Into the Wild

[Doc]

In 1992 a 24 year old man walked alone into the Alaskan wilderness, to 'live off the land for a few months'. Four months later his emaciated body was found by hunters.

John Krakauer wrote a magazine article in Outside magazine about this, and later expanded it into a book called Into the Wild.

It's well worth a read. Lots of stuff about it on the net. One problem is that it reads like a magazine article that has been padded out, but it's still very good. Interestingly, Chris McCandless, the ill fated wanderer in question, had very little kit with him - bar a .22 rifle, he probably had less gear than you and I would carry for a backpacking trip in the UK.

[Brian]

Doc said "he probably had less gear than you and I would carry for a backpacking trip in the UK"

And thats why few of us are found dead by hunters!

Brian

[Doc]

He had no axe, no fullbore rifle and no er....map.

Having said that, it appears he deliberately chose not to have a map, so that, at least in his head, he was in 'uncharted territory'.

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[Mikey P]

I really enjoyed the book but found myself more interested in John Krakeur's anecdotes about his own life (the trip to Alaska, for example).

I thouhgt it was a sad story but, if there's a lesson from it, I think it all really goes to show that bushlife can be be a romantic ideal in the mind but harsh reality awaits if you're not well prepared.

Thoroughly recommend the book, though. And he also did another one on the Everest expedition, when about 8 people dies - another cracking read.