Chapter 7 Question 34

1. Chris left work with Westerberg earlier then he intended.
2. Alex wasn't familiar with machinary.
3. According to people, Chris did not have a great deal of common sense
4. Chris was a good cook
5. Chris and his little sister Carine were close
6. Chris disowned his parents because they didn't fully accept him
7. Relationship were very important to Chris. He didn't sleep around.
8. Chastiry and moral purity were characteristics Chris possessed.
9. Chris had intentions of eventually getting married and having children.
10. Chris planned to write a book about his travels
11. Chris was "hungry" to learn about things.
12. Chris knew how to play the piano. Well.
13. When Chris left, he had about $1,000 with him.
14. Chris had carved pictures in his belt that had stories behind each.
15. Chris cried when he left, intending that he knew he had some big risks on the way.
16. On April 27th, 1992, Chris sent postcards to both Wayne and the Burres stating it would be the last they would hear from him.

Chapter 6&7 Question 33

      Just as Thoreau, Chris was determined to do things on his own. "No. You don't get it. I'm going to San Diego. And I'm leaving on Monday" "Ok. I'll drive you there." "Don't be rediculous," McCandles scoffed.(pg. 52) Chris was a very intelligent, eduacated person, yet he wanted to live out transcendentalism. "Look, Mr. Franz," he declared, "you don't need to worry about me. I have a college education. I'm not destitute. I'm living like this by choice." (pg. 51)

Chapter 6 Question 32

       I believe that Franz was affected to this extent by Chris because for one they spent so much time together. Franz saw that Chris was very intelligent. He cared enough for Chris to tell him that he needed to get an education and them him that he should be living much better than he was. Of course, Chris told him that this living style of his was his choice and that he had, had a college education. Franz was inspired to quit drinking cold turkey. He was inspired by Chris to live in the wild for a period of time with Chris. They developed a friendship. Franz loved Chris' kindness. Franz almost considered Chris a son, because of the relationship they had and Chris filled the missing spot where his children and wife used to be.

Chapter 5 Questions 27-31

27. Chris was like Jack London, because they both fantisized about surviving in the wild. The both dreamed about going on adventures and living with nature. They were not the same though because Jack only wrote about adventures, while Chris actually lived them.

28. The way that Chris prepared for Alaska was he would do calisthenic every morning to get into shape and he discussed back counrty survival strategies with Bob, who was a self-styled survivalist.

29. Chris accepts a ride to his destination, Chris accepts some knives, and he declines the money that is offered to him. This continues to show that he has no value for money and that he is determined to get around on his own. I also think he is trying to make a statement that he will not accept anything from anyone, he wants to earn everything.

30. -May of 1991, Chris departed from Las vegas
      -December 9th, 1991, Chris heard from his friend Jan

31. Chris was very social. He had a good time with people. When he went to Niland he socialized with many people and made friends with every one of them. A girl fell in love with him, but he felt that she was too young for him.

Chapter 5 Questions 22-26

22. The place that Chris had stayed the longest was Bullhead City, Arizona. From what I read, he wrote to Wayne and from what he read, it seemed as if he had an idea of staying there for good. He liked the place and said it was a good place to stay during the winter. He had obtained a fulltime job at McDonald's and had even opened a bank account. I think he thought of this place as a potential home.

23. My reaction, is it is very weird that he obtained a fulltime job, and strayed away from his naturistic travels. Before he would only do work that was under the table and it was more labor than any cooking or serving jobs. It seems like maybe he thought about giving up. He stayed in this area for so long and he became a fulltime job owner and he also opened a savings account, intending he was saving for something.

24. At McDonalds, they have dresscode rules, they state that the employee must wear shoes AND socks. Chris hated to wear socks because he had feet problems and they always itched. When McDonald's confronted him, he started wearing socks, but the minute his shift was over he would rip them right off. This is individualism because he did not want people to think they could tell him what to do and also because he felt there was no need for himself to wear socks.

