Are you saying how he died wasn't stupid? No, you will probably reply with a poetic beauty to it.. which it had.. I'll admit, but how he died, was stupid. And to think it smart, I'd have to question your judgment. But hey, nice assumption and very aggressive reply to me about others around my life whom I apparently poison lol. I might add, a reply from a person whom I'd have imagined was a peaceful loving person. Sorry I got you on a bad day! Your whole post was a huge hypocritical paradox though. I hope you see that. Peace brother/sister. And I hope you find the truth you seek.

I think that people may take issue with the way you characterized him as 'stupid'. He was actually a pretty smart guy and the fact that he was able to survive out there for so long is pretty impressive considering everything. I think it simply boiled down to his age. He was in his early twenties & like a lot of people his age he thought he was 'bulletproof'. He had actually met his goal of surviving in the Alaskan wilderness for 2 months & then some, (granted finding the bus probably played a huge role in that), but he didn't take into consideration that the river he crossed just 60 days ago would be flowing faster/deeper due to rains & melting snow. So maybe it's semantics, but I don't think 'stupid' is an accurate characterization, just too young & over confident, like most of us where at that age. I just don't think a 'stupid' person could've accomplished what he did by his age.

True point, perhaps it is the wrong word. He was naive for sure though. But aren't we all. I just don't understand why people would idolize that. Especially when you consider his final message to society. I think most people are truly in love with their own personal built-up concept of who and what he was (Anti society) and actually miss the poignant point of his story. Yes, stupid is the wrong word. Definitely not as smart as he thought he was though for sure. I take nothing from the man, incredible story and inspiring and motivational and a person who had the courage to do what he believed was right. Another lesson people can benefit from. I'm still not sure what he achieved at this age though apart from .. well..realizing he was wrong about society, or rather, how to adapt to society rather than try to run away from it. Anyway, thanks for your comment. Very rational and helpful on my own concept of how I looked at this situation. Hope you're having a great start to your week!

I've actually just discovered this story a couple of weeks ago & it's consumed me, partly to learn more about why he did what he did & why so many people are captivated by him & his story. If you read the post cards he wrote just prior to going 'into the wild', he acknowledges that this trip may prove fatal. He was definitely an idealist, a dreamer & a troubled young man. As for all the people who idolize him, I think it comes from the fact he gave the rest of his education fund away to a famine relief organization ($24000), set out on an adventure with no plan & none of the advantages that came from his family & if that wasn't a risk in & of itself, he took a huge risk & tested himself. He seemed to know it was extremely dangerous, even fatal, but he took a chance, something 99.99% of people don't (for better or worse) The people I feel sorry for are the ones who try to venture out to the bus, not just to see it, (like a cool road/hiking trip with some buddies), but thinking that somehow that journey is going to bring them some great insight into themselves. I think they are missing the whole point of the story, instead of finding & experiencing their own unique 'into the wild' journey, they just follow someone else's & are most likely not going to get what they hoped for. I watched a video of a young guy from the Netherlands, he idolized Chris, this was his big dream to camp out on the bus. He landed in Alaska, got a ride to the trail, got across both river & stopped for the night. He put his hiking boots by the fire to dry & running shoes in a bag up in the tree. He woke up to find the boots where badly burned, the shoes frozen solid. He had enough sense to turn around, but I wonder if that journey did far more harm than good. Sorry for the novel, but my point is, it's one thing to be inspired by the story & the ideals behind it & setting off on your own journey, & quite another to do a scaled down, 'tourist version' of his journey, thinking the results will be the same. In my opinion they've missed the whole point of the story. Thanks, your post & discussion has given me a lot to think about. Cheers 🇨🇦

Oh Definitely an idealist and dreamer for sure. However, this is not always a good thing. In this case I actually think it is. He lived free and did his thing. Yeah, I think we see it the same. People idolizing someone being himself. And instead of going being themselves, they go try to be someone else. I sincerely do not think they see his point on society though. I mean, even Eddy Vedder's song used in the movie, 'Society' which I love that song, and I love Eddy Vedder, but I think he too missed the point. It's very easy for us to see ourselves detached from society. And many of us fantasize about leaving it.. running away and doing our own thing. But Fundamentally, it is impossible. It is similar to deciding to move to mars so you will not be a human being. You will always be a human being, just like we will always be a part of society. We run, hide, die, learn what it is when it is too late. Or we stay, help, influence society for the better. His last line simply screams it ''Happiness only real when shared''. You too mate, I wish nothing but the best on your own journey :) Best of luck to you and your family and loved ones.

