To the Editor of Outside Magazine,
I believe this was one of your best articles yet. The story of Chris McCandles's life has left a touch of insipiration on me. Chris McCandles's journey showed his bravery and self-reliance that he had when he left his family after college to look for danger, excitment, and the true meaning of life. I believe that everybody wishes to venture out into the wild at least once in their life, but not everybody has the courage to leave everything behind. When I read about what this boy did, he proved to me and many others that there are people out there that can break away from society and create their own path in life. Unfortunately, he made an error that was easily avoidable, but he didn't take the proper precautions that may have saved his life. Chris McCandles should have taken more on his journey, such as a map or money. I do realize that he wanted to venture off on his own, without having a map to tell him where he was, but if he would of had one with him, it could have been used in an emergency such as to find his way across the river. It's a shame that Chris McCandles died, he appears to have been a heart-warming boy, who leaves an impression on whoever he meets. How else would Gallien have remembered Chris? He was only with him for a little while. Chris was just another hitch hiker, but Gallien remembered even the littlest details about him.
Chris McCandles went off on the journey of his life, without looking back. He has shown me what it means to be a transendentalist. He gave up everything, including his gold watch and burning the money in his pockets; He did all of this to become one with the wild. Some people say he was unlucky because he couldnt get across the river, even though he was only a few miles away from salvation, and because he ate a poisonous seed that looks almost identical to a delicious potato seed. On the contrary, I think he was one of the very few lucky people in this world. He was born with enough courage and bravery to leave the cussion of society and see the world for what it truly is. He, unlike most people, was able the beauty of nature that a naked eye couldn't see. Chris McCandles may have died in a horrid way, but he was exactly where he wanted to be, and lived the life he wanted to live.
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4 comments:
I find myself in complete agreement with your post. Chris McCandless was no ordinary person, and deserves to be recognized and credited for his undying love and passion for nature, peace, and for his effort to leave everything he ever loved and knew to go find his destiny. Everyone in the world at one point will want to go do something extraordinary and accomplish a feat that not many people do, but you find yourself lacking the necessary courage. McCandless was one of the few that had the guts to go out into the wild, deep from civilization, and reflect upon nature. His loss was tragic as he was so close to coming back to civilization, only if he had not made the mistake of leaving his map behind.
While I agree that McCandless had courage and passion for nature in mind in his whole endeavor, I think he went about it in a foolish, over-confident manner. He could likely have had just as much of a life-changing experience well equipped, and prepared, and I think that he himself realized the great danger and disaster he had put himself into while alone, and desperate for food. While I am sure many other people have similarly gone off into nature unprepared, and had great tales, and lessons to teach, their stories and lessons are lost with them, dead in the middle of nowhere, its the ones who come back to share of their journeys that will be remembered.
I agree with you 100%. Even though I admire him, I still wished he would have taken emergency precautions in case something bad happened to him. I love the ending of your article, about him being one of the few lucky people in the world. I think he had qualities that very few people have, including courage and bravery and I think he was a lucky person and I'm sure he knew that too. He lived the life he wanted and he even said in his last entry, that he had a happy, fulfilling life.
I completely agree with you. I admire Chris’s courage to venture out into the wild and leave his family and friends behind. He had a dream and he went after it. However, I think he should have taken more survival equipment, which may have prevented his death. I agree that Chris was lucky to have the courage to go on this treacherous journey alone. I wish I had the courage to do something like that. He was happy living in the wild. Like you said, he was exactly where he wanted to be and lived the life he desired.
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