What Happened to Christopher McCandless

In 1992, Christopher McCandless set off to test if he could survive alone in the wilds of Alaska. It didn't go as planned.

From: AERIAL AMERICA: Alaska

[ThePunitiveDamages]

I'm almost certain I encountered McCandless in spring of 1992 in Banff, Alberta when I worked night security for the youth hostel there. I checked in a guy who signed in as A Supertramp and I remember laughing, thinking of the band name and saying something like, "cool name". He said he only wanted to use the shower and sleep until morning, then go. It wasn't until the movie came out when I remembered the name and thought to myself. 'I'm pretty sure that was him". There could be a signature there, if they stored all the sign-in slips from back then.

[schjo]

the thing that will haunt me the most is the loneliness when he died in the middle of the forest in an abandoned bus alone

[gujwdhufjijjpo]

I grew up in Alaska. Nearly everyone up here uses this guy as an example of what not to do. It sucks that they had to air left the bus out. Hunters who knew what they were doing used it for shelter.

We were actually required to read the book in class during Highschool.

[TheCptCoy]

I always love the fact that he went all the way out into the middle of nowhere to get away from civilization and died on a bus.

[PhilAndersonOutside]

His biggest mistake, and one that showed he had little survival skills or experience as an outdoorsman, was when he returned to the bus, thinking he had no options. Nothing could have been further from the truth, and this thinking sealed his fate.

Krakauer wrote he got rid of his map, he did not. He simply didn't reference it. It was a standard map, not a topo, but had he followed it with logical thinking, and looked at the terrain around him, he quickly would have realized two options. First, he could have gone south following the Teklanika, heading towards the park for 1-2 days, eventually running into the park road, or a bridge crossing the Teklanika. Had he gone downstream (north) exploring for a place to cross, in just a half mile he could have come across a gauging station with a pulley crossing, and easily crossed the river, and gone on with his life. There's also the chance he could have found a cold night and cool morning in late July or early August, when the river was at it's lowest point in the day, and found a place to carefully cross.

But he had another option, a three hour hike south along the Sushana River near the bus, towards the park, he likely would have likely run into a NPS Ranger cabin at the park boundary stocked with food, wool blankets, bedding and more. He likely didn't know this was there, and had he somehow missed the cabin, the river trek would have led to even rougher terrain, but that terrain also would have naturally pushed him east, again towards the Teklanika, and south again to the park road. These would have been tough treks, but logical assumption should have told him he'd eventually run into the national park, and a road, or trail, or something, if he just pushed on.

Finally, he supposedly explored the area. But within an hour of the bus, there were three, empty hunting cabins. All had boot beaten footpaths near them, and he easily could have broken in, in an emergency.

Just like people trapped in a burning building, he wrongfully assumed the only way out, was the way he entered, and never opened his mind to even the remote chance of another possibility.

I agree that no one should be discouraged from pursuing their dreams. But don't think this man was more skilled than he actually was, and just unlucky. His lack of experience, and caution to the wind, caviller attitude cost him his life.

[MagicalBread]

Who’s here after the bus got air-lifted from the original site?

[swimbait]

Horribly unprepared led to his demise. A 10 pound bag of rice? He should have had months of food brought for the first year and spend a year or longer learning how to dry meat and survive in the wilderness

[aubreyalvarez]

I think people really underestimate how brutal nature truly is. Very few people are knowledgeable about how to truly survive in pure nature.

[zoejaggard]

As much as I love the story and the movie this was made into, This young guy had next to zero real life experience it would take to survive in Alaska. The entirety of his nomad lifestyle was less than a year, and his time spent in Alaska was a little over 3 months. He brought next to no provisions and expected to "live off the land" with no experience on how to even do that. He died because he was Ill equipped to survive in the climate and no knowledge of hunting or foraging. So I have no idea why many of you are arguing that he was this smart and skilled nomad, when he died after only a few months.

[rokpodlogar]

remember kids. always tell someone where you're going and when you're coming back.

[starnr]

There is a moral from bus 142 that we shouldn't miss. Sometimes in life when you want to achieve something great you have to take a risk and leave your comfort zone. Bus 142 was a trap that eventually cost him his life. Had he only spent 1 night there then pushed on he would have probably made it. But he couldn't let go of that security blanket out of fear and it lead to his death.

In nature just like life uncertainty and indecisiveness can be deadly. If you're gonna do something you gotta leave safety and security behind

[malakiquest]

I'm sorry but at some point, I would have risked the river. Not finna just sit there and die of starvation

[brucedavidson]

I tried something similar, damn near starved to death in the woods behind my house.

[CycleCruza]

Sounded like a suicide mission. No sane man would go that deep in the Alaska Wilderness alone to survive off the land without basic survival skills.

[outbackeddie]

I'm also a survivalist but I live in a city where I can buy food at the grocery store so that I can survive. So far it seems to be working.

[polynikes]

Apparently, if he had a map he would have known that there a river crossing less than a mile from him.
He shot a moose and wasted the meat because he didn't have enough knowledge and experience.
The guy who dropped him off in Alaska was worried about his lack of experience and equipment and tried to talk him out of it or even buy him suitable supplies and equipment but Chris refused his advice and help.
Then he starved to death a few months later...
Look, I can respect his motive. But his planning and execution was seriously flawed. He basically committed suicide and caused his family unnecessary hurt and heartache.

[dabprod]

I remember reading about this back when it happened. His motive was good but just unprepared. Even the guy that dropped him off at the trail begged him not to do it, knowing he didn't have the supplies and the experience to make the trip. Sad ending.

[noooddle]

He's a survivalist in the same way I'm an NBA center.

[dawnrodriguez]

The first time I read the book I was 16 and thought he was totally awesome. I read the book again when I was in my early 20s and all I could think was that he was a pompous kid with a head full of ideas and ideals that made him look down on others. He was too puffed up on himself. Sad that his decisions ended this way. Kid thought he knew it all.

[toppinzr]

According to his sister, their parents were extremely abusive. 
Having been abused myself, I have had fantasies about doing something similar - going off by myself, ending up in some miserable situation. 
It seems he was on his own, trying to live on almost nothing, because he'd learned he couldn't trust people and that he wouldn't be helped.
It's about trying to cope with severe personal damage - trying to prove he didn't need people, either emotionally or for his physical survival. 
Apparently he didn't bring any way to call for help, and that really says it all.