That's interesting...did he experience abuse?

@@tjburr1968yes he did

No way I believe Chris McCandless burglarized those two cabins, but they should check out that Hunter who in finding Chris’s backpack KEPT it for two years!

He should have used his 25k savings to buy a cabin in Alaska and made it his life-long base.

Because you don't want to believe the story despite it's imminent plausibility

Why don't you think he would have vandalised a cabin or try to steal a stove?| Did you know him? Or are you going by what the film shows of him? You ask why not stay in the cabin with a working stove? Well, why would he? He wanted to be alone, that was not his cabin and if he stayed in there, the owners would not be happy.

Yes

I think that he had gotten to the point where he realized he was in too deep. that's why he tried to leave. when he departed that last guy's truck, he had no intention of coming out.

the Unrepentant he eat the seeds of potato root which shut down his digestive system. Also, building a raft is no easy task with no tools

Just eating lean meat will not be sufficient.

If he would have returned NOONE would even know who he was

Well you've never camped a day in your pathetic life alone kiddo.

EJ Wrote this 8 years ago. I bet he is drowning in debt. Divorced. Bald and overweight by now 😂😂. But oh no some dude lived his dream and inspires others to do so!!

@@CLTHIKER You clearly need help.

He was a fool

@Anne Frank I'm sure you met Anne Frank in person

You do realize that the book and movie as it pertains to Alaska is mostly fiction, right?

@Danalou 83 very good point. People here are acting like he did this for attention. He did this for himself and himself only. It was personal. We only know about it because of the way his trek ended and because others found his story interesting. The way it ended was simple mistakes and misfortune. He had been doing well considering his ignorance of the situation up until that point. He would have been telling his own adventures to family and friends now had it not been for the river being too deep to cross and making a mistake about the wild plant he ate. Seriously, easy mistake to make, let me tell you. Before I get accused as a groupie of this guy, I’m not. I do know of his story. And yes, it is interesting.

@Danalou 83 well said!

What s messed up is people treating Chris mccandless like a hero. He was a criminal minded anarchist.

@@openyoureyes3969 explain

​@@openyoureyes3969 criminal minded?? Absurd. He had no fucking clue anyone would even know his story! It was the early 90s and he was doing what he wanted. Not exactly anarchy. You have issues.

@@user-cq8fk8ej4h vandalising property and trying to steal property is criminal minded.

What is the cottage and not before the river?

he was poisoned by that plant he was eating and one of the symptoms are paralysis coupled with starvation he didn't have a chance

You can, but you may/probably won't walk out. I will say that Chris made it 2.5 months and that is a lot longer than I would likely last.

@MJC *You can, if you hitch-hike around.*

a guy called George Meegan did....he started his walk in Argentina....19000 miles......georgemeegan.jimdo.com/longest-walk/

No you can fly!

MJC Agree! You die if u r not prepared. People that live up there full time and have spent lifetimes there prepare all summer for the winter, because it is so cold 🥶. There are also the accidents that happen, especially if you are not familiar with what can occur.

They moved the bus, so don't rush. Very dangerous place.

Self centered behavior

Lesa Boo Truer words were never spoken.

Lesa Boo I thinkyou kind of have to accept that about life. You do your best to find clarity, but ultimately we are part of a great mystery.

Onizuma13 this is the only comment on this thread that actually makes sense, thank u kind sir.

Getting on the roof and punching holes in it with a pick axe doesn’t sound like looking for food.

Nathan Wind agree with you. I also don’t buy the idea that he disassembled a wood stove just to carry it outside. To me that sounds exactly like what a curious bear would do, not a starving person.

The pick axe to the roof of the Park Service cabin sounds more like a FU to a government building given his ideology.

John Howard Actually it's quite stupid and in no way reflects the character of Christopher. You and the op have predisposition you need to check yourselves on.

