Into the Wild Blog by Tammy Thao Vy Ngo https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43 By Tammy Ngo en-us 2021-12-08 18:55:34 UTC 2024-11-21 10:55:53 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f338.png Chapter 1: The Alaska Interior tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1936626562 Summary: Into the Wild is a true story based on a young man named Alex who goes on an independent nomadic journey. He's first seen as a hitchhiker (p.4) out in Fairbanks Alaska when he was picked up by a man named Jim Gallien. Gallien sparks up a conversation with Alex and finds out he planned to ride as far as the edge of Denali National Park. Where he intends to walk deep into the bush and live off the land for a few months. With just a Remington Semiautomatic(p.4), a 10-pound bag of rice, gears exceedingly minimal for harsh snow-packed (p.6) conditions(p.5); Gallien notices the young boy was incompetent of the journey with the materials and necessities he had. Isolated from his community(p.7), peers, loved ones, his journey then begins.

Analysis: I admire Chris because it takes a lot of bravery and ambition to attempt a challenge like that. He was born privileged but he's humble and un-materialistic and that's another thing I admire. I just don't understand why he would put himself through something like that and attempt this challenge unprepared.

#goodluck #praying4u #wishuthebest]]> 2021-12-08 19:05:06 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1936626562 Chapter 2: The Stampede Trail tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1939056827 Summary: In this chapter, Chris had disappeared(p.12). His dead (p.13) body (p.13) had been found in the Stampede Trail (p.10). He was discovered by a couple when they found Chris's note and smelled an overpowering odor of decay. Autopsy (p.14) reports found that his body was so badly decomposed that it was difficult to determine what he had died. He had no massive injuries or broken bones, but no fat remained on his body. He had weighed 67 pounds when examined. The cause of death was theorized to be starvation.

Analysis: This chapter was sad to me. I don't think there was an official cause of death but I'm assuming it was starvation and malnutrition. I cannot imagine a grown man being 67 pounds. I'm just happy that his body was actually found and he didn't die in a brutal way.

#rip #sosad #urhomenow]]> 2021-12-09 19:57:37 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1939056827 Chapter 3: Carthage tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1941094262 Summary: In chapter 3, the author Jon Krakauer meets with Wayne Westerberg to get some information on Chris McCandless. They meet up in a tiny town of Carthage with a population(p.15) of 274. Wayne Westerberg talks about how he pulled over for a hitchhiker(p.16). He describes him as an amiable, intelligent kid. Westerberg discovers from a tax form that McCandless's real name is Chris, not Alex(pg.18). McCandless stayed with Westerberg for three days (p.17). Before they parted ways, Westerberg told McCandless to look him up in Carthage If he ever needed a Job. Chris gave more information to Westerberg than he did to his family (p.21). At the end of June, he mailed his family a copy of a transcript and a short letter. He then abandons his family and starts his independent Journey.

Analysis: From this chapter, I really admire Westerberg. Picking up a hitchhiker is risky, especially a male hitchhiker. I can see how caring and compassionate Westerberg is.

#killthemwithkindness #becarefulwithwhoutrust #trustyourinstincts


]]> 2021-12-10 20:59:40 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1941094262 My Experience in the Wild tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1941368158 Growing up my family and I never traveled anywhere. We never went hiking, exploring, or going on adventures. So, I'd say I wasn't really in tune with nature. I never cared for it nor sought interest. 

In sixth grade, we had science camp exclusive to the sixth graders. It was a full week trip camping in the mountains with all of the sixth-grade students and teachers. We stayed in a cabin and slept in bunks. No electronics were allowed, nothing but essential items were allowed. Honestly, It was the best time of my life. 

I remember us hiking a lot and we would have activities s to do out in the forest too. Like scavenger hunts, hind n seek, etc. We would hike to lakes and beautiful view spots. There was this one time where we went hiking at night. They made us walk a long distance in the dark alone just to teach us bravery. We were being supervised of course but It was so dark and quiet, it felt like we were alone. Science camp opened my eyes to nature and made me embrace/appreciate it.

I like nature now but I have nobody to go hiking with or I have no one to take me to go explore. I hope when I get my license I can take myself out on little adventures in nature.


