Christopher McCandless' abandoned bus 142 "Magic Bus"-- Stampede Trail

USA / Alaska / Anderson / Stampede Trail
 museum, amusement ride, interesting place
This is the site of the abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail where Christopher J. McCandless(A.K.A Alexander Supertramp) starved to death in the summer of 1992, while attempting to live off the land. McCandless' adventures were recounted in the 1995 bestseller, Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer. McCandless has become an inspirational figure for many, symbolizing youthful idealism, courage, and individualism.

Can anyone find the bus on any of these other systems? -- tools.wikimedia.de/~magnus/geo/geohack.php?params=63_52...
I'd like to see it, but Google Maps doesn't have a good photo of the area yet.

denalichamber.com/news.php?item.8.2
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   63°52'5"N   149°46'8"W

Comments

  • Wow. He thought differently than anybody I know. I believe he wasn't an idiot. He did what he wanted, was genuinely kind, and died because of his own decisions. Krakauer's book will be in my library for the rest of my life. I would love to get away from the rat-race of day to day life and experience life the way Chris did. Nature is truely basic and beautiful. It's crazy to see the way we as a society warp reality to our own. We wiped out so much beauty, and don't realize that the outdoors are still wild just outside of our perceptions. Chris's way of thinking is truly inspiring. He is my hero.
  • Chris McCandless was obviously a great person who cared for nature and did not like the urban life. I would like to meet the people who think McCandless is tupid and tell this to their faces. He did not care wether or not he was ready for this adventure. All he wanted was to escape from the urban world we live in and live in solitude for a while. Unfortunatley it lead to his death. He did not bring a map with him, therefore he could not know in any way that there were highways 20 miles away. This was Chris' way of living. He wanted to live off his own decisisons and the land. So don't call him a "stupid jerk" as some put it. He managed to last 113+ days in the wilderness of Alaska. I'm sure if all of you who put Chris down took a map, you wouldn't last a month out there in the bitter cold of the Alaskan bush.
  • This book really inspired me to never settle for what others want me to do. Sometimes I still forget the youthful and idealistic message, but overall I will never do a job I don't want or be with people I don't like because Krakauer's story of Chris McCandless shows that it is possible to be so stubborn to do it your way that real happiness is attainable.
  • John, you are not quite correct about him not knowing there was a highway 20 miles away. He rode down with someone from Fairbanks. There is only one road so he must have known where he started hiking. Also, the Stampede Trail is the only way in or out. He knew where the highway was but didn't know how to access it due to the summer depth and current of the Teklanika River. The bitter cold you mention would have been in the 30s to 40s at night and 50s to 70s, maybe even 80s during the day. People manage to survive those bitter temps all the time. I admire his basic attitude about doing your own thing, but would never use him as a role model for my children. Regardless of what they are doing, I want them to go into situations prepared. Going in on the Stampede Trail is not like a back country hike through Virginia or where ever. I know, I have been on the Stampede. Going into the bush up here unprepared is a fool's errand. It doesn't matter how noble your vision might be, it's just not a bright thing to do. I have never talked to anyone up here who used him as anything other than a bad example.
  • I had never heard of Chris McCandless until this past week, when the latest issue of Men's Journal arrived. I was flipping through my husband's mag that night and came across an article about him. The picture of this guy standing there grinning with a giant moose head in his arms caught my attention. The article was ok, but the pictures, and the story "behind the story" captivated me. Needless to say, 24 hours later, I had a copy of Into the Wild. I had read it from cover to cover within a few hours. I am just a 27 year old wife, mother, and state employee, but something about this "Supertramp" has got a hold of me. I don't think he's a hero, and on the flip side, I don't think he was an arrogant idiot. I think he was just this real, genuine, headstrong....guy. There is an innocence and idealism about him that has captured my heart and imagination. He was definitely unprepared for survival in the Alaskan wilderness. He definitely had good intentions in the things he did. I don't know that I actually admire him. I will never go on a pilgrimage to the bus, but in my stumbling upon Chris's story, I have been left with the feeling of wanting to know more about him. Not just his "Fool's Errand" into the wilds of Alaska, but the real Chris. Just wanted to share.
  • littlemomma, I hear you! That's exactly it! I am a 27-year-old graduate student, soon-to-be-married, average girl; I picked up my fiance's copy of Into the Wild one night, and am now completely enthralled with Chris. Just wishing I could sit down and have a cup of tea with the kid. Thanks for the tip--am heading out now to buy the latest issue of Men's Journal.
