That Thing - Google Docs PDF

‭ HAPTER‬‭ONE‬ C ‭THE‬‭ALASKA‬‭INTERIOR‬ ‭April‬‭27th,‬‭1992‬ ‭Greetings‬‭from‬‭Fairbanks!‬‭This‬‭is‬‭the‬‭last‬‭you‬‭shall‬‭hear‬‭from‬‭me‬‭Wayne.‬‭Arrived‬‭here‬‭2‬ ‭days‬‭ago.‬‭It‬‭was‬‭very‬‭difficult‬‭to‬‭catch‬‭rides‬‭in‬‭the‬‭Yukon‬‭Territory.‬‭But‬‭I‬‭finally‬‭got‬‭here.‬ ‭Please‬‭...

‭ HAPTER‬‭ONE‬ C ‭THE‬‭ALASKA‬‭INTERIOR‬ ‭April‬‭27th,‬‭1992‬ ‭Greetings‬‭from‬‭Fairbanks!‬‭This‬‭is‬‭the‬‭last‬‭you‬‭shall‬‭hear‬‭from‬‭me‬‭Wayne.‬‭Arrived‬‭here‬‭2‬ ‭days‬‭ago.‬‭It‬‭was‬‭very‬‭difficult‬‭to‬‭catch‬‭rides‬‭in‬‭the‬‭Yukon‬‭Territory.‬‭But‬‭I‬‭finally‬‭got‬‭here.‬ ‭Please‬‭return‬‭all‬‭mail‬‭I‬‭receive‬‭to‬‭the‬‭sender.‬‭It‬‭might‬‭be‬‭a‬‭very‬‭long‬‭time‬‭before‬‭I‬ ‭return‬‭South.‬‭If‬‭this‬‭adventure‬‭proves‬‭fatal‬‭and‬‭you‬‭don't‬‭ever‬‭hear‬‭from‬‭me‬‭again‬‭I‬‭want‬ ‭you‬‭to‬‭know‬‭you‬‭'re‬‭a‬‭great‬‭man.‬‭I‬‭now‬‭walk‬‭into‬‭the‬‭wild.‬‭Alex.p‬ ‭Postcard‬‭received‬‭by‬‭wayne‬‭westerberg‬ ‭in‬‭carthage,‬‭south‬‭dakota‬ ‭Jim‬‭Gallien‬‭had‬‭driven‬‭four‬‭miles‬‭out‬‭of‬‭Fairbanks‬‭when‬‭he‬‭spotted‬‭the‬‭hitchhiker‬ ‭standing‬‭in‬‭the‬‭snow‬‭beside‬‭the‬‭road,‬‭thumb‬‭raised‬‭high,‬‭shivering‬‭in‬‭the‬‭gray‬‭Alaska‬ ‭dawn.‬‭He‬‭didn't‬‭appear‬‭to‬‭be‬‭very‬‭old:‬‭eighteen,‬‭maybe‬‭nineteen‬‭at‬‭most.‬‭A‬‭rifle‬‭protruded‬‭from‬ ‭the‬‭young‬‭man's‬‭backpack,‬‭but‬‭he‬‭looked‬‭friendly‬‭enough;‬‭a‬‭hitchhiker‬‭with‬ ‭a‬‭Remington‬‭semiautomatic‬‭isn't‬‭the‬‭sort‬‭of‬‭thing‬‭that‬‭gives‬‭motorists‬‭pause‬‭in‬‭the‬‭fortyninth‬ ‭state.‬‭Gallien‬‭steered‬‭his‬‭truck‬‭onto‬‭the‬‭shoulder‬‭and‬‭told‬‭the‬‭kid‬‭to‬‭climb‬‭in.‬ ‭The‬‭hitchhiker‬‭swung‬‭his‬‭pack‬‭into‬‭the‬‭bed‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Ford‬‭and‬‭introduced‬‭himself‬‭as‬ ‭Alex.‬‭"Alex?"‬‭Gallien‬‭responded,‬‭fishing‬‭for‬‭a‬‭last‬‭name.‬ ‭"Just‬‭Alex,"‬‭the‬‭young‬‭man‬‭replied,‬‭pointedly‬‭rejecting‬‭the‬‭bait.‬‭Five‬‭feet‬‭seven‬‭or‬ ‭eight‬‭with‬‭a‬‭wiry‬‭build,‬‭he‬‭claimed‬‭to‬‭be‬‭twenty-four‬‭years‬‭old‬‭and‬‭said‬‭he‬‭was‬‭from‬ ‭ outh‬‭Dakota.‬‭He‬‭explained‬‭that‬‭he‬‭wanted‬‭a‬‭ride‬‭as‬‭far‬‭as‬‭the‬‭edge‬‭of‬‭Denali‬‭National‬ S ‭Park,‬‭where‬‭he‬‭intended‬‭to‬‭walk‬‭deep‬‭into‬‭the‬‭bush‬‭and‬‭"live‬‭off‬‭the‬‭land‬‭for‬‭a‬‭few‬ ‭months."‬ ‭Gallien,‬‭a‬‭union‬‭electrician,‬‭was‬‭on‬‭his‬‭way‬‭to‬‭Anchorage,‬‭240‬‭miles‬‭beyond‬‭Denali‬ ‭on‬‭the‬‭George‬‭Parks‬‭Highway;‬‭he‬‭told‬‭Alex‬‭he'd‬‭drop‬‭him‬‭off‬‭wherever‬‭he‬‭wanted.‬ ‭Alex's‬‭backpack‬‭looked‬‭as‬‭though‬‭it‬‭weighed‬‭only‬‭twenty-five‬‭or‬‭thirty‬‭pounds,‬‭which‬ ‭struck‬‭Gallien—an‬‭accomplished‬‭hunter‬‭and‬‭woodsman—as‬‭an‬‭improbably‬‭light‬‭load‬‭for‬ ‭a‬‭stay‬‭of‬‭several‬‭months‬‭in‬‭the‬‭back-country,‬‭especially‬‭so‬‭early‬‭in‬‭the‬‭spring.‬‭"He‬‭wasn't‬ ‭carrying‬‭anywhere‬‭near‬‭as‬‭much‬‭food‬‭and‬‭gear‬‭as‬‭you'd‬‭expect‬‭a‬‭guy‬‭to‬‭be‬‭carrying‬‭for‬ ‭that‬‭kind‬‭of‬‭trip,"‬‭Gallien‬‭recalls.‬ ‭The‬‭sun‬‭came‬‭up.‬‭As‬‭they‬‭rolled‬‭down‬‭from‬‭the‬‭forested‬‭ridges‬‭above‬‭the‬‭Tanana‬ ‭River,‬‭Alex‬‭gazed‬‭across‬‭the‬‭expanse‬‭of‬‭windswept‬‭muskeg‬‭stretching‬‭to‬‭the‬‭south.‬ ‭Gallien‬‭wondered‬‭whether‬‭he'd‬‭picked‬‭up‬‭one‬‭of‬‭those‬‭crackpots‬‭from‬‭the‬‭lower‬‭fortyeight‬‭who‬ ‭come‬‭north‬‭to‬‭live‬‭out‬‭ill-considered‬‭Jack‬‭London‬‭fantasies.‬‭Alaska‬‭has‬‭long‬ ‭been‬‭a‬‭magnet‬‭for‬‭dreamers‬‭and‬‭misfits,‬‭people‬‭who‬‭think‬‭the‬‭unsullied‬‭enormity‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭Last‬‭Frontier‬‭will‬‭patch‬‭all‬‭the‬‭holes‬‭in‬‭their‬‭lives.‬‭The‬‭bush‬‭is‬‭an‬‭unforgiving‬‭place,‬ ‭however,‬‭that‬‭cares‬‭nothing‬‭for‬‭hope‬‭or‬‭longing.‬ ‭"People‬‭from‬‭Outside,"‬‭reports‬‭Gallien‬‭in‬‭a‬‭slow,‬‭sonorous‬‭drawl,‬‭"they'll‬‭pick‬‭up‬‭a‬ ‭copy‬‭ofAlaska‬‭magazine,‬‭thumb‬‭through‬‭it,‬‭get‬‭to‬‭thinkin'‬‭'Hey,‬‭I'm‬‭goin'‬‭to‬‭get‬‭on‬‭up‬ ‭there,‬‭live‬‭off‬‭the‬‭land,‬‭go‬‭claim‬‭me‬‭a‬‭piece‬‭of‬‭the‬‭good‬‭life.'‬‭But‬‭when‬‭they‬‭get‬‭here‬‭and‬ ‭actually‬‭head‬‭out‬‭into‬‭the‬‭bush—well,‬‭it‬‭isn't‬‭like‬‭the‬‭magazines‬‭make‬‭it‬‭out‬‭to‬‭be.‬‭The‬ ‭rivers‬‭are‬‭big‬‭and‬‭fast.‬‭The‬‭mosquitoes‬‭eat‬‭you‬‭alive.‬‭Most‬‭places,‬‭there‬‭aren't‬‭a‬‭lot‬‭of‬ ‭ nimals‬‭to‬‭hunt.‬‭Livin'‬‭in‬‭the‬‭bush‬‭isn't‬‭no‬‭picnic."‬ a ‭It‬‭was‬‭a‬‭two-hour‬‭drive‬‭from‬‭Fairbanks‬‭to‬‭the‬‭edge‬‭of‬‭Denali‬‭Park.‬‭The‬‭more‬‭they‬ ‭talked,‬‭the‬‭less‬‭Alex‬‭struck‬‭Gallien‬‭as‬‭a‬‭nutcase.‬‭He‬‭was‬‭congenial‬‭and‬‭seemed‬‭well‬ ‭educated.‬‭He‬‭peppered‬‭Gallien‬‭with‬‭thoughtful‬‭questions‬‭about‬‭the‬‭kind‬‭of‬‭small‬‭game‬ ‭that‬‭live‬‭in‬‭the‬‭country,‬‭the‬‭kinds‬‭of‬‭berries‬‭he‬‭could‬‭eat—"that‬‭kind‬‭of‬‭thing."‬ ‭Still,‬‭Gallien‬‭was‬‭concerned.‬‭Alex‬‭admitted‬‭that‬‭the‬‭only‬‭food‬‭in‬‭his‬‭pack‬‭was‬‭a‬‭tenpound‬‭bag‬‭of‬ ‭rice.‬‭His‬‭gear‬‭seemed‬‭exceedingly‬‭minimal‬‭for‬‭the‬‭harsh‬‭conditions‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭interior,‬‭which‬‭in‬‭April‬‭still‬‭lay‬‭buried‬‭under‬‭the‬‭winter‬‭snowpack.‬‭Alex's‬‭cheap‬‭leather‬ ‭hiking‬‭boots‬‭were‬‭neither‬‭waterproof‬‭nor‬‭well‬‭insulated.‬‭His‬‭rifle‬‭was‬‭only‬‭.22‬‭caliber,‬‭a‬ ‭bore‬‭too‬‭small‬‭to‬‭rely‬‭on‬‭if‬‭he‬‭expected‬‭to‬‭kill‬‭large‬‭animals‬‭like‬‭moose‬‭and‬‭caribou,‬ ‭which‬‭he‬‭would‬‭have‬‭to‬‭eat‬‭if‬‭he‬‭hoped‬‭to‬‭remain‬‭very‬‭long‬‭in‬‭the‬‭country.‬‭He‬‭had‬‭no‬‭ax,‬ ‭no‬‭bug‬‭dope,‬‭no‬‭snowshoes,‬‭no‬‭compass.‬‭The‬‭only‬‭navigational‬‭aid‬‭in‬‭his‬‭possession‬‭was‬ ‭a‬‭tattered‬‭state‬‭road‬‭map‬‭he'd‬‭scrounged‬‭at‬‭a‬‭gas‬‭station.