Into The Wild

Having just got done watching the movie called, "Into The Wild" I thought it would be a good topic for readers to think about. This movie was about a young man, Christopher McCandless, who left society, changed his name to Alexander Supertramp, and left to live alone in the Alaska wilderness out past Fairbanks. He was doing ok, but was losing weight due to a lack of game, trying to survive on food he had brought in with him and native plants. The only game he managed to find was squirrels and rabbits, porcupines and a moose.

In the movie he kills a moose in the summer and tries to smoke and cook the meat before the flies laid eggs in the meat. However, fast he thought he had worked the flies managed to lay eggs and worms were hatching out of the meat even as it was cooking. Thus, all the moose meat was ruined. Seemed a bit strange, but that is the movie presented it.
Anyways, he couldn't find game to shoot and it only showed him fishing once, but showed him getting thinner and thinner.

Finally he started looking for more wild plants to eat and he ate the seed pod of a plant that was normally avoided as it was poisonous and developed nausea and it stopped his digestive system from working. He lived through it but was very weak and had no body mass or strength left. And within a few days he had died from starvation. This young man from Virginia had managed to live out in the wild only for a short time because he was unprepared for living in the wild for extended periods of time. The sad part was the story was true and it could happen to anyone who goes into the woods unprepared and unaware of safe plants and ones that are poisonous.

That is why it is very important to know what your eating is safe and to learn about wild plants ahead of time so that in an emergency you will be ready and able to feed yourself from the wild.
Has anyone here read the book or seen the movie? I thought it was very moving and wonderful how much this young man managed to do and see, through-out the United States and even down to Mexico, before his untimely death. (Born 1968-1992)
Even if you have not seen the movie it is on youtube, what are your thoughts on this boys life?

Please share your comments here.

 

These are pictures of Chris McCandless and the bus in which he lived and died in. I have thought about this adventure of his and if only he would have packed in more food supplies, more than just a bag of rice, he may have lived to tell his story. Read about it yourself then share your thoughts here.

http://www.christophermccandless.info/intothewildpictures.html

 

Some friends and I were talking about the way the movie ended and how sad it was, and the fact that if he had packed in some food he would still be alive. Also if he had shot the young calf he could have cooked the meat into a stew on his wood stove and keep adding to it to make it last. And the moose if he had only taken a small portion to his bus and cooked it instead of trying to save the whole moose, things may have been different in the end.
The links mention that there was a ranger station not far away and a way to get across the river, but he did not take a map of the area with him. Anyways we discussed all the things that could have been done differently if only like you say he knew what he was doing in all things necessary to survive.
Anyone else want to comment on this story? All comments are welcome.

 

I've been meaning to watch this movie for a couple of years now because I've heard it is really good however I can't help but think how stupid someone would be to attempt something like this without any kind of life line.

Also thanks for the link, those pictures were very fascinating.

 

I think maybe since he did so well in his travels throughout the lower forty, he thought Alaska, would be easy. And the info said that even thou he was killing small game that the meat was lean with no fat in it so the protein level that normally would keep a man healthy was not present. And also he was using up more calories and energy than he was consuming.
If he had not eaten the poisonous plant he might have lived until the moose hunters arrived. The movie is very good, but sad at the end. It really shows that as smart as he was in other areas, he was not able to provide for himself in the wild living off the land. Worth watching.