+Hiker63 i agree with you .who ever wrecked them cabins was breaking the law burglary and criminal damage.chris wasnt no law breaker by the sound of it no way.and how did he find a backpack after police had been in looking ?

Trainhopping is against the law. So is hunting without a license.

+Hiker63 If Chris had broken into the cabins he would have found topo maps and in the Park Service cabin a journal which described how rangers would hike in there from the south. So Chris then would have known that rangers would be there sometime that summer and he would have known that there was a way to walk out over the mountains to the south. A ranger did walk in there in early August, 1992 and found the damaged cabins. Then a helicopter flew 2 other rangers in to clean up the mess. They all agreed the damage was done by a human. Unfortunately for Chris the helicopter did not continue another 5 miles north to look for anyone staying at the bus...

+Ritchie Winters The police looked through the pack but didn't find the hidden wallet. They left the pack in the bus.

+Alive and Kicking chris did not want maps

@Verda lmao, Bear Grylls is fake

@Verda Yeah, I did understand what your point was and I agree with it. It's funny how all the comments are filled with "he was a dumbass", "he was an idiot" and so on. He wanted to prove himself that he could survive in the wild and so he did. Also, as you pointed, the moral of the story wasn't that he was an extreme survivalist and that is not what people respect him for. It was that he wanted to be free of basically everything. He didn't want to abide by society's rules for the rest of his life and wanted to experience ultimate freedom. The surviving was just something he had to do in order to accomplish his dreams. And he did survive long enough to experience what he wanted.

@Verda Yep, precisely!

@@retepniffirg8853 I doubt that he would have considered his tragic end "complete freedom." It's great that he attempted to live solo, but unfortunately couldn't do so. I know I couldn't. Brave to try, but risking losing his life at 24 when he could have been an adventurer for possibly another 60 yrs or so doesn't seem like freedom.

@@cindys9491 You don't know what freedom is then, society's sheep.

Clay Robert I don’t think it was vandalism, I think it was trying to get inside a closed up cabin. He had to try to force his way in.

@Florida Dad I don’t think chris vandalized the cabins. Local authorities never even considered it. Plus all his photographs show him roaming downstream of the bus, when the cabins were upstream. Also, given Chris’s character I would have expected him to brag about it in his writing, seems like something he would be proud of if he destroyed the “encroachment of civilization” on the wild.

Probably searching for food and things to use to survive. He might have done this when he got closer to the end.

Have you tried to survive while alone? Without your partner, the one you care for most? What about without "amenities", items that are electronic, or provide another means of... non survival and life, but existing? Not living either. Does that help clear your mind? If not please I ask, message me, for your query. You don't grasp it because you're removed from your knowledge. I won't understand due to my own knowledge, but maybe a single individual, YOU wlll "get it". Maybe.

We really dont know who he was though

It was by design.. He didn't take what wasn't needed. And he died for it.. But never forget it was by design he did it. He wanted to see if he could do it. I don't know ANYONE that would try the things he did. Most people wouldn't, they are too afraid.

MrTirien why would you want to try that? It's not smart, do you think if it were the year 1850, the people then wouldn't want all the supplies they could take or needed? It was a foolish move. Mother nature is not forgiving! She can be a cruel bitch! I'll say this though, he was making it, if it wasn't for those dam seeds he probably would be alive and well today, but he chose incorrectly and died because of it.

He made ONE mistake and it cost him and us his life. The plant is identical nearly to the non poisonous version. The seeds plug ur digestive system so u cant eat

@@MrTirien You mean "too smart." He went in exceptionally unprepared.

Greatest. Troll. Ever.

Beautiful, Bestiario, very beautiful thoughts. Glad that you found a way to have peace through introspection.

Bestiario Musical ZH you said you did it alone yourself me? Then mentioned brothers?

ramble much

Bestiario Musical ZH well aren’t u just the luckiest prick!!! Life, family, friends, none of them will ever have ur back like the one we cover ourselves or our pets r covering for us. To me, being alone is my biggest fear. I’ve known this for some time. I’ve had years to prepare. Slowly I’ve watched everyone come and go. Some I would never had believed. Fuck Em!!! I’ll be the dead one!!!!

he did send the pack and wallet and money to Chris's sister, Carine. she wrote about it in her book. chris knew that hunters would be coming out the road to the bus in late august so he stayed there hoping for help.