‬ ‭A‬‭hundred‬‭miles‬‭out‬‭of‬‭Fairbanks‬‭the‬‭highway‬‭begins‬‭to‬‭climb‬‭into‬‭the‬‭foothills‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭Alaska‬‭Range.‬‭As‬‭the‬‭truck‬‭lurched‬‭over‬‭a‬‭bridge‬‭across‬‭the‬‭Nenana‬‭River,‬‭Alex‬‭looked‬ ‭down‬‭at‬‭the‬‭swift‬‭current‬‭and‬‭remarked‬‭that‬‭he‬‭was‬‭afraid‬‭of‬‭the‬‭water.‬‭"A‬‭year‬‭ago‬‭down‬ ‭in‬‭Mexico,"‬‭he‬‭told‬‭Gallien,‬‭"I‬‭was‬‭out‬‭on‬‭the‬‭ocean‬‭in‬‭a‬‭canoe,‬‭and‬‭I‬‭almost‬‭drowned‬ ‭when‬‭a‬‭storm‬‭came‬‭up."‬ ‭A‬‭little‬‭later‬‭Alex‬‭pulled‬‭out‬‭his‬‭crude‬‭map‬‭and‬‭pointed‬‭to‬‭a‬‭dashed‬‭red‬‭line‬‭that‬ i‭ntersected‬‭the‬‭road‬‭near‬‭the‬‭coal-mining‬‭town‬‭of‬‭Healy.‬‭It‬‭represented‬‭a‬‭route‬‭called‬‭the‬ ‭Stampede‬‭Trail.‬‭Seldom‬‭traveled,‬‭it‬‭isn't‬‭even‬‭marked‬‭on‬‭most‬‭road‬‭maps‬‭of‬‭Alaska.‬‭On‬ ‭Alex's‬‭map,‬‭nevertheless,‬‭the‬‭broken‬‭line‬‭meandered‬‭west‬‭from‬‭the‬‭Parks‬‭Highway‬‭for‬ ‭forty‬‭miles‬‭or‬‭so‬‭before‬‭petering‬‭out‬‭in‬‭the‬‭middle‬‭of‬‭trackless‬‭wilderness‬‭north‬‭of‬‭Mt.‬ ‭McKinley.‬‭This,‬‭Alex‬‭announced‬‭to‬‭Gallien,‬‭was‬‭where‬‭he‬‭intended‬‭to‬‭go.‬ ‭Gallien‬‭thought‬‭the‬‭hitchhiker's‬‭scheme‬‭was‬‭foolhardy‬‭and‬‭tried‬‭repeatedly‬‭to‬ ‭dissuade‬‭him:‬‭"I‬‭said‬‭the‬‭hunting‬‭wasn't‬‭easy‬‭where‬‭he‬‭was‬‭going,‬‭that‬‭he‬‭could‬‭go‬‭for‬ ‭days‬‭without‬‭killing‬‭any‬‭game.‬‭When‬‭that‬‭didn't‬‭work,‬‭I‬‭tried‬‭to‬‭scare‬‭him‬‭with‬‭bear‬‭stories.‬‭I‬‭told‬ ‭him‬‭that‬‭a‬‭twenty-two‬‭probably‬‭wouldn't‬‭do‬‭anything‬‭to‬‭a‬‭grizzly‬‭except‬‭make‬ ‭him‬‭mad.‬‭Alex‬‭didn't‬‭seem‬‭too‬‭worried.‬‭Til‬‭climb‬‭a‬‭tree'‬‭is‬‭all‬‭he‬‭said.‬‭So‬‭I‬‭explained‬‭that‬ ‭trees‬‭don't‬‭grow‬‭real‬‭big‬‭in‬‭that‬‭part‬‭of‬‭the‬‭state,‬‭that‬‭a‬‭bear‬‭could‬‭knock‬‭down‬‭one‬‭of‬ ‭them‬‭skinny‬‭little‬‭black‬‭spruce‬‭without‬‭even‬‭trying.‬‭But‬‭he‬‭wouldn't‬‭give‬‭an‬‭inch.‬‭He‬‭had‬ ‭an‬‭answer‬‭for‬‭everything‬‭I‬‭threw‬‭at‬‭him."‬ ‭Gallien‬‭offered‬‭to‬‭drive‬‭Alex‬‭all‬‭the‬‭way‬‭to‬‭Anchorage,‬‭buy‬‭him‬‭some‬‭decent‬‭gear,‬ ‭and‬‭then‬‭drive‬‭him‬‭back‬‭to‬‭wherever‬‭he‬‭wanted‬‭to‬‭go.‬ ‭"No,‬‭thanks‬‭anyway,"‬‭Alex‬‭replied,‬‭"I'll‬‭be‬‭fine‬‭with‬‭what‬‭I've‬‭got."‬ ‭Gallien‬‭asked‬‭whether‬‭he‬‭had‬‭a‬‭hunting‬‭license.‬ ‭"Hell,‬‭no,"‬‭Alex‬‭scoffed.‬‭"How‬‭I‬‭feed‬‭myself‬‭is‬‭none‬‭of‬‭the‬‭government's‬‭business.‬ ‭Fuck‬‭their‬‭stupid‬‭rules."‬ ‭When‬‭Gallien‬‭asked‬‭whether‬‭his‬‭parents‬‭or‬‭a‬‭friend‬‭knew‬‭what‬‭he‬‭was‬‭up‬‭to—‬ ‭whether‬‭there‬‭was‬‭anyone‬‭who‬‭would‬‭sound‬‭the‬‭alarm‬‭if‬‭he‬‭got‬‭into‬‭trouble‬‭and‬‭was‬ ‭overdue—Alex‬‭answered‬‭calmly‬‭that‬‭no,‬‭nobody‬‭knew‬‭of‬‭his‬‭plans,‬‭that‬‭in‬‭fact‬‭he‬‭hadn't‬ ‭spoken‬‭to‬‭his‬‭family‬‭in‬‭nearly‬‭two‬‭years.‬‭"I'm‬‭absolutely‬‭positive,"‬‭he‬‭assured‬‭Gallien,‬‭"I‬ ‭ on't‬‭run‬‭into‬‭anything‬‭I‬‭can't‬‭deal‬‭with‬‭on‬‭my‬‭own."‬ w ‭"There‬‭was‬‭just‬‭no‬‭talking‬‭the‬‭guy‬‭out‬‭of‬‭it,"‬‭Gallien‬‭remembers.‬‭"He‬‭was‬ ‭determined.‬‭Real‬‭gung‬‭ho.‬‭The‬‭word‬‭that‬‭comes‬‭to‬‭mind‬‭isexcited.‬‭He‬‭couldn't‬‭wait‬‭to‬ ‭head‬‭out‬‭there‬‭and‬‭get‬‭started."‬ ‭Three‬‭hours‬‭out‬‭of‬‭Fairbanks,‬‭Gallien‬‭turned‬‭off‬‭the‬‭highway‬‭and‬‭steered‬‭his‬‭beat-up‬ ‭4x4‬‭down‬‭a‬‭snow-packed‬‭side‬‭road.‬‭For‬‭the‬‭first‬‭few‬‭miles‬‭the‬‭Stampede‬‭Trail‬‭was‬‭well‬ ‭graded‬‭and‬‭led‬‭past‬‭cabins‬‭scattered‬‭among‬‭weedy‬‭stands‬‭of‬‭spruce‬‭and‬‭aspen.‬‭Beyond‬ ‭the‬‭last‬‭of‬‭the‬‭log‬‭shacks,‬‭however,‬‭the‬‭road‬‭rapidly‬‭deteriorated.‬‭Washed‬‭out‬‭and‬ ‭overgrown‬‭with‬‭alders,‬‭it‬‭turned‬‭into‬‭a‬‭rough,‬‭unmaintained‬‭track.‬ ‭In‬‭summer‬‭the‬‭road‬‭here‬‭would‬‭have‬‭been‬‭sketchy‬‭but‬‭passable;‬‭now‬‭it‬‭was‬‭made‬ ‭unnavigable‬‭by‬‭a‬‭foot‬‭and‬‭a‬‭half‬‭of‬‭mushy‬‭spring‬‭snow.‬‭Ten‬‭miles‬‭from‬‭the‬‭highway,‬ ‭worried‬‭that‬‭he'd‬‭get‬‭stuck‬‭if‬‭he‬‭drove‬‭farther,‬‭Gallien‬‭stopped‬‭his‬‭rig‬‭on‬‭the‬‭crest‬‭of‬‭a‬ ‭low‬‭rise.‬‭The‬‭icy‬‭summits‬‭of‬‭the‬‭highest‬‭mountain‬‭range‬‭in‬‭North‬‭America‬‭gleamed‬‭on‬ ‭the‬‭southwestern‬‭horizon.‬ ‭Alex‬‭insisted‬‭on‬‭giving‬‭Gallien‬‭his‬‭watch,‬‭his‬‭comb,‬‭and‬‭what‬‭he‬‭said‬‭was‬‭all‬‭his‬ ‭ oney:‬‭eighty-five‬‭cents‬‭in‬‭loose‬‭change.‬‭"I‬‭don't‬‭want‬‭your‬‭money,"‬‭Gallien‬‭protested,‬ m ‭"and‬‭I‬‭already‬‭have‬‭a‬‭watch."‬ ‭"If‬‭you‬‭don't‬‭take‬‭it,‬‭I'm‬‭going‬‭to‬‭throw‬‭it‬‭away,"‬‭Alex‬‭cheerfully‬‭retorted.‬‭"I‬‭don't‬ ‭want‬‭to‬‭know‬‭what‬‭time‬‭it‬‭is.‬‭I‬‭don't‬‭want‬‭to‬‭know‬‭what‬‭day‬‭it‬‭is‬‭or‬‭where‬‭I‬‭am.‬‭None‬‭of‬ ‭that‬‭matters."‬ ‭Before‬‭Alex‬‭left‬‭the‬‭pickup,‬‭Gallien‬‭reached‬‭behind‬‭the‬‭seat,‬‭pulled‬‭out‬‭an‬‭old‬‭pair‬‭of‬ ‭rubber‬‭work‬‭boots,‬‭and‬‭persuaded‬‭the‬‭boy‬‭to‬‭take‬‭them.‬‭"They‬‭were‬‭too‬‭big‬‭for‬‭him,"‬ ‭Gallien‬‭recalls.‬‭"But‬‭I‬‭said,‬‭'Wear‬‭two‬‭pair‬‭of‬‭socks,‬‭and‬‭your‬‭feet‬‭ought‬‭to‬‭stay‬‭halfway‬ ‭warm‬‭and‬‭dry.'"‬ ‭"How‬‭much‬‭do‬‭I‬‭owe‬‭you?"‬ ‭"Don't‬‭worry‬‭about‬‭it,"‬‭Gallien‬‭answered.‬‭Then‬‭he‬‭gave‬‭the‬‭kid‬‭a‬‭slip‬‭of‬‭paper‬‭with‬ ‭his‬‭phone‬‭number‬‭on‬‭it,‬‭which‬‭Alex‬‭carefully‬‭tucked‬‭into‬‭a‬‭nylon‬‭wallet.‬ ‭"If‬‭you‬‭make‬‭it‬‭out‬‭alive,‬‭give‬‭me‬‭a‬‭call,‬‭and‬‭I'll‬‭tell‬‭you‬‭how‬‭to‬‭get‬‭the‬‭boots‬‭back‬‭to‬ ‭me."‬ ‭Gallien's‬‭wife‬‭had‬‭packed‬‭him‬‭two‬‭grilled-cheese-and-tuna‬‭sandwiches‬‭and‬‭a‬‭bag‬‭of‬ ‭corn‬‭chips‬‭for‬‭lunch;‬‭he‬‭persuaded‬‭the‬‭young‬‭hitchhiker‬‭to‬‭accept‬‭the‬‭food‬‭as‬‭well.‬‭Alex‬ ‭pulled‬‭a‬‭camera‬‭from‬‭his‬‭backpack‬‭and‬‭asked‬‭Gallien‬‭to‬‭snap‬‭a‬‭picture‬‭of‬‭him‬ ‭shouldering‬‭his‬‭rifle‬‭at‬‭the‬‭trailhead.