Chapter 8 Question 35

“Alex is a nut in my book. The author describes a man who has given away a small
fortune, forsaken a loving family, abandoned his car, watch and map and burned the last
of his money before traipsing of into the ‘wilderness’ west of Healy.”
    - resident of Healy, Alaska

I agree with this quote because the steps Chris took to stay out in the wilderness, could have been approached a totally different way. Instead of giving all of his money away, he could have saved some, whether it be just in case he comes up along the way starving or for after he gets out of the wilderness. He could have wrote letters to all of his family members telling them what he was doing instead of leaving them to worry, even phone calls now and then, he did not have to tell them where he was, he could've just kept in contact with them. Next, Chris stayed in a bus for 113 days, if when he saw the bus and knew it would be that helpful, then why didn't he save his car when his car could have been a potential place to stay, he could've gotten it towed and gave it to a family that needed it. The watch was no biggy, but he should have kept the map so he could find ways out of the woods, before he died he wrote a letter saying he couldn't exit because the hike was too much for his injury, with the map he might've been able to find another exit that he could have handled. Chris was a smart guy, but he could've prepared a bit better.

“Personally I see nothing positive at all about Chris McCandless’s lifestyle or wilderness
doctrine. Entering the wilderness purposefully ill-prepared, and surviving a near-death
experience does not make you a better human, it makes you damn lucky.”
     -resident of Healy, Alaska

I disagree with this quote. Yes he was ill-prepared, but there was plenty of positive in Chris McCandless's lifestyle, and his survival was definitely not just luck. First of all, there was meaning to Chris' journey. He did not just go out there because he thought it would be fun to try and fend for yourself. He went out into the wild because he was interested in Henry Thoreau and his theories of transcendentalism. Chris also wanted to practice out these ways. Chris did not want to know the time of day or how long he had been where he had been, he just wanted to take in the nature. He wanted to live off of creation. What exactly is wrong with that? If Chris' survival was luck, then he'd probably be alive still. He is not lucky that he ended up dead. To say that his survival was luck is rediculous. Chris hunted animals and kept himself warm. He found sources of food and shelter to stay under when it was too cold or the weather was too drastic to sleep under the stars. Surviving for 113 days, is not luck. It's skill. Chris was prepared in that he knew how to survive.