]]> 2021-12-11 03:22:05 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1941368158 Chapter 4: Detrital Wash tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962465678 Summary: In this chapter, Chris camps at Lake Mead National Recreation area outside of Las Vegas in July 1990. He was camped (p.28) at the edge of the wash, a couple of feet higher than the main channel. As he was there he was isolated in a thunderstorm. There was a flood (p.28) which caused his engine to get wet. He tries to start the car but he drains the battery with his impatience. He then abandons his vehicle (p.28) and boldly continues his journey on foot. Chris tramps around the West for the next two months and at the end of July, he accepts a ride (p.30) from a man named Crazy Ernie. Ernie offers Chris a job and Chris works for him for eleven days. After realizing that he wouldn't be paid, he steals a bicycle from Ernie to continue his journey. He had been ticketed (p.32) for hitchhiking and flees to Mexico. When he tries to sneak back in he gets stopped by law enforcement and they confiscate his handgun. You would think through all this adversity and having his only form of self-defense taken away, he would give up on his journey. But he perseveres.

Analysis: I admire Chris a lot in this chapter. He had been through a lot in this chapter. Losing his source of transportation, self-defense, caught by law enforcement. It's crazy to me how he continues his journey. Very surreal to me that it's hard to comprehend that this is a true story.

#perserverence #admirableguy #gomccandless

]]> 2021-12-23 21:42:34 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962465678 Chapter 5: Bullhead City tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962577482 Summary: In this chapter, we discover that Chris had settled a full-time job (p.39) at McDonald's. He even opened up a savings account at a local bank. Two years later Chris had left for Bullhead City. His colleagues (p.40) don't remember much about him but one significant detail that they remember was that He didn't like wearing socks. The assistant manager recalls him working at a slow (p.40) pace even during rush hour. She described it as if he was in his own universe. Chris goes to see his mother (p.46) Jan Buress in the desert town of Slab City near Palm Springs.  Just like any mother would do, she offers him help, supplies, etc. for his journey. Chris takes off when his concerned (p.46) mother starts showing her motherly instincts to him.

Analysis: I admire that he was "in his own universe" when working. I feel like it shows how much of a calm person he is because during rush hour I'm anxious and frantic. My manager tells me to go slow and that It's fine to make the customers wait but, I'm still always in a rush. 

#capitalism #grinddontstop #ihatemyjob]]> 2021-12-24 01:06:22 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962577482 Chapter 6: Anza-Borrego tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962645066 Summary: In this chapter, Ron Franz and Alex had met in the winters of January 1992. Franz is a Christian and a Veteran who was stationed in Shanghai and Okinawa. While he was overseas, his wife and child had been killed in an accident(p.50). Ron had been alone ever since until he met McCandless. Before Alex had left to Cartherage Ron's paternal impulses (p.50) had drawn him to ask Alex if he could adopt (p.50) him. This quickly causes McCandless to distance himself away from Ron. Before he continues his trip, he had mailed (p.53) Ron a letter promising he would see Ron again. After Christmas Ron had picked up two hitchhikers (p.60), a man from Mississippi and a Native American. Ron had started telling about his friend Alex while the Native American man interrupted him. He told him that Alex had died. After dropping off the two hitchhikers, Ron did not take this information well. He drove back to the store and bought a bottle of whisky. That was his first time drinking again in about forty years.

Analysis: I feel so much empathy and compassion for Ron. You can tell he felt a deep connection towards Alex. Ron had been through so much and this chapter left me feeling sad and speechless. 

#weloveyouron #youresostrong #staystrongron]]> 2021-12-24 02:01:22 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962645066 Chapter 7: Carthage tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962891603 Summary: 
Analysis: 
#]]> 2021-12-24 07:01:12 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1962891603 Chapter 8: Alaska tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1974980004 Summary:]]> 2022-01-04 19:25:19 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1974980004 Chapter 9: Davis Gulch tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1974981079 Summary: In this chapter, we learn about someone who had a similar experience as Chris. His name is Everett Ruess. He goes on a trip (p.89) into the wild after dropping out of UCLA his first semester. Just like Chris, he renames himself. He gave himself the name "Nemo", Latin for nobody (p.93). He had disappeared going on his trip to Utah. His parents received unopened mail (p.93) from the postmaster at Marble Canyon, Arizona, where Everette was long overdue. This worried his parents so they contacted the authorities who organized a search party (p.93) in early March 1935. Searchers (p.94) found evidence of Ruess's camp and had found several carvings of the name "NEMO" around the gulch area. They had never discovered his possessions nor remains. His disappearance remains unsolved.

