![]() Paxson Woelber/Flickr A hiker takes a photograph resembling McCandless’ iconic self-portrait at the abandoned bus.Īnother fascinating element of Chris McCandless’ story is the photographs he left behind. Other poisons and toxins have also been put forth as explanations, though no definitive conclusion has been reached. This theory states that the poisonous seeds had been improperly stored in a damp environment. Indeed, one of his last journal entries dictates a sickness caused by “pot seed.”Īnother suggestion was that McCandless was killed by mold. However, if he had eaten the seeds as a last resort, his digestive system may have been too weak to combat the poison. In a healthy person, the seeds may not have been dangerous as the toxin in them is usually rendered ineffective by stomach acid and gut bacteria. Based on journal entries that detailed his food sources, he believes McCandless may have eaten poisonous Hedysarum alpinum seeds. However, Jon Krakauer, the first journalist to cover the story of Chris McCandless, came to another conclusion. His rice supply had diminished, and the hungrier he got, the harder it had been for him to find the energy to get up and hunt. The first assumption was that he had simply starved. The cause of Chris McCandless’ death has been debated for decades. Making Sense Of Chris McCandless’ DeathĪ Smithsonian video about Chris McCandless’ fascinating story. ![]() One of the men who had read the note entered the bus and found what he thought was a sleeping bag full of rotting food. On the 132nd day after Chris McCandless was last seen, his body was discovered by hunters. The last entry in the journal, written on the 107th day of his stay in the bus, read only “Beautiful Blue Berries.” From then until day 113, his last spent alive, the entries were simply days marked with slashes. Although he continued to hunt and gather edible plants, he was growing weaker as he expended far more calories than he ate during his three months in the Alaskan bush. Upon reaching the bus on July 8, McCandless’ journal entries become progressively shorter and bleaker. His diary entry from that day said “Rained in. Unable to cross, McCandless, turned around and headed back to the bus. Desperate Survival In The Alaska Wilderness Wikimedia Commons The Teklanika river, which may have been frozen when McCandless first crossed it on his way to the bus, swells in size during the summer months due to melting snow. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild. Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the Great White North. The climactic battle to kill the false being within and victoriously conclude the spiritual pilgrimage. Thou shalt not return, ’cause “the West is the best.” And now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure. An aesthetic voyager whose home is the road. No phone, no pool, no pets, no cigarettes. He scribbled the following proclamation on a piece of plywood inside the bus: However, McCandless was clearly happy to find shelter. The blue and white paint was peeling from the sides, the tires were long deflated, and it was almost overgrown by plant life. Into The WildĪlthough Chris McCandless planned for an extended hike going all the way west to the Bering Sea, he stopped some 20 miles into his journey at a rusted old bus, presumably because it seemed like a great place to set up camp. McCandless handed Gallien his camera and asked him to snap a picture before heading out into the wilderness. Gallien dropped him off at the head of the Stampede Trail, west of the park, on April 28, 1992. He had no compass and left his watch and the only map he had in Gallien’s truck. From what Gallien recalled, he was equipped only with a light backpack, a ten-pound bag of rice, a Remington semiautomatic rifle, and a pair of Wellington boots, which Gallien had given him. Gallien attempted to persuade the naive youngster to reconsider his adventure, even offering to drive McCandless to Anchorage and buy him proper equipment.īut the young adventurer remained stubborn. McCandless didn’t have appropriate equipment, though he insisted that he would be fine. Gallien later recalled having “deep doubts” about McCandless’ ability to survive in the wild, as the Alaskan wilderness was known to be particularly unforgiving. ![]() He asked Gallien to take him to Denali National Park located to the southwest, where we said he wished to hike and “live off the land for a few months.” The young man introduced himself only as “Alex,” denying any attempts to reveal his last name. Here, he hitchhiked again, being picked up by local electrician named Jim Gallien on his out way of Fairbanks. It is known for a fact that in April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked from Carthage, South Dakota to Fairbanks, Alaska. Trailer for the 2007 film Into the Wild based on McCandless. ![]()
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