In Response to Outside Magazine

Dear Mr. Editor,

Chris McCandless's story has proven an enormous impact on my life, as I have never seen such a person willing to humble themselves to such an extent, in order to find "inner peace" with their lives, and bond with the beauty of nature. McCandless had everything going well in his life, graduating from college with high honors, and even coming out of an upper middle class family. Anyone who didnt know Chris at the time wouldve thought that he was just the average, well off, intelligent young man. For him to just leave all these gifts behind, and travel the world as a humbled man with few belongings took more that a crazy notion as some people may criticize, it took true courage, self-reliance, and love for nature. He left immediately following the graduation of his college, with a small goodbye, and not even a visit home. It angers me that some people believe Chris McCandless was a narcissist, acting out of "arrogance and stupidity". Only a real person, looking to explore the world, and find the meaning of life would act out of such nobility and courage.
Although he went out to write his own "story" and walk his own path, I do believe McCandless could have made some minor changes to his adventure. He could have carried the necessary materials such as money, a map, a satellite phone, or he could have told someone to come rescue him if he did not return on time. These mistakes cost him his life, which was a major loss for someone so humble and unique as he. Chris missed his opportunity to return to society, enlightened through his encounter with untouched nature, as he wasnt able to cross the river because he did not know that there was a cabin a few miles away, an easy crossing to the river a bit upstream, and didnt know what he ate was a poisonous seed. Nevertheless, Chris McCandless proved his transcendental beliefs as he travelled far into the Alaskan forest, leaving a legacy behind, as told by such people as James Gallien who had only met the man a few hours, and had his own life changed.