Into the Wild | Everything That Went Wrong for Chris McCandless
You may have seen the 2007 movie, or even read the 1997 book, but the real story of the man behind ‘Into The Wild’ and his untimely death in the Alaskan Wilderness is a lot more twisted and confusing than you’d probably ever think.
Chris McCandless’ death was far from straight-forward.
Sorry to piss anyone off, but his own ignorance killed him.
PunkExMachina:
I always found this a cautionary tale of romanticizing nature...
Rommel F:
This guy: Potatoes, you have betrayed me
Ireland: First time, huh?
kegsofvomitspit:
I can sum up everything Chris did wrong in one sentence:
A guy with negligible survival skills and minimal experience living in a high alpine or tundra environment was deluded by his own Don Quixote mindset that he could handle a lifestyle that is only suited for those with the proper training and/or wherewithal.
Aaron Blixky:
“Dead In the water” image was a bit scary I must add
Ankur Shah:
I feel Chris paved the way in showing everyone how NOT to go "Into the Wild". I think that part is the inspiration they are referring to.
- Be prepared
- Educate yourself before hand (not after the fact)
- Carry one New world item - Ziplocs or radio
- Listen to your parents
coolgirl312:
I remember reading "Into the Wild" in high school and being repeatedly frustrated at his antics throughout the story, especially when there were moments he could've gotten help or was warned by others and he just ignored them and kept going with this whole minimalist living off the wilderness idea. He clearly wasn't prepared, or did thorough research and had several people warn him against continuing or gave him suggestions that he ignored. In the end, I really didn't feel bad for him, I felt bad for his family who had to go through their day to day lives wondering where he was or what he was up to.
Midnights & Mornings:
Honestly, I think the guy was an idiot. It’s too bad he died. But he knew better. Plain and simple.
Casey5693:
I see his story as a tragedy more than anything.
Joel Nava:
If you read the book, you know exactly where Christopher went wrong, since the very beginning of the book, saying “No” to people that wanted to help him. Yea I get his message, I admire the braveness in him, but don’t confuse Bravery with Stupidity.
That’s how things go wrong.
oldiron1223:
The horribly sad thing about this was there were two weekend cabins within a couple miles of that bus that were owned by personal friends of mine. I helped one of those friends haul building materials into his cabin while this kid was starving to death just down the unused fork in the trail. We were making enough noise that he should have heard us, chain saws can be heard for miles in the bush. This was not as far off the "beaten path" as the book and the movie make it appear. You do not read a book and think you can survive in the Alaska bush.
All American Man:
This story is no different then someone obsessed with ocean who can’t swim. Wasted life.
Hope Gallows:
So I had to read this book in HS and the teacher was trying to paint Chris as a tragic hero. The entire class disagreed, and one of the kids who hunted wrote a paper about just how stupid his discussions were.
Mermaid Life:
I think he was deeply disturbed, perhaps even suicidal yet his family was under the delusion that he was adventurous, passionate and had a zest for life. They definitely missed all the warning signs.
kathleen cotterill:
this year i intend to cross the sahara desert without the aid of sunscreen and a hat. I am a ginger. Can you spot my miscalculations?
Jeff Goza:
He wasn't a hero, he wasn't an inspiration. He went into the wilderness with no experience, no skills, no knowledge and he died because of it. It's a tragic story, no doubt. But he shouldn't be celebrated. He's an example of what not to do. He knew it too. He died knowing he made a big mistake.
Owl the Reviewer:
I love how people have misinterpreted this story so badly that they’ve essentially glorified the actions of a severely mentally ill person.
Joe M.:
Uh, potato seeds were the least of his problems.
This is kinda like hearing about someone attempting to go scuba diving without oxygen and theorizing that the reason they drowned was that they had ate too much before diving.
Edward Chavez:
HE HAD NO WILDERNESS SKILLS, HE SHOULD HAVE NEVER BEEN OUT THERE
Barbara Trinkle:
While visiting that part of Alaska I spoke to some of the locals. They found it puzzling that people from the lower 48 thought he was some kind of hero. They all thought of him as a fool.