‬‭Then,‬‭smiling‬‭broadly,‬‭he‬‭disappeared‬‭down‬‭the‬ ‭snow-covered‬‭track.‬‭The‬‭date‬‭was‬‭Tuesday,‬‭April‬‭28,‬‭1992.‬ ‭Gallien‬‭turned‬‭the‬‭truck‬‭around,‬‭made‬‭his‬‭way‬‭back‬‭to‬‭the‬‭Parks‬‭Highway,‬‭and‬ ‭continued‬‭toward‬‭Anchorage.‬‭A‬‭few‬‭miles‬‭down‬‭the‬‭road‬‭he‬‭came‬‭to‬‭the‬‭small‬ ‭community‬‭of‬‭Healy,‬‭where‬‭the‬‭Alaska‬‭State‬‭Troopers‬‭maintain‬‭a‬‭post.‬‭Gallien‬‭briefly‬ ‭considered‬‭stopping‬‭and‬‭telling‬‭the‬‭authorities‬‭about‬‭Alex,‬‭then‬‭thought‬‭better‬‭of‬‭it.‬‭"I‬ ‭figured‬‭he'd‬‭be‬‭OK,"‬‭he‬‭explains.‬‭"I‬‭thought‬‭he'd‬‭probably‬‭get‬‭hungry‬‭pretty‬‭quick‬‭and‬ ‭just‬‭walk‬‭out‬‭to‬‭the‬‭highway.‬‭That's‬‭what‬‭any‬‭normal‬‭person‬‭would‬‭do."‬ [‭See‬‭Map‬‭Page‬‭8]‬ ‭CHAPTER‬‭TWO‬ ‭THE‬‭STAMPEDE‬‭TRAIL‬ ‭Jack‬‭London‬‭isKing‬ ‭Alexander‬‭Supertramp‬ ‭May‬‭1992‬ ‭graffito‬‭carved‬‭into‬‭a‬‭piece‬‭of‬‭wood‬‭discovered‬ ‭at‬‭the‬‭site‬‭of‬‭chris‬‭mccandless's‬‭death‬ ‭Dark‬‭spruce‬‭forest‬‭frowned‬‭on‬‭either‬‭side‬‭the‬‭frozen‬‭waterway.‬‭The‬‭trees‬‭had‬‭been‬ ‭stripped‬‭by‬‭a‬‭recent‬‭wind‬‭of‬‭their‬‭white‬‭covering‬‭of‬‭frost,‬‭and‬‭they‬‭seemed‬‭to‬‭lean‬‭toward‬ ‭each‬‭other,‬‭black‬‭and‬‭ominous,‬‭in‬‭the‬‭fading‬‭light.‬‭A‬‭vast‬‭silence‬‭reigned‬‭over‬‭the‬‭land.‬ ‭The‬‭land‬‭itself‬‭was‬‭a‬‭desolation,‬‭lifeless,‬‭without‬‭movement,‬‭so‬‭lone‬‭and‬‭cold‬‭that‬‭the‬ ‭spirit‬‭of‬‭it‬‭was‬‭not‬‭even‬‭that‬‭of‬‭sadness.‬‭There‬‭was‬‭a‬‭hint‬‭in‬‭it‬‭of‬‭laughter,‬‭but‬‭of‬‭a‬ ‭laughter‬‭more‬‭terrible‬‭than‬‭any‬‭sadness—a‬‭laughter‬‭that‬‭was‬‭mirthless‬‭as‬‭the‬‭smile‬‭of‬ ‭the‬‭Sphinx,‬‭a‬‭laughter‬‭cold‬‭as‬‭the‬‭frost‬‭and‬‭partaking‬‭of‬‭the‬‭grimness‬‭of‬‭infallibility.‬‭It‬ ‭was‬‭the‬‭masterful‬‭and‬‭incommunicable‬‭wisdom‬‭of‬‭eternity‬‭laughing‬‭at‬‭the‬‭futility‬‭of‬‭life‬ ‭and‬‭the‬‭effort‬‭of‬‭life.‬‭It‬‭was‬‭the‬‭Wild,‬‭the‬‭savage,‬‭frozen-hearted‬‭Northland‬‭Wild.‬ ‭jack‬‭london,white‬‭fang‬ ‭ n‬‭the‬‭northern‬‭margin‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Alaska‬‭Range,‬‭just‬‭before‬‭the‬‭hulking‬‭ramparts‬‭of‬‭Mt.‬ O ‭McKinley‬‭and‬‭its‬‭satellites‬‭surrender‬‭to‬‭the‬‭low‬‭Kantishna‬‭plain,‬‭a‬‭series‬‭of‬‭lesser‬‭ridges,‬ ‭known‬‭as‬‭the‬‭Outer‬‭Range,‬‭sprawls‬‭across‬‭the‬‭flats‬‭like‬‭a‬‭rumpled‬‭blanket‬‭on‬‭an‬‭unmade‬ ‭bed.‬‭Between‬‭the‬‭flinty‬‭crests‬‭of‬‭the‬‭two‬‭outermost‬‭escarpments‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Outer‬‭Range‬‭runs‬ ‭an‬‭east-west‬‭trough,‬‭maybe‬‭five‬‭miles‬‭across,‬‭carpeted‬‭in‬‭a‬‭boggy‬‭amalgam‬‭of‬‭muskeg,‬ ‭alder‬‭thickets,‬‭and‬‭veins‬‭of‬‭scrawny‬‭spruce.‬‭Meandering‬‭through‬‭the‬‭tangled,‬‭rolling‬ ‭bottomland‬‭is‬‭the‬‭Stampede‬‭Trail,‬‭the‬‭route‬‭Chris‬‭McCandless‬‭followed‬‭into‬‭the‬ ‭wilderness.‬ ‭The‬‭trail‬‭was‬‭blazed‬‭in‬‭the‬‭1930s‬‭by‬‭a‬‭legendary‬‭Alaska‬‭miner‬‭named‬‭Earl‬‭Pilgrim;‬‭it‬ ‭led‬‭to‬‭antimony‬‭claims‬‭he'd‬‭staked‬‭on‬‭Stampede‬‭Creek,‬‭above‬‭the‬‭Clearwater‬‭Fork‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭Toklat‬‭River.‬‭In‬‭1961,‬‭a‬‭Fairbanks‬‭company,‬‭Yutan‬‭Construction,‬‭won‬‭a‬‭contract‬‭from‬ ‭the‬‭new‬‭state‬‭of‬‭Alaska‬‭(statehood‬‭having‬‭been‬‭granted‬‭just‬‭two‬‭years‬‭earlier)‬‭to‬‭upgrade‬ ‭the‬‭trail,‬‭building‬‭it‬‭into‬‭a‬‭road‬‭on‬‭which‬‭trucks‬‭could‬‭haul‬‭ore‬‭from‬‭the‬‭mine‬‭year-round.‬ ‭To‬‭house‬‭construction‬‭workers‬‭while‬‭the‬‭road‬‭was‬‭going‬‭in,‬‭Yutan‬‭purchased‬‭three‬ ‭junked‬‭buses,‬‭outfitted‬‭each‬‭with‬‭bunks‬‭and‬‭a‬‭simple‬‭barrel‬‭stove,‬‭and‬‭skidded‬‭them‬‭into‬ ‭the‬‭wilderness‬‭behind‬‭a‬‭D-9‬‭Caterpillar.‬ ‭The‬‭project‬‭was‬‭halted‬‭in‬‭1963:‬‭some‬‭fifty‬‭miles‬‭of‬‭road‬‭were‬‭eventually‬‭built,‬‭but‬‭no‬ ‭bridges‬‭were‬‭ever‬‭erected‬‭over‬‭the‬‭many‬‭rivers‬‭it‬‭transected,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭route‬‭was‬‭shortly‬ ‭rendered‬‭impassable‬‭by‬‭thawing‬‭permafrost‬‭and‬‭seasonal‬‭floods.‬‭Yutan‬‭hauled‬‭two‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭buses‬‭back‬‭to‬‭the‬‭highway.‬‭The‬‭third‬‭bus‬‭was‬‭left‬‭about‬‭halfway‬‭out‬‭the‬‭trail‬‭to‬‭serve‬‭as‬ ‭backcountry‬‭shelter‬‭for‬‭hunters‬‭and‬‭trappers.‬‭In‬‭the‬‭three‬‭decades‬‭since‬‭construction‬ ‭ended,‬‭much‬‭of‬‭the‬‭roadbed‬‭has‬‭been‬‭obliterated‬‭by‬‭washouts,‬‭brush,‬‭and‬‭beaver‬‭ponds,‬ ‭but‬‭the‬‭bus‬‭is‬‭still‬‭there.‬ ‭A‬‭vintage‬‭International‬‭Harvester‬‭from‬‭the‬‭1940s,‬‭the‬‭derelict‬‭vehicle‬‭is‬‭located‬ t‭wenty-five‬‭miles‬‭west‬‭of‬‭Healy‬‭as‬‭the‬‭raven‬‭flies,‬‭rusting‬‭incongruously‬‭in‬‭the‬‭fireweed‬ ‭beside‬‭the‬‭Stampede‬‭Trail,‬‭just‬‭beyond‬‭the‬‭boundary‬‭of‬‭Denali‬‭National‬‭Park.‬‭The‬‭engine‬ ‭is‬‭gone.‬‭Several‬‭windows‬‭are‬‭cracked‬‭or‬‭missing‬‭altogether,‬‭and‬‭broken‬‭whiskey‬‭bottles‬ ‭litter‬‭the‬‭floor.‬‭The‬‭green-and-white‬‭paint‬‭is‬‭badly‬‭oxidized.‬‭Weathered‬‭lettering‬ ‭indicates‬‭that‬‭the‬‭old‬‭machine‬‭was‬‭once‬‭part‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Fairbanks‬‭City‬‭Transit‬‭System:‬‭bus‬ ‭142.‬‭These‬‭days‬‭it‬‭isn't‬‭unusual‬‭for‬‭six‬‭or‬‭seven‬‭months‬‭to‬‭pass‬‭without‬‭the‬‭bus‬‭seeing‬‭a‬ ‭human‬‭visitor,‬‭but‬‭in‬‭early‬‭September‬‭1992,‬‭six‬‭people‬‭in‬‭three‬‭separate‬‭parties‬‭happened‬ ‭to‬‭visit‬‭the‬‭remote‬‭vehicle‬‭on‬‭the‬‭same‬‭afternoon.