  • Will Google maps ever get a better image of this area?
  • Actually, he was an idiot. Idealism and all that aside, it matters not that he did what he wanted to do and lived the life he wanted to live. The fact that he wasn't the least bit prepared makes him an idiot. Or, at the very least, an ignorant fool. I feel no remorse, sympathy, or respect for such a person. For someone who was well educated, he sure didn't have enough brains to even do a little bit of research and planning on where he was going, and he's an even bigger fool after he refused to listen to the advice of a local Alaskan the truck driver who practically begged him to go to Anchorage to get better gear and supplies. He deserved to die.
  • I have lived in Alaska for 20 years and have seldom seen Alaskans agree on anything as much as they agree that McCandless was foolish. They also think he did not have respect for nature or wilderness. It took native peoples 100s of years to learn the skills to survive, and early pioneers had to learn skills from the native peoples to survive. To not find an expert and learn the ways of the woods is foolish when attempting to live off the land in a place like this. But to die of starvation when the road is 20 miles away, come on. To not try to find another place to cross the river upstream is astounding for a desparate person. If you want to learn about someone who gave up the bussle of modern life, Alaska is full of them. Check out the story of Dick Proenicke in "One Man's Wilderness" book and movie circa 1960s. He is still alive.
  • Look, a big section of Krakauer's book is devoted to defending Mccandless against all of these charges the Alaskan lynch mob has been leveling against him since the day his body was discovered. Just read the book. Some of what he didn't know about the area was part of the contrived experiment/test he designed for himself. Most people will never attempt anything like this. My opinion is that within the arbitrary parameters of his little adventure, Mccandless performed heroically. Give the guy a break. Plus, it's obvious that some of the above commenters haven't read Into the Wild and don't understand the context of the tragedy. Just reflect a little before joining lynch mobs, Ok?
  • If Chris had studied natural selection, he would have lived. He was on a suicide mission. Chris "Bad Example" McCandless. I saw the movie without knowing anything about the story. Pass on it.
  • The point of Chris' going into Alaska was not to be daring or to prove his ability to survive in the wilderness. The people who say that he is stupid for dying because he was unprepared show nothing but a remarkable lack of analytical skills. Chris went into the woods because he did not want to live a live stuck in the modern formulaic society. His death hurt noone but himself and his family. I really don't see what position anyone aside from his family is in to judge his actions. Clearly Chris was aware of the risk he was taking and that he was woefully unprepared, he was told many times and certainly had enough intelligence to judge how prepared he was. He did not know whether he would survive or not and that was the nature of his trip.
  • By the way, it's Dick Proenneke and he died in 2003.
  • I stumble upon this forum after the movie into the wild. What ever we feel: fool or hero, remember this is how he wanted to do it, he tried it his way and like many twenty something he felt invinsible. I think all the anger some people feel is frustration at this Idea of a life wasted away. The people of alaska know this was physically preventable. But is it constructive to judge? I think he looks really happy on the picture they found of him next to the bus, There are millions of people who never go out and do anything in their life, they sit and watch TV all day long, I appriciate the fact that he had a short but exiting life... And on another subject thank's for the tip about Dick Proenneke I just bought One man's wilderness it's cool.
  • Re-reading ITW recently it occurred to me how little is actually known about Mccandless--who he was, what he believed, or what he thought he was doing. For example, there's no account of where he was or what he did from his return from Mexico in early '91 to his job in Bullhead City near the end of '91, leaving nearly ten months unaccounted for. And first hand accounts come from impressions of people who only had brief encounters with him, while his family had practically no contact with him after high school. Mccandless probably revealed about as much as anyone reveals to strangers on the road--not much. I think ITW is really more of an essay about Jon Krakauer than Mccandless.
  • Like JK and McCandless, I too had romantic, naive visions of a Thoreau like adventure, some sort of "vision quest" or reconnection with the powerful and rich qualities of nature, like a the stories of monks that would meditate in ice caves. Can you imagine what peace they obtained!? Who knows really. Actually, Thoreau, hardly left civilization, but rather lived in a small remaining forest at a time that New England was practically deforested. Also I understand the desire to have a wholly unique and challenging adventure, one that is the complete opposite and hopeful antidote to a the day to day existence. I've done these things and a certain amount of peril or uncertainty is what makes a trip into an adventure and maybe something more meaningful... The lesson here is not that McCandless was stupid or completely naive about how one might live one's life in a spritual and meaningful way, is just that he really screwed up his logistics. His purposefully minimal formula didn't work out for his final adventure. It's like he thought living in the wild would be as easy as tramping around the U.S. He thought he could just wander off when the going gets tough. I'm sorry he had to make that mistake, cause that sort of attitude in real nature is dangerous hubris. He's so famous because it's a mistake so many suburban soul questing kids in the U.S. are eager to make.