Christopher Scott:
The Bus is Gone! The nearby town voted to have it removed and it was.
Wood Splitter:
I can appreciate the different aspects of his character. He was a Jack London fan. At some point, he must have read "To Build a Fire". He read it, but I don't think he understood it.
Steve H:
Chris finding that bus was probably what killed him. If he walked around and saw nothing but wilderness then I'm sure he would've returned to civilization much sooner when it was still possible. Instead, that bus gave him a false sense of security like it was his home.
Andrew Lin:
This is the story of natural selection
Edward Lee Miller:
What went wrong?
He went full hipster with nature. Everyone knows you never go full hipster with nature.
Check it: Timothy Treadwell. He went full hipster with nature....came out through a bear’s bowel movements.
Pitt Brad:
Sorry ... never heard of the guy but it strikes me he was in need of help long before he went in to the wild.
sgtpep5:
Chris would have probably died long before he did if he hadn't found the bus. That was his instant shelter with a wood stove, bed...kept him out of the harsh elements. ...He was a kid with no survival skills.. I believe the he was a little out there to think he could come to Alaska in the middle of the winter and live off the land. A 10LB bag of rice was all the food he brought with him.
Nancy Jones:
After reading his sister's book, The Wild Truth, I think Chris was damaged by his parents and didn't have any true adult guidance. I also think he may have been dealing with untreated mental illness. I think his mistakes were tragic bc although not well prepared he was a decent guy for sure.
Harmony Mitcham:
They just removed that bus because people kept going out there and needing to be rescued, lol
Ooi Paul:
Going into nature alone is a very bad idea. All it takes is a simple broken leg to possibly take your life. It is good precaution to let someone know your route and look for you if you don't return by a certain time.
World News Today:
His father’s double life and violence on his mother damaged him emotionally and not knowing what to do he took it out in the nature with adventure as a weapon. The distance from the bus to the civilization is only 20 miles which you can reach in 10 hours. But he threw his compass in the river. No sense of direction now. On day 43 he shot a moose and that’s at least 1000 lbs meat but he didn’t know how to make jerky out of it which is so simple. All you got to do is make 2 feet long strips , salt them and dry in the sun with smoke from the bottom up for a week and it’s all well cooked up. Of course cover the meat with a net to keep birds, flies and other creatures away from stealing it. Then once it is thoroughly dried up cut it into 1 inch pieces and add some spices if you like and deep fry it from time to time to kill all the germs that might be sitting on it and you are fine as this meat will last him for a year for sure. Also he shouldn’t have touched that seed.
Christian Garcia:
The book literally says his actions shouldn’t have been idolized.
Dennis Logan:
I think it is a prime example of people underestimating mother nature. People think because they read books they can do things without practicing the skills.
isabel:
Too much focus on potato seeds. He was so inexperienced as a hiker that he didn't realize that a small stream will become a raging river in a different season. Rivers become un-crossable. He cut himself off from his only escape out of the wilderness.
People talk about how intelligent he was. Well, the wise man knows that he knows nothing. This guy's death is a classic story of hubris laid low. He named himself Alexander Supertramp and thought he was acting heroically. He did not live long enough to grow up and gain an adult perspective.
Mayhamsdead:
His "story" is a reminder that we are products of evolution and societies across the globe predominantly shun the idea of "returning (back) to nature" to the point of isolation. If you don't have enough information about medicine, nature, how to create artificial shelter, living condictions and your immediate surrounding food source, you are going to end up like this guy.
An inspiration? Hardly. I don't feel inspired to slowly paralyze and die an agonising pathetic death.
HappyHappy JoyJoy:
And that's why I keep my fluffiness..never know when ur gonna need that fat roll to survive..
Taylor Walters:
The author’s name is Jon Krakauer not Jack.. lol.
socallawrence:
This dude was selfish and stubborn. Left his family in agony when he took off.
kairos:
How anyone could see this as an inspiration rather than a cautionary tale is beyond me.