Analysis: I find it crazy that Chris and Everette had such similar experiences and were so alike. At least Chris's body was found so his family had closure. Everette was never found and it was unclear what happened to him. It really leaves me curious and wondering what happened to him.

#justiceforeverette #weWILLfindyou #RestInPeace

]]> 2022-01-04 19:25:51 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1974981079 Chapter 10: Fairbanks tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1975029011 Summary: In this chapter, The New York Times had picked up the story about the hiker (p.98). The Alaska State Troopers had been trying to figure out who he was. Three days before the news of the dead hiker (p.99), the story was published (p.99) on Anchorage Daily News. Jim Gallien had come across this story and saw the map (p.99) indicating that the body had been found twenty-five miles west of Healy on the Stampede Trail. He immediately thought of Alex. He called the state troopers (p.99) and told them he'd remember giving the kid a ride. The troopers developed Alex's roll of film and showed it to Gallien at his job. He knew the guy in the pictures was Alex.  

Analysis: I can't imagine the feeling Gallien felt when he saw the headline. It must've been shocking and surreal. Gallien was so sure that the body was Chris so he called the state troopers. And turns out he was right. 

#JohnDoe #Identified #Found]]> 2022-01-04 19:52:21 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1975029011 Chapter 11: Chesapeake Beach tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1996803285 Summary: In this chapter, we get to know more about the McCandles family. Samuel Walter McCandless is a fifty six year old reserved bearded man (p.103) with a professional demeanor. Walt and his wife Marcia had separated. He started dating a secretary named Wilhelmina Johnson but everyone called her Billie. She was twenty two, with dark hair and striking eyes. They fell in love and moved in (p.106) together. The McCandless home (p.104) was in Chesapeake Beach, Maryland. It was a classy, decorated, overall perfect All-American home. Billie got pregnant (p.106) and on February 12, 1968, she gave birth to her first born son. His sister Carine was born three years after him. Carine says her and Chris were so close (p.109) because they learned to count on each other when their parents weren't getting along.
Analysis: It's sad that Chris had trauma from the family dynamic he experienced growing up. It's nice to hear that him and his sister were close growing up and had each others  backs. It reminds me of me and my brother. I'm the younger sister, and he's the older brother. We argued a lot growing up but knew we loved each other.
#siblings #family #maryland]]> 2022-01-18 01:12:24 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1996803285 Chapter 12: Annadale tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1996983792 Summary: In this chapter, Chris comes home for college after his road trip. He didn't come home until two days before the fall term (p.118)  was about to start. He walked in with a scruffy beard, hair long/tangled, and had shed thirty pounds (p.118). As soon Carine heard he was home, she ran to his room to talk to him but he was asleep. She noticed he was so thin (p.118). When his mother noticed how much weight he had lost she was a wreck and started cooking to try and help him gain weight. His parents had found out that near the end of his trip he had gotten lost (p.118) in the Mojave Desert and was suffering from dehydration. They were alarmed (p.118) by this news but didn't know how to persuade Chris to be more cautious in the future. 

Analysis: Chris losing thirty pounds in that amount of time is crazy. I wonder why he thought it was okay to continue his adventures so unprepared having been getting lost in a desert already. This just leaves me wondering if he's psychologically damaged to the point where he doesn't care how he dies. 

