Following his hike into the bush, a 24-year-old man left behind one last note for the world, never to be seen alive.
Chris McCandless, an enthusiastic traveler who yearned for a nomadic lifestyle, adopted the persona “Alexander Supertramp.”
In order to live primarily as an outdoorsman, McCandless gave all of his worldly belongings and $24,000 in cash to the Oxfam charity after graduating from Emory University in 1990.
Two years later, the wanderer from Fairfax, Virginia, embarked on a taxing hitchhiking journey to Alaska in response to his favorite book, Jack London’s The Call of the Wild.
His tale, alas, ended tragically.
The last person to see McCandless alive was an electrician called Jim Gallien, who drove him up to the top of a trail prior to his trek in April 1992.
The man allegedly begged the graduate to postpone the journey because he was concerned about his lack of survival gear and expertise.
The 24-year-old eventually refused, though, and left with just a weapon, some rice, and some literature before entering the woods.
According to the Daily Star, McCandless discovered an abandoned Fairbanks city bus from the 1940s while hiking the snow-covered Stampede Trail close to Denali National Park.
The man lived off of hunting creatures like squirrels, birds, and rabbits for 113 days in the isolated area. He also ate seeds and roots he had foraged.
He survived in the woods until July, when he came to the conclusion that he had to go back to civilization.
Sadly, the unbridgeable Teklanika River hindered his progress, leaving him with little option but to head back to his decrepit bus.
Fearing for his life, the graduate left a message on the bus that read: “Attention Possible Visitors. S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out.”
“I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August,” he added, according to The New Yorker.
Nobody noticed or showed up.
McCandless recorded his 113 days in the isolated area in a journal.
Per the Daily Star, his last written message was on day 107, and it read: “BEAUTIFUL BLUE BERRIES.” Days 108 to 112 were labeled only with slashes, and day 113 was blank.
One of his final acts was a picture he took of himself holding a heartbreaking message note that read, “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!”
Although the exact date of McCandless’s death is unknown, moose hunters discovered his decomposing remains on September 6, 1992.
It is thought that he had been deceased for nineteen days, based on the diary found among his belongings. According to a driver’s license that was issued eight months prior to his passing, he was 24 years old and weighed 140 pounds.
Following an examination, McCandless’s body was flown out of the woods. It showed that his weight was 67 pounds.
The coroner’s report stated that malnutrition or poisoning from the wild plants he had eaten was likely the cause of his death.
John Krakauer’s nonfiction book Into the Wild, which is based on McCandless’ heartbreaking narrative, will live on forever. In 2007, a feature film by the same name was adapted from this.
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