  • McCandless is not a hero he is a AN HERO. A dumbass who offs himself in a totally stupid fashion and has even bigger dumbasses worship him. If there is a lesson of his story it is this, Idealism will always fall apart when faced with reality. His idealist and romamtic notions about nature faded when he starved to death on that bus. It is no different than the idealism of the young men that fought in the Civil War and WWI. Who were told that war was some idealistic romantic adventure. We all know how those "romantic adventures" turned out.
  • "I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!" -Christopher McCandless If every one could say "I've had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may god bless all" at the end of their own journey, then what kind of world do you think you're living in?
  • Is freewill not intiutive? There shouldnt be a bias outlook on chris's action. Afterall, I truly believe this is why he needed for escapism. The fact that we are constantly analyzed and put forth on this pedestal to be judge just seems to omit our individuality, and place us, with not our mindset but societies. His reasons are logical for a human being; to search for truth, and to expand on his/her own meaning in life. Then maybe being happy isnt so hard to do, when you can actually grasp and put forth that ideology.
  • Well...let me clear this. chris never tried to potray his daring nature.He had his own reason for wat he did. He wanted to find out things in his own way...live life on his own terms.He also wrote a note that he lived a happy life. It is we who r starting a debate abt it. Dnt try to c how he lived..try to see wat he wanted us to see...y he made such a choice.
  • Completely selfish of this guy. What about his sister? The people that call this guy a hero are sad. The movie and book are ONE side to this story. I am sorry he died, but feel horrible for the people that loved him. What if he would have bungee jumped with too much cord? Would he still be a hero then?
  • http://dwb.adn.com/outdoors/craig_medred/story/9430189p-9342328c.html
  • To GTBurns, Does the way he died really make him a dumbass? What if i called an old man, way past life's prime, lying on a hospital bed, miserable, pathetic, helpless, trying to prevent an inevitable fate, an idiot? I don't worship this guy, but im not so quick to criticize him and his motives. I find your insults on ideology quite amusing. If you are in fact an American, your are spitting in the face of your own life, your existence. The men who fought for the foundation of a liberal nation were idealists. As for the comments about the "false idealism" of the men who fought in the civil war and ww1, these ideals were, in fact, very real. That entire paragraph insults every man that served in those two wars. Idealism is in the foundation of everything good in this world. People like you are a cancer on the soul, spirit, and future of mankind. Perhaps you would been more impressed if McCandless settled down in suburbia, raised a family, held down a good job, only to die on his hospital bed, just like we will, but then again, you wouldnt want that because that would make him ordinary, therefore. you would need to find someone else to hate on.
  • Ok, I understand that it is not the brightest idea to go into the bush so lightly. Moreover let's not forget this was just a kid. I am twenty-four years old, and I have traveled cross country with out any plan. Stupid... some may believe. However, I learned more about myself this way, than planing a safe trip with all my itinerary set up could ever do. This is not unusual for young men in there late teens to early twenties to do. Lets face it Chris McCandeless was soul searching. He had an idea of what life meant (to him not you). You can't patronize him for that! To all you sad people who say " he deserved to die", are very cold and need some compassion. NO ONE LIKE THIS DESERVES TO DIE!!! This kid played to a beat of a different drummer and I don't think thats so bad. After all I truly believe that he just wanted to find himself. Who are these people to judge anyway? Last time I checked, Only god should judge man. I don't believe this kid is a hero just a interesting story.
  • Has anyone ever taken a step back and considered the possibility that Chris may have accepted his own death after his final realizations. He seemed to be a lost soul from the time he was a young boy. Had he made it back to civilization, what would he have done? Would he have started a carreer and let all his ideals of freedom become dust in the wind? Would he have all of a sudden decided that he was completely fine with being another 9-5? I don't think so. He went into the wild to escape everything that society has become. His life is proves that there is more to life than how we live it. So please, take a moment and think of who he was, not what he did.