#gainz #whyareyoudoingthis #eat! ]]> 2022-01-18 03:48:05 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1996983792 Chapter 13: Virginia Beach tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997200966 Summary: In this chapter, Carine talks about her brother(p.128). Like Chris, Carine is energetic, self assured, and a high achiever. They both clashed (p.129) with walt and Billie their adolescent years. But their differences (p.129) were greater than their similarities. Ten months after Chris's death Carine grieves deeply for her brother. She can't get through a day without crying. On the plane (p.131.) with Chris's remains, Carine ate everything the cabin attendants set in front of her. She couldn't bear the though of throwing away food knowing her brother had starved (p.131) to death.

Analysis: Although my brother isn't dead, I feel understand her feeling of grief and burden for her brother. Random break downs, random thoughts of the tragedies that happen. It's really traumatizing and emotionally damaging and I feel for her. It's hard to heal and I hope Carine found peace.

#relatable #ify #loveyoursiblings ]]> 2022-01-18 06:50:03 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997200966 Chapter 14: The Stikine Ice Cap tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997243159 Summary: In this chapter, John Krakauer tells us about his adventure into the wild. He said that he had devoted most of his waking hours fantasizing (p.134) about then undertaking, ascents of remote mountains (p.134) in Alaska and Canada. he was twenty-three, a year younger than McCandless when he walked into the Alaska bush. He knew that it wouldn't be easy and that, that was the whole point. He had planned on spending (p.140) three weeks and a month on the Stikine Ice Cap. All that held him to the mountainside (p.142) were two thin spikes of chrome molybdenum. As the climbing goes on, he learns to trust his self-control (p.142). 

Analysis: It's interesting to see there are people out there who put themselves in situations/adventures like this. I want to understand the reasoning like what does it fulfill for them. I wonder if one day I'd do something like this. I'm still too young to take risks like this.

#wildlife #adventures #livefree



]]> 2022-01-18 07:19:34 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997243159 Chapter 15: The Stikine Ice Cap tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997275254 Summary: After Jon comes down from the side of the Devil's Thumb, heavy snow (p.145) and winds kept him inside for most of the next three days. After the third afternoon of the storm (p.146), he couldn't take it any longer. He had rolled himself a joint and smoked it down to the roach. The side effects of the marijuana made being in the tent even worse. It was more cramped, suffocating, impossible to bear. It also made him incredibly hungry. But all in the end he survived his Alaska adventure, unlike McCandless; it was a matter of chance (p.155). At that stage of his youth death (p.155)  remained "as abstract a concept as non-Euclidean geometry or marriage." Jon believed that in the case of Chris McCandless it was a different thing from wanting to die (p.156).

Analysis: I think it's funny that he decided to roll up a joint to try and feel better from being stuck in the tent. The side effects of marijuana just made it worse for him. My one question is, why would you want to get high during a situation like that? What did he expect? It was a miracle he survived his Alaska adventure though. 

#thc #relax #survior ]]> 2022-01-18 07:39:43 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997275254 Chapter 16: The Alaska Interior tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997635689 Summary: In this chapter, we learned that Chris is ambivalent (p.166) about killing animals. ]]> 2022-01-18 11:11:05 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997635689 Chapter 17: The Stampede Trail tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997651459 Summary: ]]> 2022-01-18 11:21:47 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997651459 Chapter 18: The Stampede Trail tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997657776 Summary:]]> 2022-01-18 11:23:23 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1997657776 Epilouge tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1999266915 Summary: Ten months had passed since Sam McCandless appeared at Chesapeake Beach to inform (p.201) the McCandless family that Chris was dead. Billie sits in the front passenger seat of the helicopter (p.200) along with Jon and Walt to visit the bus (p.201). They landed settled on the ground and the pilot kills the engine. As they step out Billie notices that the bus was smaller than she thought. She was first to enter the bus. As Walt returned from the stream he finds her sitting on the mattress where Chris had died. Walt and Billie wander in and out of the bus for the next two hours. Walt had little to say but appears more at ease (p.203) than he has in many days. Billie explains that it's comforting (p.203)  knowing that Chris was once there, to know that he spent time at the river and stood on that patch of ground.

Analysis: This epilogue is so sad. I can't imagine the pain and burden that his parents feel. It's nice to hear that visiting the place that their son died is comforting to them. That experience must be so hard. I hope that going to the place where he died brought them peace.

