Into The Wild

Christopher Johnson McCandless (February 12, 1968 –August 18, 1992) was an American wanderer who adopted the name Alexander Supertramp and hiked into the Alaskan wilderness with little food and equipment, hoping to live a period of solitude. Almost four months later, he died of starvation near Denali National Park and Preserve.

After graduating in 1990, he began traveling under the name "Alexander Supertramp." McCandless made his way through Arizona, California, and South Dakota. He alternated between having jobs and living with no money or human contact, sometimes successfully foraging for food.

McCandless took pride in surviving with a minimum of gear and funds, and generally made little preparation.

For years, McCandless dreamed of an "Alaskan Odyssey" where he would live off the land, far away from civilization, and keep a journal describing his physical and spiritual progress as he faced the forces of nature. In April 1992, McCandless hitchhiked to Fairbanks, Alaska. After hiking along the snow-covered Stampede Trail, McCandless found an abandoned bus used as a hunting shelter and parked on an overgrown section of the trail near Denali National Park, and began his attempt to live off the land. He had a 10-pound bag of rice, a Remington semi-automatic rifle with plenty of ammunition, a book of local plant life, several other books, and some camping equipment.

In July, after living in the bus for several months, he decided to leave, but found the trail back blocked by the Teklanika River, which was then considerably higher and swifter than when he crossed in April. McCandless lived in the bus for a total of 113 days.

On August 12, McCandless wrote what are assumed to be his final words in his journal: "Beautiful Blueberries." On another page, McCandless added, "I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!"

His body was found in his sleeping bag inside the bus on September 6, 1992, weighing an estimated 67 pounds (30 kg). He had been dead for more than two weeks. His official cause of death was starvation.