  • In 1971 at the age of 20 I hitchiked across the US and Canada. That after living off the land on a commune. McCandless was lucky as long as he remained in civilization as his mistakes had no serious consequences. Once in the wild however mistakes were not an option. There is a fine line between an adventure to discover and challenge onself and a death trip. McCandless was on the later due to his completely oblvious attitude to the obvious. I hope young people bent on embarking on adventure take some time to learn at least the minimal skills required to survive the ordeal. After all part of the adventure is to live to tell your own story!
  • "All men die, but not all men live." One thing is for sure. Christopher McCandless lived.
  • probably the bus is placed in three different sites becouse stefano buccheri while he was having a happy walk throught the wild decided to take the bus and to go around to observe the nature in a better way
  • Wow .... I saw the film and now I am reading the book ... As Chris said some really profound things in his notes and short of rewinding and playing each clip again , I thought i would read them and absorb them better !! What a wise soul he was .. ok he got the berries and the food wrong but he was a great guy and I wish we could chat sometime . Anyway your exploits have touch my soul "Supertramp" everyone should watch the film and read the book , it will enrich your life !! all the best Chris your soul shines on in the universe .... Tim
  • This guy isn't a hero ... and the words he said at the end of the movie prove it. And we must remember what he wrote in his diary, in his very ending: "Happiness is only real when shared". I think he saw the truth in the very moment of his death, and the truth is: he had a bad life with his parents, he saw how false, hypocrit they were ... but then, he took conclusions about the whole society. He messed up ! He was an authentic "idiot", remembering that the word "Idios" is the greek for "the same"; his experience traveling didn't teache him anything ... he met that hippie girl who was suffering because his son, he met that old fellow who said that forgiveness is the first step to find true love (and he was soooo right). It's very dangerous when someone have a bad, particular experience and then take conclusions about everything, everyone ... the same thing happened to Vladimir Lenin: he was beaten up by his father, adviced by a priest ... and then, Lenin started not to hate that priest, but he hated all priests, and then he said that the religion must be crushed down ... well, Lenin was one of the evilest persons that have ever lived upon the earth. Is really good that Criss have had that "light" in his very final moments ... he was capable to forgive and ask God for forgivennes. May he rest in peace. We shall learn with storyes like that.
  • At best he was a selfish person and that is not something to create a hero status for. He spent all that time in his own head. Me me me is all it seems he was concerned with. Oh the poor life of a well educated white boy. If he really wanted to live in the wild he should have tried society. It is far more harsh than the wilds of Alaska and just as unforgiving, especially when, Like Mcandless, you try to do it all on your own! People have elevated him to hero status for doing nothing more than dying when he could have so easily lived. I suppose thats acceptable so long as your "finding yourself".
  • This is not the right location for the bus... the box several miles to the east near the river and trail head is the correct one.
  • It is easy to tell the civilized world to f*** off when you are a spoiled trust fund kid with too much time on your hands. Most people have enough trouble trying to feed their family, and don't have the time to go on self-indulgent temper tantrums in the woods. He was an intelligent man with insightful things to say, but his main problem was that it is easy to complain, but not so easy to come up with an alternate solution to humanity. He gets an A for effort in attempting one, but a D- for common sense, and an F for his naive ideals that got him killed. Nature > McCandless. He would have done well to know that in advance.
  • I am actually surprised as I read over all of the comments from the previous users. In many of their comments the point of Into the Wild seems to be completely lost in other people's own insecurities or rather in their need to show that they are in some way smarter, more in tune with the realities of life than some spoiled kid with a family background full of issues-which actually puts the point right in front of your face if you are smart enough or have enough common sense to understand. He didn't mind dying out there alone and also you have to remember that a person has to live his life-it may not always make your family happy and certainly won't make everybody in the world happy or look at you as a pillar of strength but that's not what he wanted. He wanted to be his own pillar of strength-just wanted to live his life without the ideas of the world steering him where it steers everybody else and in the end he acheived exactly what he had set out to do. I don't think it was selfish or stupid-it may not be the road most of us choose but it was the right one for him.