Refer Panthers:
They had to remove the bus because people kept hiking out and getting trapped when the river on the path leading to the site would flood and one person drowned trying to cross it too late into the season. The search and rescue people in the area said it was dangerous because people would go out there and become trapped without being prepared for the harsh conditions, kinda like Chris
cg0825:
Big mistakes: He went alone for one but also didn't tell anyone where he was going. Part of it was poor planning as he took refuge in the bus because the river had gotten too high making the way he came in impassible--not to mention the potato seeds, the cold weather, and probably a ton of other factors. Ignorance maybe not the right word but definiely not educated and prepared enough for the area that he was going into.
Luis Aymerich:
Some years back I was visiting a friend and she had seen the movie before but she wanted me to see it too.
We both agreed that it was foolish of him to have attempted to live a winter alone in Alaska without the necessary experience, equipment, skills, and supplies.
Days after she was visiting me and we watched "Alone in the Wilderness" with Dick Proenneke. I had ordered the DVD from PBS.
He too had wanted to spend time in the Alaskan wilderness but he planned it well. He brought with him a camera so we got to see footage of him building a cabin, hiking, fishing, canoeing, gardening, and hunting.
He was alone but he had a pilot friend fly in a plane every few months to bribg him mail and a few supplies.
He lived in that cabin for many years.
That's how you do things.
hearsthewater:
I had to read Krakauer's book for one of my college classes. I posted on some of my social media about it, and one of my friends had actually worked for the Forestry Service (I think that was the agency) during this time and in this area. He said that he and a lot of his co-workers had zero respect for McCandles and had to work hard to combat the heroic portrait of the man and its lasting effects. They had come across several cabins that McCandles had stayed in during their rounds and he always left them in poor shape, not respecting the "code" that most outdoorsmen follow of replenishing the firewood and only taking what you need etc. His point was that this kid was an example of the kind of folks that had zero business doing what he did, and it is a wonder he hadn't died sooner. Harsh, I know, but romanticizing this kid and his actions only inspired more people to make the same kind of mistakes causing the need for more work for the rangers, and more rescues and more injuries and near-death experiences.
Anatikus10:
He didn't have a wilson volleyball....so he died.
shrapnel77:
Chris died because he failed in the one attitude that you need to survive: RESPECT.
Crystal Garland:
I don’t know how anyone could label him a “hero”. Hero of what? How to wander in the wilderness with zero hiking experience and wind up starving to death?
Matt Freel:
My dad meet him once. Said he was kind of a weirdo, and no local Alaskan person was surprised when he died.
Tejas:
0:45. Get the facts straight, you refer to “Jack Krakauer”, I’ve never heard or seen Jon Krakauer referred to as Jack.
SmokinZen:
He should’ve studied more about the wilderness and living off the land while he was in college if that’s even possible
Ty A:
So much hate in this comment section. Yeesh. I get that the guy made more mistakes than good decisions, but damn people.
Sutterjack:
I admire McCandless' spirit of adventure, but his naiveness and recklessness is nothing to celebrate. He also put his parents through hell by not communicating with them for years - very selfish in my book
Throttle Kitty:
His mistake was not learning extensive survival techniques BEFORE going into the woods.
It's not something you should just hope to learn by the seat of your pants. Because you won't...
Daniel Wood:
Quite honestly, after having studied this case, I have concluded that this individual was a fool, totally unequipped to survive an ordeal of this nature and suffered the just fate of the fool he was. Entirely too much time has been devoted to his story.
azguy AZ Desert:
This young man was my age. We were born, grew up, and were educated at the same time and at the same age, albeit worlds apart. He was typical of the well intentioned, but foolish nature fanatics I met but never understood. He is to be admired for his devotion, but never forget, he died because he was in way over his head.
John Doe:
Whether Chris's story is unwavering bravery or foolish hubris depends on the viewer, but one thing is certain. We will always need others whether we like it or not, we simply can't make it alone.
michael starcher:
This is all more than likely a hoax. Th oo much important shit going on now
Mia:
Chris showed the world that not having common sense will kill you.