‬ ‭In‬‭1980,‬‭Denali‬‭National‬‭Park‬‭was‬‭expanded‬‭to‬‭include‬‭the‬‭Kantishna‬‭Hills‬‭and‬‭the‬ ‭northernmost‬‭cordillera‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Outer‬‭Range,‬‭but‬‭a‬‭parcel‬‭of‬‭low‬‭terrain‬‭within‬‭the‬‭new‬ ‭park‬‭acreage‬‭was‬‭omitted:‬‭a‬‭long‬‭arm‬‭of‬‭land‬‭known‬‭as‬‭the‬‭Wolf‬‭Townships,‬‭which‬ ‭encompasses‬‭the‬‭first‬‭half‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Stampede‬‭Trail.‬‭Because‬‭this‬‭seven-by-twenty-mile‬‭tract‬ ‭is‬‭surrounded‬‭on‬‭three‬‭sides‬‭by‬‭the‬‭protected‬‭acreage‬‭of‬‭the‬‭national‬‭park,‬‭it‬‭harbors‬‭more‬ ‭than‬‭its‬‭share‬‭of‬‭wolf,‬‭bear,‬‭caribou,‬‭moose,‬‭and‬‭other‬‭game,‬‭a‬‭local‬‭secret‬‭that's‬‭jealously‬ ‭guarded‬‭by‬‭those‬‭hunters‬‭and‬‭trappers‬‭who‬‭are‬‭aware‬‭of‬‭the‬‭anomaly.‬‭As‬‭soon‬‭as‬‭moose‬ ‭season‬‭opens‬‭in‬‭the‬‭fall,‬‭a‬‭handful‬‭of‬‭hunters‬‭typically‬‭pays‬‭a‬‭visit‬‭to‬‭the‬‭old‬‭bus,‬‭which‬ ‭sits‬‭beside‬‭the‬‭Sushana‬‭River‬‭at‬‭the‬‭westernmost‬‭end‬‭of‬‭the‬‭nonpark‬‭tract,‬‭within‬‭two‬ ‭ iles‬‭of‬‭the‬‭park‬‭boundary.‬ m ‭Ken‬‭Thompson,‬‭the‬‭owner‬‭of‬‭an‬‭Anchorage‬‭auto-body‬‭shop,‬‭Gordon‬‭Samel,‬‭his‬ ‭employee,‬‭and‬‭their‬‭friend‬‭Ferdie‬‭Swanson,‬‭a‬‭construction‬‭worker,‬‭set‬‭out‬‭for‬‭the‬‭bus‬‭on‬ ‭September‬‭6,‬‭1992,‬‭stalking‬‭moose.‬‭It‬‭isn't‬‭an‬‭easy‬‭place‬‭to‬‭reach.‬‭About‬‭ten‬‭miles‬‭past‬ ‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭the‬‭improved‬‭road‬‭the‬‭Stampede‬‭Trail‬‭crosses‬‭the‬‭Teklanika‬‭River,‬‭a‬‭fast,‬‭icy‬ ‭stream‬‭whose‬‭waters‬‭are‬‭opaque‬‭with‬‭glacial‬‭till.‬‭The‬‭trail‬‭comes‬‭down‬‭to‬‭the‬‭riverbank‬ ‭just‬‭upstream‬‭from‬‭a‬‭narrow‬‭gorge,‬‭through‬‭which‬‭the‬‭Teklanika‬‭surges‬‭in‬‭a‬‭boil‬‭of‬‭white‬ ‭water.‬‭The‬‭prospect‬‭of‬‭fording‬‭this‬‭/affe-colored‬‭torrent‬‭discourages‬‭most‬‭people‬‭from‬ ‭traveling‬‭any‬‭farther.‬ ‭Thompson,‬‭Samel,‬‭and‬‭Swanson,‬‭however,‬‭are‬‭contumacious‬‭Alaskans‬‭with‬‭a‬‭special‬ ‭fondness‬‭for‬‭driving‬‭motor‬‭vehicles‬‭where‬‭motor‬‭vehicles‬‭aren't‬‭really‬‭designed‬‭to‬‭be‬ ‭driven.‬‭Upon‬‭arriving‬‭at‬‭the‬‭Teklanika,‬‭they‬‭scouted‬‭the‬‭banks‬‭until‬‭they‬‭located‬‭a‬‭wide,‬ ‭braided‬‭section‬‭with‬‭relatively‬‭shallow‬‭channels,‬‭and‬‭then‬‭they‬‭steered‬‭headlong‬‭into‬‭the‬ ‭flood.‬ ‭"I‬‭went‬‭first,"‬‭Thompson‬‭says.‬‭"The‬‭river‬‭was‬‭probably‬‭seventy-five‬‭feet‬‭across‬‭and‬ ‭real‬‭swift.‬‭My‬‭rig‬‭is‬‭a‬‭jacked-up‬‭eighty-two‬‭Dodge‬‭four‬‭by‬‭four‬‭with‬‭thirty-eight-inch‬ ‭rubber‬‭on‬‭it,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭water‬‭was‬‭right‬‭up‬‭to‬‭the‬‭hood.‬‭At‬‭one‬‭point‬‭I‬‭didn't‬‭think‬‭I'd‬‭get‬ ‭across.‬‭Gordon‬‭has‬‭a‬‭eight-thousand-pound‬‭winch‬‭on‬‭the‬‭front‬‭of‬‭his‬‭rig;‬‭I‬‭had‬‭him‬ ‭follow‬‭right‬‭behind‬‭so‬‭he‬‭could‬‭pull‬‭me‬‭out‬‭if‬‭I‬‭went‬‭out‬‭of‬‭sight."‬ ‭Thompson‬‭made‬‭it‬‭to‬‭the‬‭far‬‭bank‬‭without‬‭incident,‬‭followed‬‭by‬‭Samel‬‭and‬‭Swanson‬ ‭in‬‭their‬‭trucks.‬‭In‬‭the‬‭beds‬‭of‬‭two‬‭of‬‭the‬‭pickups‬‭were‬‭light-weight‬‭all-terrain‬‭vehicles:‬‭a‬ ‭three-wheeler‬‭and‬‭a‬‭four-wheeler.‬‭They‬‭parked‬‭the‬‭big‬‭rigs‬‭on‬‭a‬‭gravel‬‭bar,‬‭unloaded‬‭the‬ ‭ATVs,‬‭and‬‭continued‬‭toward‬‭the‬‭bus‬‭in‬‭the‬‭smaller,‬‭more‬‭maneuverable‬‭machines.‬ ‭A‬‭few‬‭hundred‬‭yards‬‭beyond‬‭the‬‭river‬‭the‬‭trail‬‭disappeared‬‭into‬‭a‬‭series‬‭of‬‭chest-deep‬ ‭beaver‬‭ponds.‬‭Undeterred,‬‭the‬‭three‬‭Alaskans‬‭dynamited‬‭the‬‭offending‬‭stick‬‭dams‬‭and‬ ‭ rained‬‭the‬‭ponds.‬‭Then‬‭they‬‭motored‬‭onward,‬‭up‬‭a‬‭rocky‬‭creek‬‭bed‬‭and‬‭through‬‭dense‬ d ‭alder‬‭thickets.‬‭It‬‭was‬‭late‬‭afternoon‬‭by‬‭the‬‭time‬‭they‬‭finally‬‭arrived‬‭at‬‭the‬‭bus.‬‭When‬‭they‬ ‭got‬‭there,‬‭according‬‭to‬‭Thompson,‬‭they‬‭found‬‭"a‬‭guy‬‭and‬‭a‬‭girl‬‭from‬‭Anchorage‬‭standing‬ ‭fifty‬‭feet‬‭away,‬‭looking‬‭kinda‬‭spooked."‬ ‭Neither‬‭of‬‭them‬‭had‬‭been‬‭in‬‭the‬‭bus,‬‭but‬‭they'd‬‭been‬‭close‬‭enough‬‭to‬‭notice‬‭"a‬‭real‬ ‭bad‬‭smell‬‭from‬‭inside."‬‭A‬‭makeshift‬‭signal‬‭flag—a‬‭red‬‭knitted‬‭leg‬‭warmer‬‭of‬‭the‬‭sort‬ ‭worn‬‭by‬‭dancers—‬‭was‬‭knotted‬‭to‬‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭an‬‭alder‬‭branch‬‭by‬‭the‬‭vehicle's‬‭rear‬‭exit.‬ ‭The‬‭door‬‭was‬‭ajar,‬‭and‬‭taped‬‭to‬‭it‬‭was‬‭a‬‭disquieting‬‭note.‬‭Handwritten‬‭in‬‭neat‬‭block‬ ‭letters‬‭on‬‭a‬‭page‬‭torn‬‭from‬‭a‬‭novel‬‭by‬‭Nikolay‬‭Gogol,‬‭it‬‭read:‬ ‭S.O.S.‬‭I‬‭NEED‬‭YOUR‬‭HELP.‬‭I‬‭AM‬‭INJURED,‬‭NEAR‬‭DEATH,‬‭AND‬‭TOO‬‭WEAK‬‭TO‬ ‭HIKE‬‭OUT‬‭OF‬‭HERE‬‭I‬‭AM‬‭ALL‬‭ALONE,‬‭THIS‬‭ISNO‬‭JOKE.‬‭IN‬‭THE‬‭NAME‬‭OF‬‭GOD,‬ ‭PLEASE‬‭REMAIN‬‭TO‬‭SAVE‬‭ME.‬‭I‬‭AM‬‭OUT‬‭COLLECTING‬‭BERRIES‬‭CLOSE‬‭BY‬‭AND‬ ‭SHALL‬‭RETURN‬‭THIS‬‭EVENING.‬‭THANK‬‭YOU,‬‭CHRIS‬‭MCCANDLESS.‬‭AUGUST?‬ ‭ he‬‭Anchorage‬‭couple‬‭had‬‭been‬‭too‬‭upset‬‭by‬‭the‬‭implication‬‭of‬‭the‬‭note‬‭and‬‭the‬ T ‭overpowering‬‭odor‬‭of‬‭decay‬‭to‬‭examine‬‭the‬‭bus's‬‭interior,‬‭so‬‭Samel‬‭steeled‬‭himself‬‭to‬ ‭take‬‭a‬‭look.‬‭A‬‭peek‬‭through‬‭a‬‭window‬‭revealed‬‭a‬‭Remington‬‭rifle,‬‭a‬‭plastic‬‭box‬‭of‬‭shells,‬ ‭eight‬‭or‬‭nine‬‭paperback‬‭books,‬‭some‬‭torn‬‭jeans,‬‭cooking‬‭utensils,‬‭and‬‭an‬‭expensive‬ ‭backpack.‬‭In‬‭the‬‭very‬‭rear‬‭of‬‭the‬‭vehicle,‬‭on‬‭a‬‭jerry-built‬‭bunk,‬‭was‬‭a‬‭blue‬‭sleeping‬‭bag‬ ‭that‬‭appeared‬‭to‬‭have‬‭something‬‭or‬‭someone‬‭inside‬‭it,‬‭although,‬‭says‬‭Samel,‬‭"it‬‭was‬‭hard‬ ‭to‬‭be‬‭absolutely‬‭sure.‬ ‭"I‬‭stood‬‭on‬‭a‬‭stump,"‬‭Samel‬‭continues,‬‭"reached‬‭through‬‭a‬ ‭back‬‭window,‬‭and‬‭gave‬‭the‬‭bag‬‭a‬‭shake.‬‭There‬‭was‬‭definitely‬‭something‬‭in‬‭it,‬‭but‬ ‭whatever‬‭it‬‭was‬‭didn't‬‭weigh‬‭much.