Clearly there were other people around who not only vandalised the cabins but also didn't help chris

@Florida Dad this. plus, he had a map originally, and left it, and his watch, with the guy who gave him a ride, not wanting to know what time it was, what day it was, or even where he was. and, he probably found the cabins closer to his end, and wasn't thinking coherently anymore.

Well it changes the fact he did not actually left his wallet and burn all of his dollars. And dumbest part is the wallet was found out years after because the police left that bag.

Finding that out when he was too weak to walk out would give him a motive for destroying the cabins, would it not? It was clearly done by someone in a fit of rage. I'd definitely have a fit if I found the way out but I couldn't take it and knew I was dying. He already had the bus with a stove, and probably preferred to die there. It must have been in his last two weeks of life or so I think.

Nice of you.🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🎂🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹

yeah his last stop was on Alaska.. its sad that he never came back.

At least in his final days he died happily in nature

He could of apllied for another one as seen as he did work on his travels

@@thebluemorpho2962 I don't think he died happily, he clearly was starving and desperate

I refuse to believe Alex vandalized this guys cabin

@@fishmonger6879 True Alex would not do that. But maybe Chris would. 😉

can you explain what is so amazing about the story?

Good points, Rita. I agree that it's a stretch to argue that McCandless had done the breaking in at the cabins. Nothing that belonged to the cabins was found in the bus or the backpack. Why'd he break in and leave with nothing, e.g. maps, tools or anything else useful to life in the wild? Why would he inflict the described damage? (Why would anyone do that?) As you say, it's a pity there were no cameras and hence we'll never know what actually happened. There is probably lots of other information that is irretrievably lost. All we can do is speculate about the unknown elements.

They definitely should return this backpack and its contents to his family, but maybe it's an old recording from several dozen years ago and maybe they kept his things in two that he was there

They probably did. This is an old interview and at the time that they found it the secret pocket wasn't known about. This wasn't some murder scene in a big city. It was a guy who died in the woods of Alaska. Keep that in perspective.

what selflessness was that then?

Well, I will not deny the appeal to it, but you need to be mature enough to realize than you need others to survive. It is written in all chapter in history and even in the Bible. If you despise society it is fine, but the work to change it and no runaway from it. What I do not like is he is made into a „hero“ and youngsters like my daughter for example, who is tired of the incessant work to find and earn her own place on society, are looking into it as an easy life out of the burdens of society. I have tried to instill my daughter and my son about the responsibilities we have on the society through of attitudes. Nowadays with the churches in decline, you can find a one month stay in a monastery almost for free and find the peace and solitude. Of course, this is not the glamours path who brings you thousands of followers. What a waste for talent of this young man. I had to read the book, he could have bee.a great leader in the church and help people through it. So sad he put himself and nature as his teacher. He studied history so, I do not get how he though he could live only on plants without cultivating anything or small prey without actually wandering like the ancient humans did. Honestly I have no words to describe: other he was terribly naive, or he was overconfident and arrogant or he just despised society that much that he refused help or vomited all what he learned in the university..

True people acting over smart calling him stupid he just went to live his life but unfornutaley he made a mistake and it cost his life but I'll always admire his courage that something I'll always relate to him about him saying that society is fked up

What was he like? Did he seem suicidal or anything or was he just a normal dude?

@@papabigjoe7914 up till the 2 days I met him, I had been living in the Canadian Rockies for almost 20 years. Im a decent climber and I have been immersed in the mountain culture half my life. Chris struck me as a bit green when it came to actual deep bush survival. He was traveling light for his Alaskan ambitions, a girl gave him a better roll tarp, but he was stoked to be on his adventure. You meet alot of dudes like him in the ski towns. Harsh how he died for sure.

@@sharktooth64 What a tragic way to die. Poor kid underestimated how harsh the Alaskan Bush was and went into it eyes closed. I just wish I could've known what exactly was going through his head when he did everything that he did. RIP Chris McCandless.