Jonny O:
The poisoning angle is explored in the book. It's been so long since I've read it I don't know if this video sheds additional light. I recall the seeds he ate were easy to confuse with another plant's. Regardless, overall the guy was unprepared and brash. He thought he was invincible. He thought he was too smart to lose (and there's ample evidence he was indeed very intelligent). To some degree, for all his talk of how he loved nature, underneath I think he felt nature existed to serve him, or at best, existed to peacefully coexist with him. In other words, his view of nature was ultimately naive.
He's a fascinating character and his story is worth reading, but his tragic flaws did him in: a combination of youth, impulsivity, arrogance, and distrust of authority (any authority, even those who were genuinely concerned). The Alaska trip wasn't his only reckless adventure. He'd danced too close to the proverbial cliff edge many times, and no one could tell him otherwise. In the wild, things can go from being in control to deadly in very short order, hence all the safety and preparation and technology. It's to increase your odds. He didn't even have a map, and if he did, he would have been able to cross the river and return to civilization less than 30 miles away. Whether he died of starvation or poisoned himself is interesting to debate, but it's very obvious his mistakes began way before that point.
Doran Amatto:
A city boy got himself in over his head is what went wrong.
Anon Nomus:
Recently they removed the bus to stop people from going there to see it.
JDP:
He was just unprepared for such an undertaking. Condolences to his family.
Jay:
Really pissed I found this video 6 YEARS after I graduated high school 😂 could’ve helped me pass a test or two
Carnyride79:
Chris made countless mistakes and got bailed out countless times. He was a turd adventurer
Adarsh Pandey:
RIP Chris McCandless
If it was not for you, I would be walking in your shoes today. With the world as it is today, I would choose your path any day.
Flahg Doe:
I remember being 18, fresh out of the parents house, in a new city, going to college. I watched the movie at a coworkers house over some beer, and I was popping off about how great he was and how I wanted to do that and “escape this fake society man.” Now I look back 10 years later and I cringe my sack off.
Anthony Kelly:
It's like a game of Clue. He was murdered by Charles Darwin on a Bus with a potato seed.
Anna C. Sahlstrom:
Chris really needed to plan out how he was going to live out in nature a lot better and find a community up in Alaska that would help him out and show him how to live up there. You don't just go into the Alaskan wild and expect to survive on your own with no skills. My idea of camping is a hotel in the middle of nowhere.
Jay N:
The guy was honestly a massive dummy. What happened was no doubt tragic, but he had no business doing what he did with the skills he had.
Charlie's Angels:
It’s clear he had social depression and needed help , the inspiration should be don’t be as stupid as to think you can go it alone . Always know your back .... if someone had recognised that he was troubled and helped him he would not have felt so alone as to alienate himself to death..
Bad Santa:
His story, without a doubt has impacted the trajectory of my life
Kinq Calb:
I loved this movie. Made me think twice about just running into the woods without a fool proof plan.
Theunkowable123:
The dude has some interesting thoughts, but he was way out of his mind. Maybe he was suicidal and didn’t expect to come out of this alive anyway?
Retired Colonel:
It’s a cautionary tale about someone who grew up in a city and thought he knew enough to live in an environment under conditions that the aborigine population took thousands of years to adapt to. It is the disease of youth who may have strength and education but no real knowledge of the outside world.
rideswithscissors:
It's Jon Krakauer, not Jack. And it's neurolathyrism, not neolathrysm.
G L:
This is why you should do your homework before starting the "big project"
Brian Nado:
Well her Brother was dumb enough to die in a bus alone in the middle of nowhere. He was t smart enough to survive. So I doubt her family’s intelligence is anything to brag about.....
HQ CO 3rd Med Battalion FMF PAC:
When pushing the boundaries of nature, one should always be conscious that nature pushes back 🙏🏻🇺🇸⚓️
Helen Amirian:
His fate being "completely out of his hands" is not dissimilar from what we already knew; he was not experienced enough in survival. 😕
Rabbit Snare:
Sadly, McCandless was a foolish young man. I read Into the Wild and saw the film.
.
Chris seemed to have these romantic, Disney-movie, notions of Man being at one with Nature. And Nature would provide for him. But Nature does not work that way; she does not play favorites and she has a billion different weapons in her arsenal to kill you with. That's what Nature wants to do.