‬‭It‬‭wasn't‬‭until‬‭I‬‭walked‬‭around‬‭to‬‭the‬‭other‬‭side‬‭and‬ ‭saw‬‭a‬‭head‬‭sticking‬‭out‬‭that‬‭I‬‭knew‬‭for‬‭certain‬‭what‬‭it‬‭was."‬‭Chris‬‭McCandless‬‭had‬‭been‬ ‭dead‬‭for‬‭two‬‭and‬‭a‬‭half‬‭weeks.‬ ‭Samel,‬‭a‬‭man‬‭of‬‭strong‬‭opinions,‬‭decided‬‭the‬‭body‬‭should‬‭be‬‭evacuated‬‭right‬‭away.‬ ‭There‬‭wasn't‬‭room‬‭on‬‭his‬‭or‬‭Thompson's‬‭small‬‭machine‬‭to‬‭haul‬‭the‬‭dead‬‭person‬‭out,‬ ‭however,‬‭nor‬‭was‬‭there‬‭space‬‭on‬‭the‬‭Anchorage‬‭couple's‬‭ATV.‬‭A‬‭short‬‭while‬‭later‬‭a‬‭sixth‬ ‭person‬‭appeared‬‭on‬‭the‬‭scene,‬‭a‬‭hunter‬‭from‬‭Healy‬‭named‬‭Butch‬‭Killian.‬‭Because‬‭Killian‬ ‭was‬‭driving‬‭an‬‭Argo—a‬‭large‬‭amphibious‬‭eight-wheeled‬‭ATV—Samel‬‭suggested‬‭that‬ ‭Killian‬‭evacuate‬‭the‬‭remains,‬‭but‬‭Killian‬‭declined,‬‭insisting‬‭it‬‭was‬‭a‬‭task‬‭more‬‭properly‬ ‭left‬‭to‬‭the‬‭Alaska‬‭State‬‭Troopers.‬ ‭Killian,‬‭a‬‭coal‬‭miner‬‭who‬‭moonlights‬‭as‬‭an‬‭emergency‬‭medical‬‭technician‬‭for‬‭the‬ ‭Healy‬‭Volunteer‬‭Fire‬‭Department,‬‭had‬‭a‬‭two-way‬‭radio‬‭on‬‭the‬‭Argo.‬‭When‬‭he‬‭couldn't‬ ‭raise‬‭anybody‬‭from‬‭where‬‭he‬‭was,‬‭he‬‭started‬‭driving‬‭back‬‭toward‬‭the‬‭highway;‬‭five‬‭miles‬ ‭down‬‭the‬‭trail,‬‭just‬‭before‬‭dark,‬‭he‬‭managed‬‭to‬‭make‬‭contact‬‭with‬‭the‬‭radio‬‭operator‬‭at‬ ‭the‬‭Healy‬‭power‬‭plant.‬‭"Dispatch,"‬‭he‬‭reported,‬‭"this‬‭is‬‭Butch.‬‭You‬‭better‬‭call‬‭the‬ ‭troopers.‬‭There's‬‭a‬‭man‬‭back‬‭in‬‭the‬‭bus‬‭by‬‭the‬‭Sushana.‬‭Looks‬‭like‬‭he's‬‭been‬‭dead‬‭for‬‭a‬ ‭while."‬ ‭At‬‭eight-thirty‬‭the‬‭next‬‭morning,‬‭a‬‭police‬‭helicopter‬‭touched‬‭down‬‭noisily‬‭beside‬‭the‬ ‭bus‬‭in‬‭a‬‭blizzard‬‭of‬‭dust‬‭and‬‭swirling‬‭aspen‬‭leaves.‬‭The‬‭troopers‬‭made‬‭a‬‭cursory‬ ‭examination‬‭of‬‭the‬‭vehicle‬‭and‬‭its‬‭environs‬‭for‬‭signs‬‭of‬‭foul‬‭play‬‭and‬‭then‬‭departed.‬ ‭ hen‬‭they‬‭flew‬‭away,‬‭they‬‭took‬‭McCandless‬‭s‬‭remains,‬‭a‬‭camera‬‭with‬‭five‬‭rolls‬‭of‬ W ‭exposed‬‭film,‬‭the‬‭SOS‬‭note,‬‭and‬‭a‬‭diary—written‬‭across‬‭the‬‭last‬‭two‬‭pages‬‭of‬‭a‬‭field‬ ‭guide‬‭to‬‭edible‬‭plants—‬‭that‬‭recorded‬‭the‬‭young‬‭man's‬‭final‬‭weeks‬‭in‬‭113‬‭terse,‬ ‭enigmatic‬‭entries.‬ ‭The‬‭body‬‭was‬‭taken‬‭to‬‭Anchorage,‬‭where‬‭an‬‭autopsy‬‭was‬‭performed‬‭at‬‭the‬‭Scientific‬ ‭Crime‬‭Detection‬‭Laboratory.‬‭The‬‭remains‬‭were‬‭so‬‭badly‬‭decomposed‬‭that‬‭it‬‭was‬ ‭impossible‬‭to‬‭determine‬‭exactly‬‭when‬‭McCandless‬‭had‬‭died,‬‭but‬‭the‬‭coroner‬‭could‬‭find‬ ‭no‬‭sign‬‭of‬‭massive‬‭internal‬‭injuries‬‭or‬‭broken‬‭bones.‬ ‭Virtually‬‭no‬‭subcutaneous‬‭fat‬‭remained‬‭on‬‭the‬‭body,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭muscles‬‭had‬‭withered‬ ‭significantly‬‭in‬‭the‬‭days‬‭or‬‭weeks‬‭prior‬‭to‬‭death.‬‭At‬‭the‬‭time‬‭of‬‭the‬‭autopsy,‬ ‭ cCandless's‬‭remains‬‭weighed‬‭sixty-seven‬‭pounds.‬‭Starvation‬‭was‬‭posited‬‭as‬‭the‬‭most‬ M ‭probable‬‭cause‬‭of‬‭death.‬ ‭McCandless's‬‭signature‬‭had‬‭been‬‭penned‬‭at‬‭the‬‭bottom‬‭of‬‭the‬‭SOS‬‭note,‬‭and‬‭the‬ ‭photos,‬‭when‬‭developed,‬‭included‬‭many‬‭self-portraits.‬‭But‬‭because‬‭he‬‭had‬‭been‬‭carrying‬ ‭no‬‭identification,‬‭the‬‭authorities‬‭didn't‬‭know‬‭who‬‭he‬‭was,‬‭where‬‭he‬‭was‬‭from,‬‭or‬‭why‬‭he‬ ‭was‬‭there.‬ ‭ HAPTER‬‭THREE‬ C ‭CARTHAGE‬ ‭/wanted‬‭movement‬‭and‬‭not‬‭a‬‭calm‬‭course‬‭of‬‭existence.‬‭I‬‭wanted‬‭excitement‬‭and‬ ‭danger‬‭and‬‭the‬‭chance‬‭to‬‭sacrifice‬‭myself‬‭for‬‭my‬‭love.‬‭I‬‭felt‬‭in‬‭myself‬‭a‬‭superabundance‬ ‭of‬‭energy‬‭which‬‭found‬‭no‬‭outlet‬‭in‬‭our‬‭quiet‬‭life.‬ ‭leo‬‭tolstoy,‬‭"family‬‭happiness"‬ ‭passage‬‭highlighted‬‭in‬‭one‬‭of‬‭the‬‭books‬ ‭found‬‭with‬‭chris‬‭mccandless's‬‭remains‬ ‭It‬‭should‬‭not‬‭be‬‭denied.‬‭.‬‭.‬‭that‬‭being‬‭footloose‬‭has‬‭always‬‭exhilarated‬‭us.‬‭It‬‭is‬ ‭associated‬‭in‬‭our‬‭minds‬‭with‬‭escape‬‭from‬‭history‬‭and‬‭oppression‬‭and‬‭law‬‭and‬‭irksome‬ ‭obligations,‬‭with‬‭absolute‬‭freedom,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭road‬‭has‬‭always‬‭led‬‭west.‬ ‭wallace‬‭stegner,the‬‭american‬‭west‬‭as‬‭living‬‭space‬ ‭Carthage,‬‭South‬‭Dakota,‬‭population‬‭274,‬‭is‬‭a‬‭sleepy‬‭little‬‭cluster‬‭of‬‭clapboard‬‭houses,‬ ‭tidy‬‭yards,‬‭and‬‭weathered‬‭brick‬‭storefronts‬‭rising‬‭humbly‬‭from‬‭the‬‭immensity‬‭of‬‭the‬ ‭northern‬‭plains,‬‭set‬‭adrift‬‭in‬‭time.‬‭Stately‬‭rows‬‭of‬‭cottonwoods‬‭shade‬‭a‬‭grid‬‭of‬‭streets‬ ‭seldom‬‭disturbed‬‭by‬‭moving‬‭vehicles.‬‭There's‬‭one‬‭grocery‬‭in‬‭town,‬‭one‬‭bank,‬‭a‬‭single‬‭gas‬ ‭ tation,‬‭a‬‭lone‬‭bar—the‬‭Cabaret,‬‭where‬‭Wayne‬‭Westerberg‬‭is‬‭sipping‬‭a‬‭cocktail‬‭and‬ s ‭chewing‬‭on‬‭a‬‭sweet‬‭cigar,‬‭remembering‬‭the‬‭odd‬‭young‬‭man‬‭he‬‭knew‬‭as‬‭Alex.‬ ‭The‬‭Cabaret's‬‭plywood-paneled‬‭walls‬‭are‬‭hung‬‭with‬‭deer‬‭antlers,‬‭Old‬‭Milwaukee‬‭beer‬ ‭promos,‬‭and‬‭mawkish‬‭paintings‬‭of‬‭game‬‭birds‬‭taking‬‭flight.‬‭Tendrils‬‭of‬‭cigarette‬‭smoke‬ ‭rise‬‭from‬‭clumps‬‭of‬‭farmers‬‭in‬‭overalls‬‭and‬‭dusty‬‭feed‬‭caps,‬‭their‬‭tired‬‭faces‬‭as‬‭grimy‬‭as‬ ‭coal‬‭miners'.‬‭Speaking‬‭in‬‭short,‬‭matter-of-fact‬‭phrases,‬‭they‬‭worry‬‭aloud‬‭over‬‭the‬‭fickle‬ ‭ eather‬‭and‬‭fields‬‭of‬‭sunflowers‬‭still‬‭too‬‭wet‬‭to‬‭cut,‬‭while‬‭above‬‭their‬‭heads‬‭Ross‬‭Perot‬‭s‬ w ‭sneering‬‭visage‬‭flickers‬‭across‬‭a‬‭silent‬‭television‬‭screen.‬‭In‬‭eight‬‭days‬‭the‬‭nation‬‭will‬ ‭elect‬‭Bill‬‭Clinton‬‭president.‬‭It's‬‭been‬‭nearly‬‭two‬‭months‬‭now‬‭since‬‭the‬‭body‬‭of‬‭Chris‬ ‭McCandless‬‭turned‬‭up‬‭in‬‭Alaska.‬ ‭"These‬‭are‬‭what‬‭Alex‬‭used‬‭to‬‭drink,"‬‭says‬‭Westerberg‬‭with‬‭a‬‭frown,‬‭swirling‬‭the‬‭ice‬ ‭in‬‭his‬‭White‬‭Russian.