  • One thing commonly missed upon by supporters of McCandless: Those comments are generally based on Krakauer's article, book, or the Into the Wild movie. Which are *all* interpretations. Krakauer, in particular, tends to mix in his own baggage and point of view into the stories he writes. Good stories, yes - he's talented. But the honest truth is *NOBODY* really knows what McCandless' last days were actually like, and he made some *ELEMENTARY* mistakes in basic survival. What *EVERYBODY* knows is that he left behind people who seemed to care about him deeply. (In whatever flawed fashion, for those who feel the need to point out possible dysfunctions.) And what *everybody* knows is that he went into the bush in a way that revealed his utter unpreparedness to truly deal with a wilderness / "survival" / primitive / rough living situation. His lack of planning and lack of having the proper gear, especially in the face of advice to the contrary, reveals a romantic too deeply stubborn to see the world as it actually is. And his useless death reveals more sadness than nobility. @John: I will happily stack up my bush survival skills against yours, any day of the week. Starting with proper gear selection, and moving from there into developing all the intelligence you can about the area you find yourself in. and @Paul: Right back at you. The reality is *you* have no clue, either, what he was and what he stood for. None of us who never met him truly do, based on what's out there about him. You have the ideals that have been packaged to you. And 95% of those are pure myth and idealism disconnected from reality. Oh, well. Those who love the story will keep loving it. I just hope that the next person who is "inspired" to go "find themselves" and go out "into the wild" won't wind up just as dead, just as quickly, leaving just as many behind to ask why.
  • "We are all born originals but most finish up as copies" To some what Chris did was sheer stupidity. As an avid bushwalker myself and well used to travelling into remote and unforgiving territory I'm not one to push the limits. I do realise the sense of freedom that comes from living off the land and the peace and tranquility that comes as a result. I believe Chris was searching for some inner purpose and well knew the risk he was taking. This supported by the postcard he sent to his friend, and I quote " This is the last time you shall hear from me Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here. Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return south. If this adventure proves fatal and you don't ever hear from me again, I want you to know you are a great man. I now walk into the wild. Might be a very long time before I return south.... I now walk into the wild." This to me clearly shows that he was fully prepared to live as one with nature; no map, no compass and insufficient food for a prolonged stay. I further do not believe he intended to die but accepted that this could well happen if this adventure failed. As it did. Chris was a well liked person and this is well documented from all that knew him. He asked for nothing, took nothing for granted and certainly did not take advantage of those he met on his travels. Chris died satisfying a goal he felt he had to achieve. He was foolhardy and probably a little reckless but he gave his all doing what he believed in. Let's repect him for that!
  • THE CALL OF THE WILD [9 out of 10] The short, controversial life of ‘spiritual voyager’ Christopher McCandless (1968-92) - focus of Jon Krakauer's 1996 book Into the Wild, recently filmed by Sean Penn's as a $15m narrative feature - is the subject of this top-notch documentary. Even audiences totally unfamiliar with McCandless's tragic, much-chronicled story will likely find themselves utterly absorbed by director/narrator/editor/cinematographer Lamothe's journey into his subject: a journey which is simultaneously geographical (he retraces McCandless's hobo-ish wanderings around the USA), philosophical (topically examining the nature of freedom in today's America) and bravely self-analytical - at several stages he measures himself against the ideals, achievements and inadequacies of his near-contemporary. DV-camera-toting one-man-band Lamothe's proudly wayward path even crosses that of Penn and his elaborate production on several occasions - inadvertent intersections which amusingly cast Hollywood's notions of creative ‘independence’ in a savagely unflattering light. Frequently hilarious, consistently intelligent and, in the end, deeply moving, The Call of the Wild heralds the exciting arrival of a fresh and bold new voice in American non-fiction film. --Neil Young http://www.tifilms.com/wild/call_intro.htm
  • simply amazing life he lived
  • I read the book several times and then saw the movie... I know what was looking for now.. I finally do... I shall seek the same journey but willdo it in a much different way...
  • keep on rocking into the wild
  • the guy was fool. he got what he deserved. he helped reenforce the darwin theory.
  • The "Louis L'Amour" western he wrote his last diaries in, could be one I left there. I left six or seven there in the fall of 1983.
  • The bus is placed a little beyond the area this reference marks, the correct position is at http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=63.868401&lon=-149.7693157&z=17&l=0&m=h slightly over to the right and above. Chris clearly made mistakes and was reckless in this endeavour and paid dearly, had he not, he would probably have returned home at some point and most of us would never be aware he had ever existed. However, to suggest he, or anyone else who undertakes a personal journey deserves to die is far more arrogant, and ignorant than Chris ever could have been. A great many men and women undertake personal journeys every day of the week, every week of the year; some of them even bask in the limelight for a while when they return. All step out knowing death could be waiting, but that is not the reason for stepping off, nor a reason to sit on our behinds. The desire that drives us to push forward regardless, is the same desire that has helped our species to evolve and long may it continue. Because without this spirit, this drive for self discovery and freedom, we can never move forward and we are destined to wither and die, never really having lived at all.