.
That's why we have Civilization - not to destroy Nature, but to protect us from Nature.
.
Chris should have learned what he was doing. Alaska is no place for amateurs.
Nill Gddy:
Might have been a star but i wouldn't say he was a bright one
R2-D2 Skywalker:
His sister wrote a book: their parents were profoundly evil.
Saxon Ray:
They just air lifted the bus outta there recently
JohnBoy of Alaska:
I remember when it happened. I live there. He visited the best backpacking shop, owned by the most Alaskan experienced guy in Fairbanks, and ignored ALL the sage advice form the guy who knows. (I spent time listening when I went in the shop- and learned a lot!) The Bus Idiot? He didn't listen and died of his own ignorance. Im glad they took that bus away. Should have blown it up 22 years ago. Its been nothing but an idiot manget up here.....
Rex P:
Some idiot got in over his head. Simple. But go ahead and take 11 minutes talking about it
jade n just ashton:
He was homeless in Alaska. That’s what went wrong.
Ray Ray:
Here for an interesting story, I get a lecture on potato seeds.
Zorian:
After finally seeing the movie, I realized that he was just a super idealistic yet very naïve young man. He read too many manifest destiny books and did not properly prepare for this ideal life in the wilderness which was his quest. My Momma always told me, 'Don't eat nothing off the ground!' I guess that would have been sage advice for Chris as well. Too late.
Despiser Despised:
McCandless was cuckoo, not a hero. Progressives turn everything upside down.
Despiser Despised:
McCandless was cuckoo, not a hero. Progressives turn everything upside down.
Frank Carter:
The Alaskan Air National Guard came in and removed the bus they flew it out somewhere for ASP to store it. Hoping to keep some other dumb ass from dying in the bus
Kathryn Carter:
Heard this story before. Even if all else was ok, that bus looks like a horrid place to be
Victoria Albastra:
I never liked this story. He wasn't brave, he was extremely naive
Synister Crayon:
It went wrong before he ever got started.
The difference between being prepared and doing something only to fulfill your spirit.
Senseless.
Hannah Stahl:
I remember a documentary about him on tv and I thought he was being suicidal.
John TongueCruz:
A stupid hipster went on a journey to live off the land but ended up dying because of stupidity makes a good topic for books, memoirs and documentaries. Expect them milking more cash out of one dead man's questionable brain function.
Katelyn Duran:
I read the book in my junior year of HS, one of my teachers said that ppl should read it in different stages of their life. It's been over 2 years now and I'm in college, might want to read it again.
Yeet Maestro:
I know many Alaskans who view him the same as Timothy Treadwell: Idiots who didn’t know what they were doing and weren’t prepared to handle the risks.
HappyHappy JoyJoy:
He wasnt prepared for the conditions..he was dead going in..sad but foolish ..people underestimate the wilderness..and think they know more than they do..
_scions:
I don't get the praise everyone has for this guy.
David Myhra:
He was in Alaska with no idea how to survive, that’s what killed him.
Çŏsa ŊosŧЯǺ:
PunkExMachina:
Rommel F:
Ireland: First time, huh?
kegsofvomitspit:
A guy with negligible survival skills and minimal experience living in a high alpine or tundra environment was deluded by his own Don Quixote mindset that he could handle a lifestyle that is only suited for those with the proper training and/or wherewithal.
Aaron Blixky:
Ankur Shah:
- Be prepared
- Educate yourself before hand (not after the fact)
- Carry one New world item - Ziplocs or radio
- Listen to your parents
coolgirl312:
Midnights & Mornings:
Casey5693:
Joel Nava:
That’s how things go wrong.
oldiron1223:
All American Man:
Hope Gallows:
Mermaid Life:
kathleen cotterill:
Jeff Goza:
Owl the Reviewer:
Joe M.:
This is kinda like hearing about someone attempting to go scuba diving without oxygen and theorizing that the reason they drowned was that they had ate too much before diving.
