it was unnecessary. Although his parents got closure, I liked the ending of chapter 18 much better. Chris dies at peace with himself and nature and just like that, it makes it feel a lot more natural and relieving for him. With the addition of this epilogue, I think it kind of just ruins it a bit.

#TheActualEnd #Closure #NatureWithAll]]> 2023-01-25 04:08:58 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2455639662 Chris McCandless Reflection epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2456776109 I loved Chris and this book. When I first picked it up and read the front cover, I was intrigued. I'm usually into the type of books where everything is left a mystery up until the end, however this book caught me by surprise. I was angry, but also STILL INTRIGUED to learn about what led him to his demise. After finishing the book, I have many things to say. Chris is and what an ideal person is ignoring all the bad personality traits about him. Throughout the story, he was kind, generous, loveable, and most importantly he went on a journey on his free will to seek freedom for himself. Something I wish I could also accomplish. I absolutely admired him although I feel as though going into the wilderness unprepared as he was just wasn't a good idea. The act of him going out was admirable, but his readiness was not. I also admire how he was able to leave a lasting impact on everyone he met. They all felt a special type of way around him and throughout the book not a single person who he had a close relationship said a bad thing about him, only good.

#GoodGuyChris #McCandlessOut #FreedomFromWithin]]> 2023-01-25 20:42:51 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2456776109 My Future Oddyssey epham1071_2 https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2456784914 My dream is based more on my self-worth as a person. I've always questioned what I've done for this world and how my impact has helped change lives. I'm still searching for it. I wonder where I'm going to be in 10 years, and what people I'll end up meeting then. Everything is just a big question to me. I suppose the burden of meaning is something every person must face on their own, but it's been something I've been struggling with for quite some time. Every day is a cycle of the same thing. I suppose now is the time for me to go on my own journey. yeah.

#Meaning #Worth #MyJourney]]> 2023-01-25 20:51:50 UTC https://padlet.com/epham1071_2/950csqwhsmttvgjf/wish/2456784914