‬‭"He‬‭used‬‭to‬‭sit‬‭right‬‭there‬‭at‬‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭the‬‭bar‬‭and‬‭tell‬‭us‬‭these‬ ‭amazing‬‭stories‬‭of‬‭his‬‭travels.‬‭He‬‭could‬‭talk‬‭for‬‭hours.‬‭A‬‭lot‬‭of‬‭folks‬‭here‬‭in‬‭town‬‭got‬ ‭pretty‬‭attached‬‭to‬‭old‬‭Alex.‬‭Kind‬‭of‬‭a‬‭strange‬‭deal‬‭what‬‭happened‬‭to‬‭him."‬ ‭Westerberg,‬‭a‬‭hyperkinetic‬‭man‬‭with‬‭thick‬‭shoulders‬‭and‬‭a‬‭black‬‭goatee,‬‭owns‬‭a‬‭grain‬ ‭elevator‬‭in‬‭Carthage‬‭and‬‭another‬‭one‬‭a‬‭few‬‭miles‬‭out‬‭of‬‭town‬‭but‬‭spends‬‭every‬‭summer‬ ‭running‬‭a‬‭custom‬‭combine‬‭crew‬‭that‬‭follows‬‭the‬‭harvest‬‭from‬‭Texas‬‭north‬‭to‬‭the‬ ‭Canadian‬‭border.‬‭In‬‭the‬‭fall‬‭of‬‭1990,‬‭he‬‭was‬‭wrapping‬‭up‬‭the‬‭season‬‭in‬‭north-central‬ ‭Montana,‬‭cutting‬‭barley‬‭for‬‭Coors‬‭and‬‭Anheuser-Busch.‬‭On‬‭the‬‭afternoon‬‭of‬‭September‬ ‭10,‬‭driving‬‭out‬‭of‬‭Cut‬‭Bank‬‭after‬‭buying‬‭some‬‭parts‬‭for‬‭a‬‭malfunctioning‬‭combine,‬‭he‬ ‭pulled‬‭over‬‭for‬‭a‬‭hitchhiker,‬‭an‬‭amiable‬‭kid‬‭who‬‭said‬‭his‬‭name‬‭was‬‭Alex‬‭McCandless.‬ ‭McCandless‬‭was‬‭smallish‬‭with‬‭the‬‭hard,‬‭stringy‬‭physique‬‭of‬‭an‬‭itinerant‬‭laborer.‬ ‭There‬‭was‬‭something‬‭arresting‬‭about‬‭the‬‭youngster's‬‭eyes.‬‭Dark‬‭and‬‭emotive,‬‭they‬ ‭suggested‬‭a‬‭trace‬‭of‬‭exotic‬‭blood‬‭in‬‭his‬‭heritage—Greek,‬‭maybe,‬‭or‬‭Chippewa—and‬ ‭conveyed‬‭a‬‭vulnerability‬‭that‬‭made‬‭Westerberg‬‭want‬‭to‬‭take‬‭the‬‭kid‬‭under‬‭his‬‭wing.‬‭He‬ ‭had‬‭the‬‭kind‬‭of‬‭sensitive‬‭good‬‭looks‬‭that‬‭women‬‭made‬‭a‬‭big‬‭fuss‬‭over,‬‭Westerberg‬ ‭imagined.‬‭His‬‭face‬‭had‬‭a‬‭strange‬‭elasticity:‬‭It‬‭would‬‭be‬‭slack‬‭and‬‭expressionless‬‭one‬ ‭minute,‬‭only‬‭to‬‭twist‬‭suddenly‬‭into‬‭a‬‭gaping,‬‭oversize‬‭grin‬‭that‬‭distorted‬‭his‬‭features‬‭and‬ ‭exposed‬‭a‬‭mouthful‬‭of‬‭horsy‬‭teeth.‬‭He‬‭was‬‭nearsighted‬‭and‬‭wore‬‭steel-rimmed‬‭glasses.‬ ‭He‬‭looked‬‭hungry.‬ ‭Ten‬‭minutes‬‭after‬‭picking‬‭up‬‭McCandless,‬‭Westerberg‬‭stopped‬‭in‬‭the‬‭town‬‭of‬ ‭Ethridge‬‭to‬‭deliver‬‭a‬‭package‬‭to‬‭a‬‭friend.‬‭"He‬‭offered‬‭us‬‭both‬‭a‬‭beer,"‬‭says‬‭Westerberg,‬ ‭"and‬‭asked‬‭Alex‬‭how‬‭long‬‭it'd‬‭been‬‭since‬‭he‬‭ate.‬‭Alex‬‭allowed‬‭how‬‭it'd‬‭been‬‭a‬‭couple‬‭of‬ ‭days.‬‭Said‬‭he'd‬‭kind‬‭of‬‭run‬‭out‬‭of‬‭money."‬‭Overhearing‬‭this,‬‭the‬‭friend‬‭s‬‭wife‬‭insisted‬‭on‬ ‭cooking‬‭Alex‬‭a‬‭big‬‭dinner,‬‭which‬‭he‬‭wolfed‬‭down,‬‭and‬‭then‬‭he‬‭fell‬‭asleep‬‭at‬‭the‬‭table.‬ ‭McCandless‬‭had‬‭told‬‭Westerberg‬‭that‬‭his‬‭destination‬‭was‬‭Saco‬‭Hot‬‭Springs,‬‭240‬ ‭miles‬‭to‬‭the‬‭east‬‭on‬‭U.S.‬‭Highway‬‭2,‬‭a‬‭place‬‭he'd‬‭heard‬‭about‬‭from‬‭some‬‭"rubber‬‭tramps"‬ ‭(i.e.,‬‭vagabonds‬‭who‬‭owned‬‭a‬‭vehicle;‬‭as‬‭distinguished‬‭from‬‭"leather‬‭tramps,"‬‭who‬ ‭lacked‬‭personal‬‭transportation‬‭and‬‭were‬‭thus‬‭forced‬‭to‬‭hitchhike‬‭or‬‭walk).‬‭Westerberg‬ ‭had‬‭replied‬‭that‬‭he‬‭could‬‭take‬‭McCandless‬‭only‬‭ten‬‭miles‬‭down‬‭the‬‭road,‬‭at‬‭which‬‭point‬ ‭he‬‭would‬‭be‬‭turning‬‭north‬‭toward‬‭Sunburst,‬‭where‬‭he‬‭kept‬‭a‬‭trailer‬‭near‬‭the‬‭fields‬‭he‬‭was‬ ‭ utting.‬‭By‬‭the‬‭time‬‭Westerberg‬‭steered‬‭over‬‭to‬‭the‬‭shoulder‬‭to‬‭drop‬‭McCandless‬‭off,‬‭it‬ c ‭was‬‭ten-thirty‬‭at‬‭night‬‭and‬‭raining‬‭hard.‬‭"Jeeze,"‬‭Westerberg‬‭told‬‭him,‬‭"I‬‭hate‬‭to‬‭leave‬ ‭you‬‭out‬‭here‬‭in‬‭the‬‭goddamn‬‭rain.‬‭You‬‭got‬‭a‬‭sleeping‬‭bag—why‬‭don't‬‭you‬‭come‬‭on‬‭up‬‭to‬ ‭Sunburst,‬‭spend‬‭the‬‭night‬‭in‬‭the‬‭trailer?"‬ ‭McCandless‬‭stayed‬‭with‬‭Westerberg‬‭for‬‭three‬‭days,‬‭riding‬‭out‬‭with‬‭his‬‭crew‬‭each‬ ‭morning‬‭as‬‭the‬‭workers‬‭piloted‬‭their‬‭lumbering‬‭machines‬‭across‬‭the‬‭ocean‬‭of‬‭ripe‬‭blond‬ ‭grain.‬‭Before‬‭McCandless‬‭and‬‭Westerberg‬‭went‬‭their‬‭separate‬‭ways,‬‭Westerberg‬‭told‬‭the‬ ‭ oung‬‭man‬‭to‬‭look‬‭him‬‭up‬‭in‬‭Carthage‬‭if‬‭he‬‭ever‬‭needed‬‭a‬‭job.‬ y ‭"Was‬‭only‬‭a‬‭couple‬‭of‬‭weeks‬‭that‬‭went‬‭by‬‭before‬‭Alex‬‭showed‬‭up‬‭in‬‭town,"‬ ‭Westerberg‬‭remembers.‬‭He‬‭gave‬‭McCandless‬‭employment‬‭at‬‭the‬‭grain‬‭elevator‬‭and‬ ‭rented‬‭him‬‭a‬‭cheap‬‭room‬‭in‬‭one‬‭of‬‭the‬‭two‬‭houses‬‭he‬‭owned.‬ ‭"I've‬‭given‬‭jobs‬‭to‬‭lots‬‭of‬‭hitchhikers‬‭over‬‭the‬‭years,"‬‭says‬‭Westerberg.‬‭"Most‬‭of‬‭them‬ ‭weren't‬‭much‬‭good,‬‭didn't‬‭really‬‭want‬‭to‬‭work.‬‭It‬‭was‬‭a‬‭different‬‭story‬‭with‬‭Alex.‬‭He‬‭was‬ ‭the‬‭hardest‬‭worker‬‭I've‬‭ever‬‭seen.‬‭Didn't‬‭matter‬‭what‬‭it‬‭was,‬‭he'd‬‭do‬‭it:‬‭hard‬‭physical‬ ‭labor,‬‭mucking‬‭rotten‬‭grain‬‭and‬‭dead‬‭rats‬‭out‬‭of‬‭the‬‭bottom‬‭of‬‭the‬‭hole—jobs‬‭where‬‭you'd‬ ‭get‬‭so‬‭damn‬‭dirty‬‭you‬‭couldn't‬‭even‬‭tell‬‭what‬‭you‬‭looked‬‭like‬‭at‬‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭the‬‭day.‬‭And‬ ‭he‬‭never‬‭quit‬‭in‬‭the‬‭middle‬‭of‬‭something.‬‭If‬‭he‬‭started‬‭a‬‭job,‬‭he'd‬‭finish‬‭it.‬‭It‬‭was‬‭almost‬ ‭like‬‭a‬‭moral‬‭thing‬‭for‬‭him.‬‭He‬‭was‬‭what‬‭you'd‬‭call‬‭extremely‬‭ethical.‬‭He‬‭set‬‭pretty‬‭high‬ ‭standards‬‭for‬‭himself.‬ ‭"You‬‭could‬‭tell‬‭right‬‭away‬‭that‬‭Alex‬‭was‬‭intelligent,"‬‭Wester-berg‬‭reflects,‬‭draining‬ ‭his‬‭third‬‭drink.‬‭"He‬‭read‬‭a‬‭lot.‬‭Used‬‭a‬‭lot‬‭of‬‭big‬‭words.‬‭I‬‭think‬‭maybe‬‭part‬‭of‬‭what‬‭got‬ ‭him‬‭into‬‭trouble‬‭was‬‭that‬‭he‬‭did‬‭too‬‭much‬‭thinking.‬‭Sometimes‬‭he‬‭tried‬‭too‬‭hard‬‭to‬‭make‬ ‭sense‬‭of‬‭the‬‭world,‬‭to‬‭figure‬‭out‬‭why‬‭people‬‭were‬‭bad‬‭to‬‭each‬‭other‬‭so‬‭often.‬‭A‬‭couple‬‭of‬ ‭times‬‭I‬‭tried‬‭to‬‭tell‬‭him‬‭it‬‭was‬‭a‬‭mistake‬‭to‬‭get‬‭too‬‭deep‬‭into‬‭that‬‭kind‬‭of‬‭stuff,‬‭but‬‭Alex‬ ‭got‬‭stuck‬‭on‬‭things.‬‭He‬‭always‬‭had‬‭to‬‭know‬‭the‬‭absolute‬‭right‬‭answer‬‭before‬‭he‬‭could‬‭go‬ ‭on‬‭to‬‭the‬‭next‬‭thing."