25. All of the colleagues views of him were quite interesting. One said that he was reliable in that he showed up at work everyday. Another person said that everyone there thought he was missing a couple of screws because he always talked about nature. One more person said that they didn't even know why he got hired because he worked at a slow pace and always stayed in the back. Chris didn't feel like he could be honest with his employees, and I think he was mad with them and that is why he just quit. If I worked with Chris I might think there was something a little odd about him, but I wouldn't judge, because you never know what is going on with that person's life.

26. Chris was friends with the Burres. He traveled with them to a camp ground and stayed in touch with them for a little bit. I think the reason why he got along with them is because they wanted to be alone, they moved to an abandoned campground and they liked to travel. They also did favors for eachother and were nice to one another.

Evaluating Images

1. In the 5th picture, Chris McCandles is holding some sort of animal and in his other hand he has a rifle. There is a big smile on his face and he looks like he is somewhere in the woods. This picture shows that Chris must've been very happy at this period of time living in the wild. He was looking a bit scruffy, assuming he has not showered in a while. He also must've been happy about catching his own food.

2. In the 6th picture, It is the final self portrait of Chris McCandles. It is kind of weird because he is in a way waving at the camera, and in almost all of his other pictures, he is not waving. This is almost making me question if he was saying goodbye. He also seems quite happy. The picture doesn't say when it was taken ,but you can observe that before he died, whether it was a long period before or short, he was happy.

3. In the 8th picture, it is a picture of 142 Fairbank City bus location where Chris stayed for 113 days. It is crazy that he had survived in this location for this long. There is nothing, but trees, and the looks of a lake around him. If he wanted to live as a transcendentalist, this was truly the right place, maybe just not the way he came, slightly unprepared. Seeing this picture makes me admire Chris more because the conditions he lived under weren't that close to town.

4. In the 9th picture, it is a picture of Chris' yellow Datsun. Looking at this picture, I have no idea how Chris managed to get his car in that area. I feel as if he must've had to run over a lot of brush. Also the swamp, or lake that it is in does not look like its deep enought to flood the engine, so I am a little confused. I wonder if the car was moved for the picture.

5. In the 10th picture, it is a picture of Chris McCandles painting a house. When I saw this, I thought immediately about in the book when he was referenced as a good worker. Seeing this picture also proved it to me in sight. Chris always had an interesting expression in his pictures. I imagine he was always very happy doing what he was doing.

6. In the 11th picture, Chris is sitting between Wayne and a lady. He looks very happy and comfortable with these two people. His arms are around both of them and they look as if they are laughing. This picture tells me that Chris must've had a good relationship with Wayne. I also notice, at this time in Chris' travels, that he looks very clean.

7. In the 16th picture, It is an image of just the bus from the outside. The bus looks small and abandoned/ old. Looking at the bus, you can tell that the condition of it is so bad that it does not run. I have no idea how Chris kept warm on this bus and lived here for 113 days. The area around the bus looks abandoned and lonely. I can't imagine being by myself for that long.

8. In the 19th picture, Chris is roasting or cooking two animals. I am not sure what the animals are, but he looks very proud of himself to have caught them. This picture brings out Chris' intelligence. Not only was he able to catch BOTH of these animals, but he found a way to cook them so that they were clean and would not give him a disease.

9. In the 24th/25th picture, it is a picture of Chris' journal entry. In this entry he says it is the 100th day and he is in the weakest condition in his life and he is no longer able to make his way out of the woods. He now says he is trapped, indicating that he no longer wants to be in the woods. He is able to admit that there is a possibility of death. There is only a matter now of him accepting it.

10. In the 29th picture, Chris is making a goofy face and holding up one of his catches of food. This picture shows that Chris had a sense of humor. It also showed that his personality didn't change when he was alone. The only thing that strikes me in all of these pictures, is the fact that he traveled alone and there are all of these pictures of him. Who took the pictures of him...?