That’s crazy that you met him man

You're a fookin liar

It’s hilarious how you interject a completely false story that you have no clue about. You watched a couple videos so I’m sure you know exactly what happened 😂

@NO La seems like your projecting your hate and impatience on us. Not sure why, doesnt really accomplish much except people being hostile right back, and they wont remember your opinion just the hostility.

@NO La I hear that alot lol :)

That's what I figured too.

I agree 100%

How do you know he wasn't the type of person to vandalise? Did you know him personally? Or are you going by the film?

@@nunyabidness4946 bro what??😭😭

+david sandlin true, I suppose many people simply ignore the truth of his death. However, to acknowledge the gruesomeness of his death and still admire his intention, commitment, and for lack of a better word - balls, is still possible. I still see the romantic side.

Banks Diggy i never said that his intentions werent pure just that they were misguided and quite obviously dangerous. Sometimes the reality and the perception of reality are different. In his mind this was a journey to free himself from societies constraints cast his die and let fate lead him to a deeper understanding. But the reality of the situation is that it didnt show him anything in the end. My point is that what he was seeking doesnt require a lonely ill prepared journey to the end of the earth it takes a painfully honest look into yourself. He could have found his happiness inside and then the world outside would have reflected that.

+david sandlin We are social, but people didn't build cities because we're meant to be social, they built them to gather and house labour for industry, many bi-products of which are unpleasant and we try to manage - squalor, disease, waste, bleak urban environments. I'd say the urge to escape that is something natural; just not necessarily into total isolation.

greedobob I believe cities are a by product of humans being social. If we were not social then industry would not exist. Industry by definition requires people to work together and stems from human interaction. Obviously there are downfalls to having overpopulated areas such as disease and filth but humans who strive in isolation are outliers and most people require some interaction with others. That is why they are finding solitary confinement causes mental illness in otherwise healthy prisoners. I still think that the only thing he learned was dieing alone cold and hungry sucks. There is a certain subset of people who read this story as a romantic way to die. This book has been found in the possessions of quite a few missing people.

+david sandlin Except we spent most of our existence as hunter gatherers in relatively small groups (they say around 150 individuals or so), one could argue that this better reflects our natural state. Once society shifts from that model, people have no choice but to head to populated areas for work, to put food on the table. Eating comes before socialising in our hierarchy of needs; and we may never come to terms with the consequences of that change in society that's seen population growth and consumption of resources explode and continue unchecked. Despite all that, I think we're on the same page regarding Chris McCandless, I recently watched the film and have been poking about to see if the reality was much different. As with many biographical films, it seems they omitted and added various things to build the romance.

It doesn't make sense. Why would he destroy something or someone else's property? In his past escapades, he does not have the habit of destroying something.

​@sirraulo9002 I do not think for one minute that Chris destroyed anything in this cabin. I doubt he even knew it existed. I think it was just a bear or another animal on the rampage. It is easy to blame Chris just because he was in the area and was an outsider.

You are the one who brought me here!

Hey Sarah! Your trip to Oh My God Hot Springs inspired me to research McCandless

Right on, he was a very interesting person

Im in the wild atm in oz . Just watched your omg hot spring vid that took me to here lol well , batterries about to die and solar charging is a bitch so goodnite

Howdy! From England Lboro

Yeh... that totally makes sense. You know how he broke into the cabins and decided not to look at the maps that told him how to leave without having to cross a huge river. And it totally makes sense how he chose to stay in a damp cold bus than in a fully furnished and insulated cabin.

I have come to understand from the book that he probably chose to die

@@doughminatrix I don't know any more than anyone else about Christopher, however he didn't want to die, as he left a note on the bus for possible passerbys while he went off to pick berries. His note mentioned his weakness and being close to death and wanting to be saved, and that if anyone read his note while he was out to wait for him to return. He also mentions being injured, a fact that seems to go unmentioned.

Yeah ok you've got issues with a greenie who effs up. Yeah it was him, who the hell needs evidence other than proximity?

***** So why not take any supplies? Hm?

+TheAmazingChristianBigot Yeah, you got it all figured out, don't you. You fat piece of shit who could never imagine to do what Chris did....You would have dropped dead at mile 3. You make me sick...."He was a jerk"...and you, well, ya know. Never mind.