  • Whatever Chris Mcandless was, whatever ge did, we have to agree on one thing, he had the balls to go out and challenge himself. The trip was not just about going into the wild and living a life away from civilization. The reason Mcandless went into the wild was to realize himself, and to live life the way he wanted to, and not by just mere plain rules of the society which exists today. I am proud of who he was, and what he was trying to achieve. Yes, he was unprepared by the standards required, but so what? He was not trying to escape from it. He would have never done that. Even if there was a road 20 miles from the bus. He went into the wild to start a new beginning for himself, it was the birth of Alexander Supertramp. I think we all should respect for what he was trying to do. Maybe his innocence caught him in the end, and he paid for it dearly. He should have been better prepared, with more food stocks and a better idea of where he was living. But not going like everyone else would have, and starting a whole new life in the wilderness calls for some courage. And I salute him for that. Let us not brag Mcandless for his foolishness and innocence. For no one is perfect. But let us think of this man, a person who believed in himself, and lived his beliefs. I feel sorry for all those who ridiculed him, you guys just couldn't understand him.
  • Wasn't this on a show nobody watches? ~~Sarafina Cunningham.
  • Well after reading some of the above and having watched the movie and read the book. Let me say that perhaps Chris was selfish but only from the stand point of trying too save him self and lets remember he tried too get out "happiness is only real when shared". Did the brother make some errors, possibly but no more than any other human that walks and breahtes. Some of our mistakes are non too well thought out and often peppered with self-interest and fear. Chris figured this out and like many thru out history removed himself from the pain that is the modern world. Chris knew that happiness is like sand clinched in a fist. The tighter you squeeze the fast it escapes your grasp. As for his sister it seemz to me that she understood all to well that his journey was bigger than her and she was awake enough too know that it wpild be wrong and selfish of her to try and rob him of that for any reason. Some will never understand actions like chris's because they are content in the matrix of suffering that he cast off. People fear truth and people who try to embrace it like Chris. To me that brothah was a freakn Zen master. His actions mirrior those of the bhudda casting of the ditrsaction of a world of material, ploitical and social trappings. WISH I COULD HAVE MEET U CHRIS, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GRAND. GOOD FORM BROTHAH.
  • Can someone please answer these questions? Where all the fish missing in Alaska in the summer of 1992? Didn't he have a fishing pole and net? I do not understand how someone as smart as he was die of stavation when there was plenty of food around. It's not that hard to catch a fish. Even if the river was roaring by he still could have built some kind of trap to catch them.
  • I think he was a good person.. i saw the movie .. his story was real for real
  • He lived his life the way he wanted and we have no right to judge his actions that led to his untimely death.
  • I read the book Into the Wild at least twice and seen the movie about the same and what I can come up with is there is alot of mix feelings about Chris such as was he crazy or was he just wanting to escape from the world. I think he is crazy in way where he just gave up everything such as burned his money, left his car in the desert, and did not tell his family where he was leaving them to worry about him for 2 years. Then on the other hand I can see where he just wanted to leave and start his life without being controlled or not living his life the way he wanted to. He was adventerous and he made his life exciting. He touched other peoples lives as well and left an impact on them, not just him dying but he seemed to be a man that got along with just anyone. It seemed to me like he was just passing on his peace that he had to people that he got to know, especially Mr. Franz. It would have been nice if he made it out of the wild and wrote a book but I think him tramping around the country would have stayed in his blood and maybe he would have gotten bored by being back in society.
  • do you people wanna b like d guy mc candless instead of mountains try coastal, islands this time.
  • chris m movie moved me and will never be forgotten
  • All you people who say that Chris was stupid for what he did...He wasn't at all stupid, he just had to get the hell away from people exactly like you, SOCIETY!!!...Go live in your $1,000,000 homes, or drive your $100,000 automobiles...I would rather live 2 years of freedom, like he did, than a lifetime with society!!!
  • viva 4ever Supertramp..!!
  • Christopher thought life is supposed to be natural, not full of cars and TVs and all the urban stuff. I believe he was right. God bless his soul!