Chapter 4 Questions 13-20

13. Chris took Thoreau's piece of work, On the Duty of Civil Disobedience, as the "gospel" because he wanted to live out the ways of Thoreau in a sense. Chris studied Thoreau throughout college, and developed an admiration for him. He was inspired to the live the ways of Thoreau. "Unjust laws exist: shall we be content to obey them, or shall we endeavor to amend them, and obey them until we have succeeded, or shall we transgress them at once?" Thoreau talks about laws being unjust, and that if you think they unjust then you do not have to follow them. He basically says that a good government is no government. "Ignoring posted warnings that off-road driving is strictly forbidden, McCandles steered the Datsun off the pavement where it crossed a broad, sandy wash." In Chris' endeavors, he follows Thoreau's way of thinking by completely disobeying the signs that tell him he is prohibited from driving in that area. The element seen in On the Duty of Civil Disobedience is moral enthusiasm.

14. Krakauer believed that Chris burning his money would do Thoreau proud because Thoreau did not believe in government and money has everything to do with government. Without the government, money would have no value, and nothing could be bought with it. Thoreau also states that the government is like a prison to man. This could reference that a person cannot buy certain material things because they do not have the money, but Chris burning his money would suggest that he did not want any material items, also saying that he thought nothing other than nature was important. And finally Thoreau states in his writing that to live with money, you can not truely live comfortably.

15. The definition of tramp according to the english dictionary as a noun and verb is : 1. to walk long and far; hike. 4. to make ( a journey ) or traverse ( a place ), on foot labriously or wearily. 7. A person who travels on foot, usually with no permanent home, living by begging or doing casual work. I would say after looking at the definition, this name almost perfectly matches Chris, since he is on a journey, he has no home and he is traveling constantly to explore nature.

16. Krakauer is able to tell us about the events that happened during Chris' travels because Chris kept a journal-snapshot album that he later left with Wayne Westerberg.

17. In order to prepare himself for his Alaskan "odyssey" throughout Chapter 4, Chris documented his travels yet far by writing about his personal experiences and taking pictures. He traveled around Mexico and Southwest America. He gained food by sea, and also had already been carrying rice, and last, but not least, he sent any letter necessary before journeying out for good.

18. In this chapter, we learn that Chris' parents haven't heard from him for 2 years. They are greatly worried about him since he never told them where he was going or when he was coming back. They called the police to report him missing and an investigator found out that he had donated a large sum of money to the organization OXFAM. His parents mentioned that his actions were out of character and they could not understand why he did any of the things he did.

19.
    1.July 6th, 1990: Chris arrived at Lake Mead and violated the warning signs that said not to drive in that area. He lost his car because his engine flooded.
    2.August 10th, 1990: Chris received a ticket because he was not supposed to be hitch hiking. Because he had not real adress it was forwarded to his parent adress.
    3.October, 1990: Chris' yellow Datsun was found. His parents could not understand why he would abandon the car when he loved it so much and saved up for it with his own money. The car was later used for drug busts.
    4. October 28th, 1990: Chris caught a ride with a trucker up to Needle, California. In Arizona he bought a canoe to cross the border into Mexico.
    5. December 2nd, 1990: He reached a dam and Mexican border, he had no identification so he was worried that they would not let him in. He was able to sneak into mexico.
    6. December 14th, 1990: set up camp on the beach shore and stayed there for 10 days.
    7. January 18th, 1991: Chris was caught by immigration authorities trying to sneak back into the U.S.
    8. Febuary 24th. 1991: It had been 7 months since Chris abandoned his Datsun.

20. Chris' journal writing style was a bit peculiar, he wrote in third person as if telling someone elses story. His writing was also very simple, straight to the point, and he did not really opinionate topics in his journal.

