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In April 1992 a young man from a well-to-do family hitchhiked to Alaska and walked alone into the wilderness north of Mt. McKinley. His name was Christopher Johnson McCandless. He had given $25,000 in savings to charity, abandoned his car and most of his possessions, burned all the cash in his wallet, and invented a new life for himself. Four months later, his decomposed body was found by a moose hunter...

I read Into the Wild for the first time over four years ago after I had read Into Thin Air (also by author Jon Krakauer).

The argument has been made that having read the blurb on the back cover of the book (listed above) that there is now no reason to read Into the Wild in its entirety. What more could they tell you? You know how the story ends, don't you? Christopher Johnson McCandless died at the end of his journey. What you do not know is how he got from Emory University in Atlanta, GA to Alaska. The synopsis above does not tell you how many lives he touched, and how deeply, along the way.

Chris McCandless, or "Alexander Supertramp" to a few, was not the first to bid farewell to society and try his hand at living off the land, being at one with nature. He is, however, arguably the most unique individual to do so. Krakauer has pursued extensive interviews with not only Chris' family, but also friends who met him on the road and know him only as "Alex".

How deeply do you think you can be touched by a hitchhiker as you drive him a few hundred miles down the road? Did you ever think you would wish he would not get out of the car when it comes time? I am not sure the people who did Chris a favor ever thought they would either, however in their accounts they try to put into words what was so special about this particular young man.

Chris was a very gifted athlete. He was an above average student throughout his entire academic career at one point with aspirations of Harvard Law and the grades to match. He had an entrepreneurial spirit that had made him a good deal of money and earned him a lot of respect growing up.

Why would someone with this background give it all up and walk into the woods? Jon Krakauer takes us along the path to California, South Dakota, into Mexico, eventually to Alaska and many places in between to find out.

The author seems to approach this book as if he were trying to solve the mystery of Chris' death and in essence he was doing just that. He really tells us why Chris was unable to survive his journey and in the process we find out why he began the journey in the first place. The depth of the research is remarkable. Krakauer in this, and all of his books, really goes the extra mile to talk to anyone and everyone involved and find out as many details as possible. I have the highest level of respect for the work that Jon Krakauer does for his books.

In the Acknowledgements section at the end, the author thanks those he interviewed for helping him put the book together. If you read this book I am sure you will, like I do, want to thank them as well. Less than a year has passed from the time you find out a loved one has passed away; a loved one about whom you have worried everyday since he last contacted you which was two years ago. Along comes a journalist who wants to get to know him through you. How forthcoming would you...or could you be?

If you like this, another Krakauer book I cannot recommend enough is called Under the Banner of Heaven.

Buy Into the Wild $10.36

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