***** They barely knew him and he quit in just a few days.

+TheAmazingChristianBigot You're "completely unimpressed", yet here you are commenting on a thread about him...?? That says more about you than Chris, don't you think? Tell ya what, why don't you create a video about YOUR LIFE and let's see how many people give a shit.....Fucking troll.

He selfishly didn't tell his sister where he was. Then risks his life being foolish and unprepared, which at some point would make others have to risk theirs to save him...

in the book it said that a possible theory is that chris found the cabins and because of his frustration noticing human presence in his travel, he decided to break the cabins (sorry for my english)

Movies aren't real. They are to make money and sometimes embellished when the storyline becomes dull.

LOL all the people squealing with delight so that they can put a dead man down.

Why do you think that?

Evidence says otherwise

Azz Lazz true... but you never know what his mindset was like after being isolated and starving.

@@Lhansmeyer33 I think he would have mentioned it.

The biggest mistake he made was going there totally unprepared in the first place.

You wouldn't have GPS in 1992, and no internet there even if you did.

That and inconsideration to his sister and others who would have to risk their lives to save him. Interesting that he acted just like his father. All drunks are that way. Whether or not he was that way himself. Considering total lack of preparation, that's something a drunk would do. He might not have drank at all, but it's consistent with that. Often, you'll see kids of drunks act the same as the alcoholics. Even with no booze. There was our story about a liquor store that might indicate heavy drinking. You should have several if that were true, but going there, they can be very mentally unstable and senseless violent. Maybe his plan was that cabins aren't "roughing it" enough? To keep others away from it/him?

People should look at him as an inspiration of what not do.

He's honest enough to hand in the 300$. If someone else was there, they not only did the vandalism but left Chris to die.

+Marketoromagnolo The police looked through his pack when they flew in to get his body but they didn't find the wallet in a hidden pocket. They left what they thought was an empty pack there in the bus. Chip Brown wrote in the New Yorker article that he saw the pack there when he flew in there in October that year. Brown didn't find the wallet either. The dude in this video found the pack on the floor in the bus. It looked empty other than some mushrooms in it. It was obviously abandoned so he took it and used it. He didn't know at that time that the Mccandless family was going to fly in there that next summer. After several years he found the wallet and mailed the pack and wallet to Chris's sister Carine. If the pack had been taken by the police when they came in to get Chris's body they would have given it to Chris's family and I doubt that they would have ever found the wallet hidden inside it...

+Alive and Kicking yes but I don't understand, every single objects police dfound had to be taken off, and given to the familly! also how is possible nobody found the wallet there? I mean every stupid policmen knows how to look for something hidden inside a pack

+Marketoromagnolo The bus had a lot of abandoned stuff inside which had been left behind by hunters, trappers and dog mushers. the police had no way to know exactly which things belonged to Chris. They had limited time there to investigate and limited space in the helicopter. So, they looked at everything and took the things which seemed important. The pack was open and seemed to be empty except for some mushrooms which voles or squirrels were storing inside the bottom pocket. If you look at the video at minute 4:04 it shows the inside of the pack where the hidden zipper closed an inner pocket which held the wallet. It is very hard to see the zipper. The guy in the video who took the pack did not find the wallet inside that zippered pocket for over 10 years. He only found it because he was cleaning dust dirt out of the big pocket with a rag and noticed the zipper. If the police had taken the pack and returned it to the family I wonder if they would have ever found the hidden pocket and wallet.

+Alive and Kicking ok.... but I still think policemen did, as Always, a very approximative work....anyway you look obsessed by Chris,,,, just like me

The man found an old pack from a dead man, thinks it was a good idea to steal it and to keep it as a memory, and suddenly, ten years later, he decides that the time has come to clean it, and find a wallet with 300 dollars? This is the kind of "truth" you want me to believe ? No way, all of this story is nonsense from the start to the end..

I disagree a bit, his first plan was to hike all the way to the Bering sea. Kinda like his Colorado river to the sea of Cortez adventure. So he initially went past the bus for a few days, then turned around and came back. So he could’ve found it then. I’d imagine it interrupted his sense of alone in the wilderness so he vandalized it. Then just became too weak to make it back to the cabin.