Chapter 4 Questions 11-20

11. Chris abandoned his car because the engine was flooded out and he did not have the patience to fix it.

12. The "giddy Emersonian high" that Krakauer writes about is referencing the danger and excitement that Chris thrives for. When Chris first came to Lake Mead National Recreation Area, he had ignored warnings stating that he was in a off road, driving strictly forbidden areas. This applies to transcendentalism because you are supposed to live free with your own will, obeying nobody's rules, but yourselves. Chris is applying concepts of transcendentalism by living individually and independently. Throught his journies he is discovering his true being and living it out for no one, but himself.

Chapter 3 Question 4

        After thinking about the story, and going through each of these questions, my view has slightly changed. I am alittle confused on what I really think Chris' intentions were when going into the wild. He gave away everything he owned and saved nothing. He told no one where he was going, almost as if he never wanted to be found. Before I was set on the thinking that maybe he just wanted to live day by day and not worry about the future. In his own way though, he was worrying about the future by getting rid of everything he had. If he had intentions of coming out of the woods, then wouldn't he have saved some of the things he owned. $25,000 is a lot of money, he could've donated half and saved the other half for when he came out of the woods, unless he had no intention of coming out. I think Emerson and Thoreau would admire Chris' ambition, but I think they would frown upon him for foolishly going into the wild unprepared and without telling anyone. Chris is different from Emerson, because Chris actually lived out transcendentalism, whereas Emerson just wrote his theories about it. Chris is different from Thoreau because Thoreau went somewhere, where he intended to go into town once in a while to interact with people and to get supplies, he also told people where he was going. Chris did the exact opposite, Chris did not tell anyone where he was going, he did not intend on going into town to get supplies or interact with people, and he did not bring money to buy food or supplies.

Chapter 3 Question 3

       My reaction to Chris' last note to his family is that there is not much in the letter for someone who has not talked to their parents in that long amount of time. I feel his relationship could be strained or he just does not have that much in common with his parents. His letter specifically mentions grades and a brief summary of how he is doing. He does not tell them any major events that have happened and he does not really mention what he is doing after college. He tells then he going to disappear for a while. He does not give them a specific amount of time and he does not tell them where he is going. I am not really that he intended anything. I think his motive might have been simply to just go with the flow and cross the bridge when he reached it. This somewhat fits his way of thinking. He said he did not want to know what day it was or what time. So I feel his way of thinking is to worry about now and now about later.

Chapter 3 Question 2

1.When Chris left he told nobody.
2.Chris abandoned his car because the engine became flooded.
3.Before Chris died he wrote an s.o.s. letter for some last hope of help.
4.Before journeying off into the woods, Jim gave Chris 4 sandwiches, sturdy boots, and his number.
5.For a number of days Chris stayed in an abandon bus.
6.Researchers think Chrismight've died from starvation.
7.Chris' body was found in the bus wrapped up in a sleeping bag.
8.When Chris worked for Wayne, Wayne said he was up for everything and never gave up on a job.
9.When Chris worked for Wayne, the people in the area grew to love him
10.'Chris was smallish with the hard, stringy physique of an itinerant laborer.'
11.Dark and emotive eyes suggested he was Greek or Chippewa
12.He had sensitive good looks that women made a big fuss over
13.Chris wore steel-rimmed glasses
14.He had a mouth of horsy teeth.
15.Chris' facial expressions possessed a strange elasticity.
16.Jim, the truck driver, said he could that Chris was educated because he had intellectual views and used intelligent words.
17.Chris changed his name to Alex Supertramp.
18.Chris grew up in Virginia and moved to Washington D.C.
19.The Charity that Chris donated to was a Charity called OXFAM, thats dedicated to fighting hunger
20.The car that Chris had was a yellow Datsun.