Edward Chavez:
Barbara Trinkle:
Christopher Scott:
Wood Splitter:
Steve H:
Andrew Lin:
Edward Lee Miller:
He went full hipster with nature. Everyone knows you never go full hipster with nature.
Check it: Timothy Treadwell. He went full hipster with nature....came out through a bear’s bowel movements.
Pitt Brad:
sgtpep5:
Nancy Jones:
Harmony Mitcham:
Ooi Paul:
World News Today:
Christian Garcia:
Dennis Logan:
isabel:
People talk about how intelligent he was. Well, the wise man knows that he knows nothing. This guy's death is a classic story of hubris laid low. He named himself Alexander Supertramp and thought he was acting heroically. He did not live long enough to grow up and gain an adult perspective.
Mayhamsdead:
An inspiration? Hardly. I don't feel inspired to slowly paralyze and die an agonising pathetic death.
HappyHappy JoyJoy:
Taylor Walters:
socallawrence:
kairos:
Refer Panthers:
cg0825:
Luis Aymerich:
We both agreed that it was foolish of him to have attempted to live a winter alone in Alaska without the necessary experience, equipment, skills, and supplies.
Days after she was visiting me and we watched "Alone in the Wilderness" with Dick Proenneke. I had ordered the DVD from PBS.
He too had wanted to spend time in the Alaskan wilderness but he planned it well. He brought with him a camera so we got to see footage of him building a cabin, hiking, fishing, canoeing, gardening, and hunting.
He was alone but he had a pilot friend fly in a plane every few months to bribg him mail and a few supplies.
He lived in that cabin for many years.
That's how you do things.
hearsthewater:
Anatikus10:
shrapnel77:
Crystal Garland:
Matt Freel:
Tejas:
SmokinZen:
Ty A:
Sutterjack:
Throttle Kitty:
It's not something you should just hope to learn by the seat of your pants. Because you won't...
Daniel Wood:
azguy AZ Desert:
John Doe:
michael starcher:
Mia:
Jonny O:
He's a fascinating character and his story is worth reading, but his tragic flaws did him in: a combination of youth, impulsivity, arrogance, and distrust of authority (any authority, even those who were genuinely concerned). The Alaska trip wasn't his only reckless adventure. He'd danced too close to the proverbial cliff edge many times, and no one could tell him otherwise. In the wild, things can go from being in control to deadly in very short order, hence all the safety and preparation and technology. It's to increase your odds. He didn't even have a map, and if he did, he would have been able to cross the river and return to civilization less than 30 miles away. Whether he died of starvation or poisoned himself is interesting to debate, but it's very obvious his mistakes began way before that point.
Doran Amatto:
Anon Nomus:
JDP:
Jay:
Carnyride79:
Adarsh Pandey:
If it was not for you, I would be walking in your shoes today. With the world as it is today, I would choose your path any day.
Flahg Doe:
Anthony Kelly:
Anna C. Sahlstrom:
Jay N:
Charlie's Angels:
Bad Santa:
Kinq Calb:
Theunkowable123:
Retired Colonel:
rideswithscissors:
G L:
Brian Nado:
HQ CO 3rd Med Battalion FMF PAC:
Helen Amirian:
Rabbit Snare:
.
Chris seemed to have these romantic, Disney-movie, notions of Man being at one with Nature. And Nature would provide for him. But Nature does not work that way; she does not play favorites and she has a billion different weapons in her arsenal to kill you with. That's what Nature wants to do.
.
That's why we have Civilization - not to destroy Nature, but to protect us from Nature.
.
Chris should have learned what he was doing. Alaska is no place for amateurs.
Nill Gddy:
R2-D2 Skywalker:
Saxon Ray:
JohnBoy of Alaska:
Rex P:
jade n just ashton:
Ray Ray:
Zorian:
Despiser Despised:
Despiser Despised:
Frank Carter:
Kathryn Carter:
Victoria Albastra:
Synister Crayon:
The difference between being prepared and doing something only to fulfill your spirit.
Senseless.
Hannah Stahl:
John TongueCruz:
Katelyn Duran:
Yeet Maestro:
HappyHappy JoyJoy:
_scions:
David Myhra: