Chris McCandless also known as Alexandra, Supertramp made history as a modern day myth, becoming a reference point for researchers, articles, books, documentaries, filmmakers and tourists who decided to embark on the wandering and life of a vagabond.
Success has different definitions for different people. For some, it means academic achievement, money in the bank, being around loved ones, etc. For this odd young man, success meant wandering, adventure, discovering the world beyond the pages of books and from the perspective of other peoples, and thus a unique one name for itself despite its academic excellence and financial endowment.
Despite his apparent love for what he does, many have wondered what could possibly have driven a young man in his prime to make such a decision? How does he survive such criticism? You will learn all this and more in this interesting article.
Chris McCandless’ Bio
Born Christopher Johnson McCandless in El Segundo on February 12, 1968, the California-based adventurer is the son of Wilhelmina “Billie” McCandless, a secretary at Hughes Aircraft, and her antenna specialist, Walter “Walt” McCandless, who works for NASA. Walt later founded a successful consulting firm in his homeland specializing in Walt’s field.
He attended WT Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia, where his teachers and peers noted his odd character as he usually marched in an odd rhythm different from what everyone else was doing at the time. After high school, he attended Emory University in Atlanta, graduating in 1990 with a 3.72 GPA in history and anthropology as a dual major. To prove just how odd he is, Chris has taken a serious interest in South Africa’s apartheid era.
A very stubborn and hot-headed youth, McCandless found out about his father’s secret family and felt a great sense of betrayal when he believed his life and family had been a lie. This was the beginning of a serious rift with his parents, which later led to a total separation from them and society.
Despite coming from a wealthy family, he showed little kindness to his parents when he graduated and donated his entire life savings to Oxfam, an organization whose goal is to end world hunger. Chris believed that titles and degrees were worthless and thus viewed university as a 20th-century fad. He was an advocate of experiential value over regret and safety.
What happened to Chris?
Chris McCandless the adventurous vagabond had a very big and interesting dream about a hiking expedition, which he obtained by reading books about adventure. Inspired by legendary adventurers like John Muir and Jack London, he took the name Alexander Supertramp after disowning his family and dedicating his life to the streets. This new name, which he signed in most of his journal entries, is believed to have been taken from the book The Autobiography of a Supertramp by William H.Davies.
The adventure that Chris wanted was not unknown. However, he made the mistake of embarking on such a journey in an unprepared manner. With little food and water, a 22 caliber rifle, some paperbacks, a camera, his dairy, a book identifying edible plants, a sack of rice, a compass, and a sleeping bag (in which his decomposed body was found) he felt he was ready for the trip but didn’t take any maps with him.
Chris McCandless lived an imaginative tramp lifestyle in the city but didn’t notice the difference between train hopping and trekking into the wilderness. He desired adventure but overlooked some key elements for such wild places and this proved fatal as survival in adventure remains paramount.
He took up this adventure in his Datsun through Arizona, California and South Dakota while working in restaurants and some farms for deliveries. When his car got stuck in the mud, he gave it up and continued hitchhiking through Cartage, South Dakota to Fair Banks, Alaska. He was last seen alive at the head of the Stampede Trail on April 28, 1992. An electrician named Jim Gallien offered him a ride and tried to dissuade him from continuing his journey.
After two months of satisfying his craving for Chris the Savage, he shaved his beard and returned to civilization only to find a raging river which he crossed when it was frozen. The crossing proved difficult, so he returned to the abandoned bus he was using for shelter and wrote down this note in bold capital letters:
Attention potential visitors. SO.S I need your help, I’m injured, close to death and too weak to hike out of here. I’m all alone, I’m not kidding. Please stay in the name of God to save me. I’m gathering berries nearby and will return tonight. Thanks very much.
In another note from the pictures he took, holding a letter, Chris said he’s had a happy life and is thankful to God. In August 1992, a moose hunter discovered Chris McCandless’s decomposed body in his sleeping bag on the abandoned bus and called local police. Starvation caused by ingestion of wild potato seeds is said to be the official cause of death.