Christopher McCandless
Christopher Johnson McCandless, also known by the pseudonym Alexander Supertramp, was an American hiker who sought an increasingly itinerant lifestyle as he grew up. He is the subject of Into the Wild, a nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer that was later made into a full-length feature film.
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in Atlanta, in the U.S. state of Georgia. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia, by the Methodist Episcopal Church and was named in honor of Methodist bishop John Emory. In 1915, Emory College moved to its pres…
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Who is Chris McCandless and what is he known for?
The story of Chris McCandless, the intrepid adventurer who inspired Into the Wild. It's been 27 years since the death of Chris McCandless, the young man who dropped everything to experience authentic life in Alaska's wilderness. His story has been told in the book and movie Into the Wild.
What did Chris McCandless accomplish?
Chris McCandless's ultimate goal was to reach the great Alaskan wilderness. Chris was a courageous, fearless, and adventurous person. He hitchhiked and travelled all the way to his great adventure, met a ton of new people and had a huge impact everywhere he went.
What were Chris McCandless last words?
It was discovered that he died of starvation due to his inability to cross back over an overflowing river. His last known words were written on the back of a page from a book: “I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!” The man's name was Christopher McCandless.
How was Chris McCandless successful?
McCandless succeeds in achieving his goal when he survives in the wild. He shot porcupines, killed squirrels, and even captured a moose.
How did Chris McCandless change?
McCandless's journey into the wilderness shows that he was ready to change the way he was living and his surroundings. Changing his lifestyle, and going by another name, shows that he was rejecting the values forced upon him by his parents', and that he wants to start creating values for himself.
What did Chris McCandless value?
McCandless's annotated books, both those left behind in the bus and those he gives to friends, reveal that he values independence and self-reliance.
How much did Chris McCandless weigh before he died?
sixty-seven poundsA driver's license issued eight months before he perished indicated that he was twenty-four years old and weighed a hundred and forty pounds. After his body was flown out of the wilderness, an autopsy determined that it weighed sixty-seven pounds and lacked discernible subcutaneous fat.
What did Chris McCandless change his name to?
Alexander SupertrampNote that McCandless has chosen to call himself Alex, short for "Alexander Supertramp." The adoption of this alias represents McCandless's rejection of the parents who named him and his parents' values.
How did Christopher McCandless die?
Christopher McCandless, in full Christopher Johnson McCandless, byname Alexander Supertramp, (born February 12, 1968, El Segundo, California, U.S.—found dead September 6, 1992, Stampede Trail, Alaska), American adventurer who died from starvation and possibly poisoning, at age 24, while camping alone on a remote trail in Alaska. His death made him a figure of controversy, admired by some as an idealist in the tradition of David Thoreau and Leo Tolstoy but disparaged by others as self-destructive.
When did McCandless return to civilization?
McCandless would have returned to civilization in early July 1992 had he been able to recross the Teklanika, but the river he had easily forded two months earlier was by then swollen with snowmelt, and he returned to the bus. Forced to continue on a substandard diet, he weakened and died in mid-August.
What killed Chris McCandless?
It's easy to think that Chris McCandless starved to death, considering that his normal weight was around 140 pounds, but by the time he was found, his mortal remains weighed a measly 67 pounds (per the New Yorker ). Still, "Into the Wild" writer Jon Krakauer has long suspected that McCandless wasn't quite as inept a survivalist as his detractors tend to assume, and that other forces contributed to his death.
Where did McCandless live?
McCandless' short life took him from his native California to a great many places, thanks to his self-imposed wandering ways.
Why did Jon Krakauer write McCandless?
The reason you've heard about McCandless at all is almost certainly because of writer Jon Krakauer. Krakauer was hired to write an article about McCandless for Outside magazine, and the writer was so intrigued by the story that he ended up spending years researching McCandless. "I decided I wanted to write this book because I felt like there was a lot more to tell; there was a lot I hadn't discovered," Krakauer told the New York Times.
How much money did Chris McCandless give away?
First, he gave away all the money he had stashed away during college. According to Anchorage Daily News, the precise sum was $24,292, and McCandless gave it to Oxfam.
How long did Chris McCandless travel?
The most famous part of Chris McCandless' travels is the final one, but, as Men's Journal notes, McCandless roamed the U.S. for a total of two years and saw many places before that final, fateful journey along the Stampede Trail.
What did McCandless say to the young man on the bus?
In fact, a desperate note that he'd attached to the door of the bus outright stated that the young man was "injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone, this is no joke.".
What bus did Chris McCandless die in?
Per CNN Travel, the vehicle that acted as McCandless' makeshift base camp during his final struggle for survival is an old International Harvester that used to serve as Fairbanks City Transit bus 142.
Who was Christopher McCandless?
He was the first child of Wilhelmina "Billie" McCandless (née Johnson) and Walter "Walt" McCandless. The couple subsequently had one more child, a daughter named Carine. McCandless also had six half-siblings from Walt McCandless' first marriage, who lived with their mother in California. Author Jon Krakauer later speculated that Walt's transition between these two marriages may have deeply affected and profoundly shaped McCandless' world-view.
What did McCandless do in the Wild?
McCandless, according to Into the Wild, attempted to continue "heading west until I hit the Bering Sea.". However, he was deterred by the thick Alaskan bush and returned to the bus, where he set up camp and attempted to live off the land.
What was McCandless' final journal entry?
McCandless' final written journal entry, noted as "Day 107", simply read, "Beautiful Blue Berries." The days 108 through 112 contained no words and were marked with only slashes, while on Day 113 there was no entry.
Who met Chris McCandless?
Wayne Westerberg met Chris McCandless hitchhiking and offered him a ride and lodging. Chris stayed with the Westerberg for three days and at the end of his stay Westerberg offered him a job, “Westerberg told the young man to look him up in Carthage if he ever needed a job” (16). Chris returned a few weeks later and, “he gave McCandless employment at the grain elevator and rented him a cheap room” (17). Not only did the Westerbers offer Chris shelter and employment they also served as a temporary family to him and at times were all he had, “If McCandless felt estranged from his parents and siblings, he found a surrogate family in Westerberg and his employees” (18). Overall, Westerberg had a major impact on Chris’s journey and helped him collect the money he needed to make his trip to Alaska while providing a temporary home.
Where did Chris stay in the trailer?
While working at McDonald’s in Bullhead City, Arizona Chris stayed in an old trailer. This was provided to him for free by a man named Charlie who he met in a restroom. The trailer he let Chris stay in was fully furnished and even had electricity. Despite not getting along with Charlie very well, he gave Chris a place to live for two months.