Editoral Essay on Chris McCandless

McCandless: Dyeing for a Dream

Walking in Chris McCandless’s shoes

By Adriana Baker

  “’I figured he would be OK, he explains. I thought he’d probably get hungry pretty quick and just walk out to the highway. That’s what a normal person would do;’” (Krakauer pg 7). Jim Gallien could not have been more wrong about what would happen to the young Chris McCandless as he followed the Stampede Trail in late April 1992. Many who knew him could have never guessed either, Chris McCandless’ body was found in the Alaskan wilderness four months later and ever since there has been a debate on whether he was a hero and a great kid or a person who was mentally disturbed and on a suicide mission. I personally think that he was just a normal person following his dream, into the wild.
  Many people who think that McCandless was on a suicide mission were more than wrong. McCandless said it himself in his farewell letter “I have had a happy life and thank the lord” (Krakauer pg199) and with this letter he is holding it up to a camera smiling. This shows that he did not regret anything he did and embarking on this great adventure is what he wanted to do, it does not show the slightest sings of someone so upset that they are on a suicide mission. If he did want to kill himself why wait two years and then go to an Alaskan trail with what he thought would be sufficient supplies. If he truly wanted to die would he not have just killed himself.
  Many people who find McCandless to be crazy do not understand where he is coming from, and cannot relate to him at all. This shows that maybe these people do not want to try and understand him as a person. The people who did know him grew quite attached and knew that he was a smart and humble guy. Although he could be stubborn in his ideals, he knew what he was getting himself into and they knew of his previous adventures. He had an effect on many people through his travels; he helped to solve many problems these people had by working for them and helping them while asking nothing in return. The people who chose to get to know him and help him in his travels may not have completely understood him but at least they tried. This helped them see where he was coming from and help form the book “Into the Wild” by John Krakauer. This booked tried to follow his last two years on the road and what exactly brought him to his death. The perosnla interviews with the people whose lives were touched by “Alex” reveal an intelligent young man with a passion for adventure out to see the world. They felt that he had experience taking care of himself and believed that he would be back after his trip into the Alaskan wilderness.
  McCandless was not an outcast or antisocial, in fact, he made an impact on many lives and had the foresight to have mail “returned to sender” during his absence and even said goodbye to friends before this extended trek into the wilderness. In the postcard he sent to Westberg postmarked April 27 he says “…If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.”(Krakauer p.69) These are hardly ramblings of anyone you would consider a social outcast. He was well educated and perfectly capable of living within society, he simply chose to follow a dream.
  I understand that many of the native Alaskans think that McCandless must have been on a suicide mission or extremely foolish to take this adventure without what they consider better preparations. They are a hardy population that have been raised and experienced the harsh climate. Many of the Alaskans cite travel magazines and adventure guides that paint a misleading picture of their extreme climate. McCandless and his friends all felt that he was experienced and would survive this journey. It is unfortunate that the river swelled and he couldn’t just walk back out to the highway.
  Chris McCandless was a well-educated, intelligent and deeply caring person to those who knew him. He had many successful adventures that led him and others to believe that he could survive the Alaskan spring and summer. He was not suicidal as is evidenced by his journal writings. If he had been unbalanced his farewell to the world would have taken a different approach. He tells everyone that he enjoyed his life and thanks God. His postcards to friends also illustrate that he was not a social outcast. McCandless’ stubborn streak and inability to accept others help/advice from those around him proved fatal. It is admirable that McCandless followed his dream but he was not as well informed as you should be when heading out into the wilderness to survive. You should always be prepared and have an emergency plan when trekking into the wilderness.


Works Cited:
Krakauer, Jon. “Into the Wild” New York: Anchor Books 1997.