‬ ‭At‬‭one‬‭point‬‭Westerberg‬‭discovered‬‭from‬‭a‬‭tax‬‭form‬‭that‬‭McCandless's‬‭real‬‭name‬‭was‬ ‭Chris,‬‭not‬‭Alex.‬‭"He‬‭never‬‭explained‬‭why‬‭he'd‬‭changed‬‭his‬‭name,"‬‭says‬‭Westerberg.‬ ‭"From‬‭things‬‭he‬‭said,‬‭you‬‭could‬‭tell‬‭something‬‭wasn't‬‭right‬‭between‬‭him‬‭and‬‭his‬‭family,‬ ‭but‬‭I‬‭don't‬‭like‬‭to‬‭pry‬‭into‬‭other‬‭people's‬‭business,‬‭so‬‭I‬‭never‬‭asked‬‭about‬‭it."‬ ‭If‬‭McCandless‬‭felt‬‭estranged‬‭from‬‭his‬‭parents‬‭and‬‭siblings,‬‭he‬‭found‬‭a‬‭surrogate‬ ‭family‬‭in‬‭Westerberg‬‭and‬‭his‬‭employees,‬‭most‬‭of‬‭whom‬‭lived‬‭in‬‭Westerberg's‬‭Carthage‬ ‭home.‬‭A‬‭few‬‭blocks‬‭from‬‭the‬‭center‬‭of‬‭town,‬‭it‬‭is‬‭a‬‭simple,‬‭two-story‬‭Victorian‬‭in‬‭the‬ ‭Queen‬‭Anne‬‭style,‬‭with‬‭a‬‭big‬‭cottonwood‬‭towering‬‭over‬‭the‬‭front‬‭yard.‬‭The‬‭living‬ ‭arrangements‬‭were‬‭loose‬‭and‬‭convivial.‬‭The‬‭four‬‭or‬‭five‬‭inhabitants‬‭took‬‭turns‬‭cooking‬ ‭for‬‭one‬‭another,‬‭went‬‭drinking‬‭together,‬‭and‬‭chased‬‭women‬‭together,‬‭without‬‭success.‬ ‭McCandless‬‭quickly‬‭became‬‭enamored‬‭of‬‭Carthage.‬‭He‬‭liked‬‭the‬‭community's‬‭stasis,‬ ‭its‬‭plebeian‬‭virtues‬‭and‬‭unassuming‬‭mien.‬‭The‬‭place‬‭was‬‭a‬‭back‬‭eddy,‬‭a‬‭pool‬‭of‬‭jetsam‬ ‭beyond‬‭the‬‭pull‬‭of‬‭the‬‭main‬‭current,‬‭and‬‭that‬‭suited‬‭him‬‭just‬‭fine.‬‭That‬‭fall‬‭he‬‭developed‬‭a‬ ‭lasting‬‭bond‬‭with‬‭both‬‭the‬‭town‬‭and‬‭Wayne‬‭Westerberg.‬ ‭ esterberg,‬‭in‬‭his‬‭mid-thirties,‬‭was‬‭brought‬‭to‬‭Carthage‬‭as‬‭a‬‭young‬‭boy‬‭by‬‭adoptive‬ W ‭parents.‬‭A‬‭Renaissance‬‭man‬‭of‬‭the‬‭plains,‬‭he‬‭is‬‭a‬‭farmer,‬‭welder,‬‭businessman,‬‭machinist,‬ ‭ace‬‭mechanic,‬‭commodities‬‭speculator,‬‭licensed‬‭airplane‬‭pilot,‬‭computer‬‭programmer,‬ ‭electronics‬‭troubleshooter,‬‭video-game‬‭repairman.‬‭Shortly‬‭before‬‭he‬‭met‬‭McCandless,‬ ‭however,‬‭one‬‭of‬‭his‬‭talents‬‭had‬‭got‬‭him‬‭in‬‭trouble‬‭with‬‭the‬‭law.‬ ‭Westerberg‬‭had‬‭been‬‭drawn‬‭into‬‭a‬‭scheme‬‭to‬‭build‬‭and‬‭sell‬‭"black‬‭boxes,"‬‭which‬ ‭illegally‬‭unscramble‬‭satellite-television‬‭transmissions,‬‭allowing‬‭people‬‭to‬‭watch‬ ‭encrypted‬‭cable‬‭programming‬‭without‬‭paying‬‭for‬‭it.‬‭The‬‭FBI‬‭caught‬‭wind‬‭of‬‭this,‬‭set‬‭up‬‭a‬ ‭sting,‬‭and‬‭arrested‬‭Westerberg.‬‭Contrite,‬‭he‬‭copped‬‭a‬‭plea‬‭to‬‭a‬‭single‬‭felony‬‭count‬‭and‬‭on‬ ‭ ctober‬‭10,‬‭1990,‬‭some‬‭two‬‭weeks‬‭after‬‭McCandless‬‭arrived‬‭in‬‭Carthage,‬‭began‬‭serving‬ O ‭a‬‭four-month‬‭sentence‬‭in‬‭Sioux‬‭Falls.‬‭With‬‭Westerberg‬‭in‬‭stir,‬‭there‬‭was‬‭no‬‭work‬‭at‬‭the‬ ‭grain‬‭elevator‬‭for‬‭McCandless,‬‭so‬‭on‬‭October‬‭23,‬‭sooner‬‭than‬‭he‬‭might‬‭have‬‭under‬ ‭different‬‭circumstances,‬‭the‬‭boy‬‭left‬‭town‬‭and‬‭resumed‬‭a‬‭nomadic‬‭existence.‬ ‭The‬‭attachment‬‭McCandless‬‭felt‬‭for‬‭Carthage‬‭remained‬‭powerful,‬‭however.‬‭Before‬ ‭departing,‬‭he‬‭gave‬‭Westerberg‬‭a‬‭treasured‬‭1942‬‭edition‬‭of‬‭Tolstoy'sWar‬‭and‬‭Peace.‬‭On‬ ‭the‬‭title‬‭page‬‭he‬‭inscribed,‬‭"Transferred‬‭to‬‭Wayne‬‭Westerberg‬‭fromAlexander.‬‭October,‬ ‭1990.‬‭Listen‬‭toPierre."‬‭(The‬‭latter‬‭is‬‭a‬‭reference‬‭to‬‭Tolstoy's‬‭protagonist‬‭and‬‭alter‬‭ego,‬ ‭Pierre‬‭Bezuhov—altruistic,‬‭questing,‬‭illegitimately‬‭born.)‬‭And‬‭McCandless‬‭stayed‬‭in‬ ‭touch‬‭with‬‭Westerberg‬‭as‬‭he‬‭roamed‬‭the‬‭West,‬‭calling‬‭or‬‭writing‬‭Carthage‬‭every‬‭month‬ ‭or‬‭two.‬‭He‬‭had‬‭all‬‭his‬‭mail‬‭forwarded‬‭to‬‭Westerberg's‬‭address‬‭and‬‭told‬‭almost‬‭everyone‬ ‭he‬‭met‬‭thereafter‬‭that‬‭South‬‭Dakota‬‭was‬‭his‬‭home.‬ ‭In‬‭truth‬‭McCandless‬‭had‬‭been‬‭raised‬‭in‬‭the‬‭comfortable‬‭upper-middle-class‬‭environs‬ ‭of‬‭Annandale,‬‭Virginia.‬‭His‬‭father,‬‭Walt,‬‭is‬‭an‬‭eminent‬‭aerospace‬‭engineer‬‭who‬‭designed‬ ‭advanced‬‭radar‬‭systems‬‭for‬‭the‬‭space‬‭shuttle‬‭and‬‭other‬‭high-profile‬‭projects‬‭while‬‭in‬‭the‬ ‭employ‬‭of‬‭NASA‬‭and‬‭Hughes‬‭Aircraft‬‭in‬‭the‬‭1960s‬‭and‬‭70s.‬‭In‬‭1978,‬‭Walt‬‭went‬‭into‬ ‭business‬‭for‬‭himself,‬‭launching‬‭a‬‭small‬‭but‬‭eventually‬‭prosperous‬‭consulting‬‭firm,‬‭User‬ ‭Systems,‬‭Incorporated.‬‭His‬‭partner‬‭in‬‭the‬‭venture‬‭was‬‭Chris's‬‭mother,‬‭Bil-lie.‬‭There‬‭were‬ ‭eight‬‭children‬‭in‬‭the‬‭extended‬‭family:‬‭a‬‭younger‬‭sister,‬‭Carine,‬‭with‬‭whom‬‭Chris‬‭was‬ ‭extremely‬‭close,‬‭and‬‭six‬‭half-brothers‬‭and‬‭sisters‬‭from‬‭Walt's‬‭first‬‭marriage.‬ ‭In‬‭May‬‭1990,‬‭Chris‬‭graduated‬‭from‬‭Emory‬‭University‬‭in‬‭Atlanta,‬‭where‬‭he'd‬‭been‬‭a‬ ‭columnist‬‭for,‬‭and‬‭editor‬‭of,‬‭the‬‭student‬‭newspaper,The‬‭Emory‬‭Wheel,‬‭and‬‭had‬ ‭distinguished‬‭himself‬‭as‬‭a‬‭history‬‭and‬‭anthropology‬‭major‬‭with‬‭a‬‭3.72‬‭grade-point‬ ‭average.‬‭He‬‭was‬‭offered‬‭membership‬‭in‬‭Phi‬‭Beta‬‭Kappa‬‭but‬‭declined,‬‭insisting‬‭that‬‭titles‬ ‭and‬‭honors‬‭are‬‭irrelevant.‬ ‭The‬‭final‬‭two‬‭years‬‭of‬‭his‬‭college‬‭education‬‭had‬‭been‬‭paid‬‭for‬‭with‬‭a‬‭forty-thousanddollar‬ ‭bequest‬‭left‬‭by‬‭a‬‭friend‬‭of‬‭the‬‭family's;‬‭more‬‭than‬‭twenty-four‬‭thousand‬‭dollars‬ ‭remained‬‭at‬‭the‬‭time‬‭of‬‭Chris's‬‭graduation,‬‭money‬‭his‬‭parents‬‭thought‬‭he‬‭intended‬‭to‬‭use‬ ‭for‬‭law‬‭school.‬‭"We‬‭misread‬‭him,"‬‭his‬‭father‬‭admits.‬‭What‬‭Walt,‬‭Billie,‬‭and‬‭Carine‬‭didn't‬ ‭know‬‭when‬‭they‬‭flew‬‭down‬‭to‬‭Atlanta‬‭to‬‭attend‬‭Chris's‬‭commencement—what‬‭nobody‬ ‭knew—was‬‭that‬‭he‬‭would‬‭shortly‬‭donate‬‭all‬‭the‬‭money‬‭in‬‭his‬‭college‬‭fund‬‭to‬‭OXFAM‬ ‭America,‬‭a‬‭charity‬‭dedicated‬‭to‬‭fighting‬‭hunger.‬ ‭ he‬‭graduation‬‭ceremony‬‭was‬‭on‬‭May‬‭12,‬‭a‬‭Saturday.