He had gotten busted before for breaking into a government cabin in the lower 48 to get food. The Denali Park Service cabin had a big sign on the door that said it government property and not for public use on penalty of getting busted. Maybe he just got pissed off at the sign and the locked door and went all ballistic about it.

"Vandalizing" means he broke in and stole things. He was stuck at the bus for multiple reasons. One being the rivers had swelled to a point where he could not cross back. The other being that he was poisoned by eating the wrong plant. And was slowly dying by starvation.

Not only that but a spoiled rich kid who treated everyone around him like he was better than them.

@Beef Twinkie you do know he despised his rich parents, also the only money he took from them was for his education, then donated what was left over to a charity right after he graduated then he set off on his travels with just a back pack full of supplies. Don't you think he wanted to get away from being a "spoiled rich kid" and live a different way? What would you say about a person that grew up poor and on the streets that came into a lot of money and wanted to live the opposite of what Chris chose, a rich spoiled life? I think we all have the right to make that choice, don't you?

The same could be said about anyone who has pushed themselves to limits and beyond- mountain climbers, astronauts, explorers, pioneers... if it wasn’t for this quality in some humans, we wouldn’t know or have the things we have today. There was a guy in France who made himself a pair of wings in order to fly. He gathered people to watch, so confident in his invention and jumped off the Eiffel Tower. His contraption never worked and he died in front of everyone, but failure and mistakes aren’t wasted. He inspired others to figure out how to fly and someone eventually succeeded. People do things all the time just to see if they could do it. Heck, a high schooler leapt off the Golden Gate Bridge for kicks and survived while that same jump kills hundreds of those committing suicide a year. All our lives are one inspiration after another.

He robbed their cabin, so it’s a pretty even exchange lol

agree. and I cant believe he wld ransack the cabins

@@jeaniee.6283 well, I could imagine he was mad the cabins interrupted his sense of alone in the wilderness. He thought they were intruding on his journey from civilization.

Why would he wreck a stovepipe? And break windows? -Doesn't fit the personality described by the people who knew him well.

You know, if the story of possible alcoholism is true (trying to break into a liquor store...?) Turn, you'd be dealing with a very unstable mind. Under DTs, they will hallucinate. His father was a lush. I'd venture to say their mother had codependency issues. They go together. So, odds of being a drunk, especially at such a young age (they tend to start early, usually teens, but childhood drinking isn't rare) are fairly high. At least 60%+ Tho I don't say one story makes evidence. Things also get misconstrued..

What do you think would be productive? Working for someone else and following the path most advantageous to them, that they TELL you to do?

@@windsofmarchjourneyperrytr2823 become a shark if you don't like being a part of the rat race. Or simply come to an understanding that with life comes suffering and accept the circumstances you have. Enjoy the loves one's in your life. That's Chris's last message, at least to me.

Chris followed a packed trail to the bus. You can see the trail in his own pictures. That same trail forked at the bus area and went up river to the cabins on one trail and on to the west on the other trail. The few locals who went out there back then had left before Chris got there because the snow was melting and ice opening up. Almost noone went out there in the summer and there was no trail to the cabins in summer. Chris wrote that he stayed 3 days at the bus and then continued walking for about 3 weeks before returning to the bus. He had plenty of time to follow the trail up to the cabins. If he damaged the cabins he wouldn't stay around there and get caught by Rangers walking in from the south. The pictures he took indicate he probably went about 12 miles west to the Toklat river which was flooding out. So he went back to the bus. Inside the bus at that time there was graffiti written on the walls by hunters with their names and the dates they were there. Chris would have read that graffiti and known that hunters would be coming in late August or early September so he stayed there waiting for help. He did have a road map with him which showed the Stampede road and the Denali Park road about 15 miles to the south. He could have walked south without crossing any big river and gotten help on the Park road but he either didn't figure that out or was too weak to try it.

Respect your opinion but very unlikely that Alex vandalized the cabin(s)...I know it's great fun for bored Alaskans to make him the villain , but the facts don't support their delusions (not to mention deductive reasoning and all that good, logical stuff).... We could sit down over a bottle of whiskey and debate this all night and for every reason you could give me for why you think he did it, I could give you two for why I think he didn't...And so it goes.....