  • Alexander lives in our memories http://lascatola20.tumblr.com/post/789188859/soundtrack-from-into-the-wild-by-eddie-vedder
  • He's a pretty awesome man. I admire his courage and his intelligence. "Le bonheur n'est réel que s'il est partagé"
  • Lessons I learned from his journey: 1- "Happiness is only real when shared" 2- "when you forgive, you love. And when you love, God's light shines through you" 3- I am inspired by how truthful he was to what he beliefs. Instead of just COMPLAINING, he ACT (e.g. instead of complaining about material life; he burn his money!, abounded his car!, and society ! ) 4- He may not have the chance to apply those lessons because of his death; but the chance is in our hand
  • it's kind of funny. but if you call Christopher NcCandless a failure, then you have to admit that you say it for the same reason that the person you get down on your knees and pray to is a failure
  • Well for a person who attended college it's not very smart to try and live off a land that has nothing.
  • Wow, okay to everyone who is saying he deserved to die and hope he burns in hell, what the hell? Seriously? Maybe he did make a mistake and some errors in judgment. But that doesn't mean he is a horrible person who deserves to be tortured for eternity by Satan. First and foremost, you need to calm down lol. It's almost funny how angry you are in your reactions. Are you seriously that much of an asshole that you really have such dark wishes for someone's soul? You never even knew the guy. How can you possibly know every thought and motivation he had? You can't be inside of his head. Nobody can. Not Sean Penn (directed the film), or the author of the book based on his life, literally nobody. His story is being told from several different points of view. Everybody interpreted his story in different ways, and expressed it in their own individual ways. Basically, I'm saying you shouldn't be so judgmental of him unless you knew his emotions and thoughts. But nobody will ever truly know that. So stop being so closeminded and hateful. You don't have to think he is a "hero". and its ok if you are irritated with his perception on life/society. It's fine if you are infuriated by the fact that he really hurt his family. It's fine if you think he's stupid. But you shouldn't be such an asshole because you will never find out know his mind. Unless he was alive today and you could get a psychologist to interview him for awhile. But you can't make that happen. Sorry. So stop being a crazy, hyped up, hateful bitch. I agree he had flaws, made major judgment errors, and wasn't the perfect human being. I also don't idolize him. But he seems like a nice guy who just wanted to understand himself and the world. Certainly not an evil person who deserves hell, lol. Peace.
  • there are many of us that have dreamed,of going to live in the wilds of mother nature,building a cabin and living off of the land.myself included,however he should have never attempted this without the right supplies,was he stupid,i dont think so, he really believed that he could just totally live off the land,the truth is you would need more than just food and water to survive in such an unforgiving enviroment. he did survive alot longer than alot of you on here bashing him would have.
  • he was a naive to go into the wild unprepared to survive ,u city people make me laugh with your views on the matter he put himself in harms way ,and paid the price.gotta love treehuggers!!!
  • Я соболезную родным Криса,что до него - то он герой в своем роде. Он яркий представитель человека который идет к своей мечте ни смотря ни на что! Мне жаль что так вышло, но раз Крис нашел свое счастье - значит только он себе судья!
  • if you want you can say: he is an idiot! But look at his face, look how happy he is. I have no doubt about him: he is the bravest man I've ever know
  • Just watched the movie and yeah he was naive but he seemed like a good human being and is with God now.
  • HAHAHAAH! This guy was a moron! He tried to adapt to the wild and failed! Less taypayer money to spend on folks.
  • He lived, sure...but not very long and not very well.
  • His story fascinates me. The book, the movie and my interpretation. A simple logic seemed to escape him or he stubbornly ignored it is clear to me. The bus made it in on the pass, Stampede Trail, why did he go in the opposite direction when the road and Healy could have been reached within days and finding a spot to cross? I think he stubbornly chose not to, to prove to himself he could make it. His diary says '100 days! Made it!' At that point with paralysis it was too late to walk out - ODAP is it? Amino acid toxicity. It's what he wanted but a hero I would not call him. A dreamer, unprepared for sure, a troubled soul and perhaps maybe even Bi-polar. RIP Chris.
  • Покойся с миром, Человек!
  • Свободный человек с большой буквы...
  • Не все поймут, не многие вспомнят...
  • "I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!"
  • I agree. Except i would like to see the bus.
  • "I have had a happy life and thank the lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!"
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This article was last modified 5 years ago