#Sosad #rip #heal]]> 2022-01-19 01:07:23 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/1999266915 Afterword tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/2001220660 Summary: In August 1992, Chris McCandless died (p.1) in an abandoned bus after living off of squirrels, birds, roots, and seeds for 113 days. Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild book has been trying to figure out the mystery of how McCandless died for 23 years. He reads through Mccandless's diary (p.3) and circles an important detail.  Krakauer believes that out of all of the foods McCandless ate throughout his journey, potato seeds (p.4) were the killer. Krakauer decided to test the seeds for a neurotoxin (p.6) called beta-ODAP. Results showed that the seeds had a lethal (p.7) concentration of a compound called beta-ODAP that causes gradual weakening and paralysis. Although it's not confirmed, it's theorized that the seeds killed him. Krakauer thinks that if he wasn't weakened by the seeds, he would've survived.

Analysis: I think that Krakauer is intelligent for coming to the conclusion that seeds killed Chris. Studying and pondering Chri's case/death for 23 years and out of anything he concludes that seeds were the main cause. I believe Krakauer's theory, It's believable and backed up by facts. My own theory is that he starved to death and was malnourished.

#donteateverythingusee #potatoes #seeds]]> 2022-01-19 18:50:00 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/2001220660 My Future Odyssey tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/2003623237 As a kid, being girly was frowned upon in my family. It wasn't encouraged and you would get judged for being "girly". In my Asian household, being girly was seen as shallowness. They think that it would distract children from their studies and have them focus too much on their appearance. Suppressing my urges as a kid made me want to rebel in my teen years. I wore makeup every day and to family events. I would get made fun of by my family but I stopped caring. Doing my makeup made me realize I have a passion for beauty. It makes me feel feminine and beautiful. Beauty is such a confidence booster and I want to make people feel good about themselves. 

When I do my makeup, it roughly takes me 2-3 hours to fully finish. I feel so powerful and confident after doing makeup, it's like a mood booster. I want people to feel how I feel after I do my makeup, but I want them to have that feeling for a longer period of time. That's why I'm interested in semipermanent makeup. Like, lash extensions, tattooing/micro blading eyebrows, lip blush, etc. Being able to help people fix their insecurities and have them satisfied with their appearance sounds like a dream. Pursuing this career will be difficult for me because, in my family, it's frowned upon. Maybe this career will be a side hustle for me but, who knows. This is my future odyssey. 

#Beauty #Confidence #makeup]]> 2022-01-20 19:00:24 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/2003623237 Chris McCandless Reflection tngo1081_2 https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/2005667301 When I first heard about this story, I admired Chris and fully supported his nomadic journey. I think he's brave and ambitious to attempt surviving in the wilderness solo dolo. After reading the book, I realized at times he'd frustrate me by being inconsiderate. I constantly questioned his sanity and wondered why he would set himself up for failure. 

I understand that Chris has trauma from his parents and family dynamic but he shouldn't worry his family. He should've communicated with them more and given them more reassurance. Rather than sending them his grades, some letters throughout, then leaving. He doesn't owe his parents anything but, not knowing what or where your child is, not knowing if they're dead or alive/in danger, does cause a lot of emotional stress. 

In chapter 6, Chris meets a man by the name of Ron Franz in the winter of 1992. Franz is a Christian and a Veteran who was stationed in Shanghai and Okinawa. While he was overseas, his wife and child had been killed in an accident. Ron had been alone ever since until he met Chris. Before Chris had left for Carthage, Ron's paternal impulses had drawn him to ask Chris if he could adopt him. This quickly causes him to distance himself away from Ron. I think it's weird that Chris will distance himself whenever somebody shows him they care about him. I'm sure this trauma stems from somewhere but can't he try to see that everybody just wants to help him. 

What he did is considered out of the norm in today's society. I still admire Chris because I think it's rare for people to pull stunts like this. I just wished he'd survive this journey to tell his own story. He didn't deserve to die or suffer.

#Survivor #RIP #IntotheWild 



]]> 2022-01-21 19:16:41 UTC https://padlet.com/tngo1081_2/ifr065lgegb17q43/wish/2005667301