Chapter 3 Question 1

       This quote applies to Chris McCandles greatly. This is probably why he highlighted it. In the quote it mentions living dangerously and with excitement. Chris's idea of living dangerously and with excitement was probably going out into the wild and surviving without many supplies. It was the risk of going out with nothing but living off the land that most likely excited him. The quote also mentions sacrificing yourself for love, and Chris was in love with the nature and he was going to sacrifice himself, even if it meant dying in the wilderness. 
        Yes this quote speaks to me. I think anyone and everyone can relate to this quote. I feel everyone wants excitement and danger in their life. Even if its a little excitement and danger like a rollercoaster to big things like skydiving or even more risky events.

Chapter 2 Question 2

      When I read Chris McCandles S.O.S. it made me think in a sense that he had given up on himself surviving in the wild, I feel like at that point he probably would not try to do much more to survive. If you think about it, he did not want anyone to know where he was in the beginning and if he had wanted to be independent and fight every obstacle that he came across on his own. Now he was asking for help. He was helpless, he was scared. At this point, he had given up on being in the wild. One thing does not really make sense to me though. He said that he was too weak to hike out to the road, yet he was walking around looking for berries. I really think he just didn't have the will power to make it to the road, and again he was giving up on himself.

Chapter 2 Question 1

       I think Jon Krakauer's idea to start the book at the end is clever, because as much as the ending is spoiling the rest of the story, telling you that he dies, as the story is told backwards, you learn much more about the character and how he got to where he was. It helps with most likely the way that he wanted to develop Chris McCandles as a dynamic character. The only thing that I do not like about the book starting in the middle, is in some of the chapters, it'll start off in the most random spot, and I have no idea what the point of that information in the book is until I get to the middle of the chapter. This bothers me because I lose interest in the book when I do not know what is going around. Yes I would consider writing a book this way to spark more interest. Sometimes knowing the end is the best part and then you can piece together the story as your going, kind of like a mystery.

Chapter 1 Question 2

        I personally think that Chris thought that he could survive in the wilderness with what little he had. I think he believed this because when Jim, the trucker, questioned the supplies that Chris had with him, in looking that he had not come prepared to stay in the wild for a number of days, Chris had shrugged it off as if it was not a big deal, and he did not except anything offered to him except for a few sandwiches and a pair of sturdy boots.
         When Chris went into the woods, I don't really think that he intended anything. In one of his entries, he wrote saying "if I come out of this...." and "if I dont come out of this then..." I think he didn't really care whether his outcome was life or death, he really just wanted a true transcendentalist experience.

Author's Note Question 2

     To say Chris McCandles was a "wacko" or "a narcississt who perished out of stupidity" would not be the correct usage of words. Yes, it was immature and ignorant of him to leave straight out of college and not to tell anyone he was leaving or where he was going, but in a spiritual sense, he wanted to be independent, on his own, and thriving with nature. The possibility of someone dying soon after going to survive in the nature with little but the two hands you were given at birth, it is greatly surprising that he even survived as long as 4 months. He is noble in that he would want to be one with nature and live life to the fullest using the purest resources he could. But at a level of stupidity, he did not tell anyone where he was going and how long he was going to be there. I feel that he might still be alive if someone was going to keep in contact with him.

Author's Note Question 1

        In the Author's Note, I believe that this book was dedicated entirely to Chris McCandles because of the way he lived his life. At the early age of 21-22, Christopher gave up luxuries and material items, that most people of that age would not be able to pass up. Just graduating from college, instead of pursuing a career he decided to dedicate his life to nature. He is a model human being in that he donated the $25,000 that he had (that was all that he had) to charity, gave up anything that would hold him back from living life as a transcendentalist. Before Jon Krakauer, published his book, Into the Wild, he published an article in a magazine, Outside, stating the way Chris lived his life, and the mysterious way of death. This article would be read by many people, and the amount of feedback would be the most that an article would ever receive. So yes, Chris, I feel is a role model, and noteworthy because he took into action what most philosophers can not like Thoreau developing theories, but not actually taking the actual experience. Chris went into the wild and lived as an individual and tried to find his inner being by being a transcendentalist.