“I now walk into the wild." – Chris Mccandless

"There is pleasure in the pathless woods,There is rapture on the lonely shore,There is society where none intrudes,By the deep sea and the music in its roar;I love not man the less, but Nature more."— ~Lord Byron

The second book I read from author Jon Krakauer was; Into the Wild. Warning; plot discussion and spoilers. Krakauer spent two years following leads and interviewing and befriending all those people that had their lives touched by a young adventurer. Chris Mccandless decided to live his life without the comforts of society and attempted to find what he believed life was truly about; living on, or more accurately, living with nature.

"Mr. Franz I think careers are a 20th century invention and I don't want one."~Chris Mccandless~

Last night we decided to take a chance and watch the film, Into the Wild. I was highly skeptical and hoped that I would not be disappointed with ‘hollywoodized’ version of this young man’s life. I am actually happy to state that they did a phenomenal job. The images I had created with my imagination while reading the book, were now in front of me as director Sean Penn really nailed it.

But what I was more impressed with, and what made me the most nervous, was the overall feel and dialogue of the movie. I found that, in my opinion, it actually paid homage to Mccandless and honored the book written by Krakauer. I truly think that the movie would have been a flop if it wasn’t for the collaboration and insight from Jon Krakauer and the Mccandless family, who all helped with the film by contributing their knowledge to create an authentic and accurate film

The story portrays the adventurer, dreamer, minimalist during his travels. It reflects on all those fascinating people a man on the road can meet. The story tracks Chris to his ultimate goal to head north and live within nature. For Chris it seemed that Alaska was the epitome of nature in its most unadulterated form, most likely having something to do with the influence of literature from Jack London. With its vast landscapes and extensive natural countryside Alaska is as completely removed from society and human connection as an individual can get

Chris left behind all his money, I.D…and set off from the furthest point a vehicle can go and headed into the wild with only the basic essentials. He reached the, now famous, Fairbanks bus in April. After three months in solitude he attempted to leave in July but the river he had crossed in April was now ragging and much wider then a few months prior. He was forced to try and survive until winter. Starvation and weakness would get the better of him and his body was finally discovered by hunters and a couple hikers on September 6 1992. He had left his final words behind along with a detailed journal. He weighed in at 67 pounds and had been dead for roughly two weeks.

"I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!"
~Christopher Johnson McCandless February 12 1968 – August 18 1992~