Post Script: And as for your theory that he would have stayed at the bus waiting for hunters, moose season doesn't open till Sept. so there's no way he would have thought they would be there to help him in August...

There was writing on the walls of the bus from previous years when caribou hunting was opened in mid-august. Hunters would write their names and the animals they had hunted along with a date. Some of those were dated in August of previous years. Caribou was closed when Chris was there but he may not have known that. I suspect he knew hunters would be coming out there in the fall...that;s why he wrote a note asking for help and left it at the bus when he went out gathering berries. He didn't know he was going to die before they arrived. By mid-august he was too weak or injured to walk out or walk to the cabins even if he knew they were there. What I still don't understand is why he didn't do more to attract the attention of aircraft and get himself rescued? A Park helicopter flew in there to the Park cabin on August 9. Other aircraft flew over that area. A smokey fire would have attracted attention because the bus is in a high fire suppression zone. But then if he had vandalized the Park service cabin and he poached a moose and let it rot then maybe he didn't want to attract an "official" rescue.

Yes, Alex poached the moose but he certainly didn't "let it rot". He tried desperately to save the meat, and when he couldn't he went as far as to call it "one of the worst mistakes of my life"....His plan was to use all the meat, hardly your typical "poacher". (But yes he took it out of season and without a license).I agree completely re. your point about why he didn't do more to attract aircraft attention. In the dire state he was in I don't think he would have cared whether it was an "official" rescue or not, considering the other alternative was starving to death....I suppose it may just never have occurred to him, but that's hard to believe, especially if he could hear aircraft overhead. if he did make a conscious decision to not want an official rescue then I got to hand it to him - he went out holding strong to his convictions. Dare I say not many people can say that...Just another reason why I admire the guy so much.

The police found the bag in the bus but not the wallet. Forsberg found the pack and wallet later and eventually returned all of it to Chris's sister.

Alive and Kicking how do you know forsberg returned Chris’s backpack to his family?? Whats your source? Because I have reason to believe his backpack is still in Healy, Alaska.

"I have reason to believe, what is your source? How do you know?" Geez, don't be such a dick about it.

He did like 12 years after Chris died.

@@IcemanHLL His sister wrote about it in her book The Wild Truth. Interesting read.

The first one is a possibility, but the second one isn't because he was so weak in his last days of life that he couldn't even leave the bus

+MrYezayeza Number 1 theory- It is much more likely that someone would have found Chris at the bus than at the cabin. Because the bus is right on the old road. The cabins are hidden in forest and almost never visited in summer. There was graffitti with dates inside the bus written on the roof left by hunters. Chris would have seen that graffitti and known that hunters would come out in the Fall...and they did...but too late. Theory 2- The Rangers who found the damaged cabins were certain that the cabins had been vandalized by a human and in the Spring or early Summer. In his last days Chris would probably not have been capable of walking up to the cabins. I think that someone walked out in the Spring on the dog trails and found the cabins. The Park Service cabin was locked up and had a threatening sign on it that said, "Government Property. Keep Out. No Trespassing. Violaters will be Prosecuted." That sign and the locked door may have pissed someone off so much that they broke in and vandalized both cabins. Later a bear also got into that guy's private cabin.

hear! hear! As I reached for my beer

He was an adult child who ran into the woods to get away from his problems, thinking rules and regulations made for safety doesn’t apply to him, rubbing shoulders with and taking advantage of the kindness of people who have no home or family or money or nothing to run back to if they don’t get stranded in the woods and starve first.

The same guy who found the pack and the wallet and returned it with the money to Chris's sister also had his cabin vandalized. The 3 Park rangers who found the 3 damaged cabins all agreed that the damage was done by a human. Chris was the only human known to have been out there when the vandalism took place. Maybe he did it or maybe not...there is no way to know really.

As the guy who was honest enough to hand in the 300$, explains. Only a human could have done it.

It's a problem to vanish on his sister and then have to wait for others to risk their lives to save you.

😅no he was a moron

In 2020 that bus was removed by helicopter for safety reasons. Rescuers had intervened in many dangerous and deadly situations created by inexperienced wilderness people visiting the bus like it was a tourist attraction.