‬‭The‬‭family‬‭sat‬‭through‬‭a‬‭longwinded‬ T ‭commencement‬‭address‬‭delivered‬‭by‬‭Secretary‬‭of‬‭Labor‬‭Elizabeth‬‭Dole,‬‭and‬‭then‬ ‭Billie‬‭snapped‬‭pictures‬‭of‬‭a‬‭grinning‬‭Chris‬‭traversing‬‭the‬‭stage‬‭to‬‭receive‬‭his‬‭diploma.‬ ‭The‬‭next‬‭day‬‭was‬‭Mother's‬‭Day.‬‭Chris‬‭gave‬‭Billie‬‭candy,‬‭flowers,‬‭a‬‭sentimental‬‭card.‬ ‭She‬‭was‬‭surprised‬‭and‬‭extremely‬‭touched:‬‭It‬‭was‬‭the‬‭first‬‭present‬‭she‬‭had‬‭received‬‭from‬ ‭her‬‭son‬‭in‬‭more‬‭than‬‭two‬‭years,‬‭since‬‭he‬‭had‬‭announced‬‭to‬‭his‬‭parents‬‭that,‬‭on‬‭principle,‬ ‭he‬‭would‬‭no‬‭longer‬‭give‬‭or‬‭accept‬‭gifts.‬‭Indeed,‬‭Chris‬‭had‬‭only‬‭recently‬‭upbraided‬‭Walt‬ ‭and‬‭Billie‬‭for‬‭expressing‬‭their‬‭desire‬‭to‬‭buy‬‭him‬‭a‬‭new‬‭car‬‭as‬‭a‬‭graduation‬‭present‬‭and‬‭offering‬ ‭to‬‭pay‬‭for‬‭law‬‭school‬‭if‬‭there‬‭wasn't‬‭enough‬‭money‬‭left‬‭in‬‭his‬‭college‬‭fund‬‭to‬‭cover‬ ‭it.‬ ‭ e‬‭already‬‭had‬‭a‬‭perfectly‬‭good‬‭car,‬‭he‬‭insisted:‬‭a‬‭beloved‬‭1982‬‭Datsun‬‭B210,‬ H ‭slightly‬‭dented‬‭but‬‭mechanically‬‭sound,‬‭with‬‭128,000‬‭miles‬‭on‬‭the‬‭odometer.‬‭"I‬‭can't‬ ‭believe‬‭they'd‬‭try‬‭and‬‭buy‬‭me‬‭a‬‭car,"‬‭he‬‭later‬‭complained‬‭in‬‭a‬‭letter‬‭to‬‭Carine,‬ ‭or‬‭that‬‭they‬‭think‬‭I'd‬‭actually‬‭let‬‭them‬‭pay‬‭for‬‭my‬‭law‬‭school‬‭if‬‭I‬‭was‬‭going‬‭togo....I've‬ ‭told‬‭them‬‭a‬‭million‬‭times‬‭that‬‭I‬‭have‬‭the‬‭best‬‭car‬‭in‬‭the‬‭world,‬‭a‬‭car‬‭that‬‭has‬‭spanned‬‭the‬ ‭continent‬‭from‬‭Miami‬‭to‬‭Alaska,‬‭a‬‭car‬‭that‬‭has‬‭in‬‭all‬‭those‬‭thousands‬‭of‬‭miles‬‭not‬‭given‬ ‭me‬‭a‬‭single‬‭problem,‬‭a‬‭car‬‭that‬‭I‬‭will‬‭never‬‭trade‬‭in,‬‭a‬‭car‬‭that‬‭I‬‭am‬‭very‬‭strongly‬ ‭attached‬‭to—yet‬‭they‬‭ignore‬‭what‬‭I‬‭say‬‭and‬‭think‬‭I'd‬‭actually‬‭accept‬‭a‬‭new‬‭car‬‭from‬ ‭them!‬‭I'm‬‭going‬‭to‬‭have‬‭to‬‭be‬‭real‬‭careful‬‭not‬‭to‬‭accept‬‭any‬‭gifts‬‭from‬‭them‬‭in‬‭the‬‭future‬ ‭because‬‭they‬‭will‬‭think‬‭they‬‭have‬‭bought‬‭my‬‭respect.‬ ‭Chris‬‭had‬‭purchased‬‭the‬‭secondhand‬‭yellow‬‭Datsun‬‭when‬‭he‬‭was‬‭a‬‭senior‬‭in‬‭high‬ ‭school.‬‭In‬‭the‬‭years‬‭since,‬‭he'd‬‭been‬‭in‬‭the‬‭habit‬‭of‬‭taking‬‭it‬‭on‬‭extended‬‭solo‬‭road‬‭trips‬ ‭when‬‭classes‬‭weren't‬‭in‬‭session,‬‭and‬‭during‬‭that‬‭graduation‬‭weekend‬‭he‬‭casually‬ ‭mentioned‬‭to‬‭his‬‭parents‬‭that‬‭he‬‭intended‬‭to‬‭spend‬‭the‬‭upcoming‬‭summer‬‭on‬‭the‬‭road‬‭as‬ ‭well.‬‭His‬‭exact‬‭words‬‭were‬‭"I‬‭think‬‭I'm‬‭going‬‭to‬‭disappear‬‭for‬‭a‬‭while."‬ ‭Neither‬‭parent‬‭made‬‭anything‬‭of‬‭this‬‭announcement‬‭at‬‭the‬‭time,‬‭although‬‭Walt‬‭did‬ ‭gently‬‭admonish‬‭his‬‭son,‬‭saying‬‭"Hey,‬‭make‬‭sure‬‭you‬‭come‬‭see‬‭us‬‭before‬‭you‬‭go."‬‭Chris‬ ‭smiled‬‭and‬‭sort‬‭of‬‭nodded,‬‭a‬‭response‬‭that‬‭Walt‬‭and‬‭Billie‬‭took‬‭as‬‭an‬‭affirmation‬‭that‬‭he‬ ‭would‬‭visit‬‭them‬‭in‬‭Annandale‬‭before‬‭the‬‭summer‬‭was‬‭out,‬‭and‬‭then‬‭they‬‭said‬‭their‬‭goodbyes.‬ ‭Toward‬‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭June,‬‭Chris,‬‭still‬‭in‬‭Atlanta,‬‭mailed‬‭his‬‭parents‬‭a‬‭copy‬‭of‬‭his‬‭final‬ ‭grade‬‭report:‬‭A‬‭in‬‭Apartheid‬‭and‬‭South‬‭African‬‭Society‬‭and‬‭History‬‭of‬‭Anthropological‬ ‭Thought;‬‭A‬‭minus‬‭in‬‭Contemporary‬‭African‬‭Politics‬‭and‬‭the‬‭Food‬‭Crisis‬‭in‬‭Africa.‬‭A‬ ‭brief‬‭note‬‭was‬‭attached:‬ ‭Here‬‭is‬‭a‬‭copy‬‭of‬‭my‬‭final‬‭transcript.‬‭Gradewise‬‭things‬‭went‬‭pretty‬‭well‬‭and‬‭I‬‭ended‬ ‭ p‬‭with‬‭a‬‭high‬‭cumulative‬‭average.‬ u ‭Thankyou‬‭for‬‭the‬‭pictures,‬‭the‬‭shaving‬‭gear,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭postcard‬‭from‬‭Paris.‬‭It‬‭seems‬ ‭that‬‭you‬‭really‬‭enjoyed‬‭your‬‭trip‬‭there.‬‭It‬‭must‬‭have‬‭been‬‭a‬‭lot‬‭of‬‭fun.‬ ‭I‬‭gave‬‭Lloyd‬‭[Chris's‬‭closest‬‭friend‬‭at‬‭Emory]‬‭his‬‭picture,‬‭and‬‭he‬‭was‬‭very‬‭grateful;‬ ‭he‬‭did‬‭not‬‭have‬‭a‬‭shot‬‭of‬‭his‬‭diploma‬‭getting‬‭handed‬‭to‬‭him.‬ ‭Not‬‭much‬‭else‬‭happening,‬‭but‬‭it's‬‭starting‬‭to‬‭get‬‭real‬‭hot‬‭and‬‭humid‬‭down‬‭here.‬‭Say‬ ‭Hi‬‭to‬‭everyone‬‭for‬‭me.‬ ‭It‬‭was‬‭the‬‭last‬‭anyone‬‭in‬‭Chris's‬‭family‬‭would‬‭ever‬‭hear‬‭from‬‭him.‬ ‭During‬‭that‬‭final‬‭year‬‭in‬‭Atlanta,‬‭Chris‬‭had‬‭lived‬‭off‬‭campus‬‭in‬‭a‬‭monkish‬‭room‬ ‭furnished‬‭with‬‭little‬‭more‬‭than‬‭a‬‭thin‬‭mattress‬‭on‬‭the‬‭floor,‬‭milk‬‭crates,‬‭and‬‭a‬‭table.‬‭He‬ ‭kept‬‭it‬‭as‬‭orderly‬‭and‬‭spotless‬‭as‬‭a‬‭military‬‭barracks.‬‭And‬‭he‬‭didn't‬‭have‬‭a‬‭phone,‬‭so‬‭Walt‬ ‭and‬‭Billie‬‭had‬‭no‬‭way‬‭of‬‭calling‬‭him.‬ ‭By‬‭the‬‭beginning‬‭of‬‭August‬‭1990,‬‭Chris's‬‭parents‬‭had‬‭heard‬‭nothing‬‭from‬‭their‬‭son‬ ‭since‬‭they'd‬‭received‬‭his‬‭grades‬‭in‬‭the‬‭mail,‬‭so‬‭they‬‭decided‬‭to‬‭drive‬‭down‬‭to‬‭Atlanta‬‭for‬ ‭a‬‭visit.‬‭When‬‭they‬‭arrived‬‭at‬‭his‬‭apartment,‬‭it‬‭was‬‭empty‬‭and‬‭aFOR‬‭RENT‬‭sign‬‭was‬‭taped‬ ‭to‬‭the‬‭window.‬‭The‬‭manager‬‭said‬‭that‬‭Chris‬‭had‬‭moved‬‭out‬‭at‬‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭June.‬‭Walt‬‭and‬ ‭Billie‬‭returned‬‭home‬‭to‬‭find‬‭that‬‭all‬‭the‬‭letters‬‭they'd‬‭sent‬‭their‬‭son‬‭that‬‭summer‬‭had‬‭been‬ ‭returned‬‭in‬‭a‬‭bundle.‬‭"Chris‬‭had‬‭instructed‬‭the‬‭post‬‭office‬‭to‬‭hold‬‭them‬‭until‬‭August‬‭1,‬ ‭ pparently‬‭so‬‭we‬‭wouldn't‬‭know‬‭anything‬‭was‬‭up,"‬‭says‬‭Billie.‬‭"It‬‭made‬‭us‬‭very,‬‭very‬ a ‭worried."‬ ‭By‬‭then‬‭Chris‬‭was‬‭long‬‭gone.‬‭Five‬‭weeks‬‭earlier‬‭he'd‬‭loaded‬‭all‬‭his‬‭belongings‬‭into‬ ‭his‬‭little‬‭car‬‭and‬‭headed‬‭west‬‭without‬‭an‬‭itinerary.‬‭The‬‭trip‬‭was‬‭to‬‭be‬‭an‬‭odyssey‬‭in‬‭the‬ ‭fullest‬‭sense‬‭of‬‭the‬‭word,‬‭an‬‭epic‬‭journey‬‭that‬‭would‬‭change‬‭everything.‬‭He‬‭had‬‭spent‬‭the‬ ‭previous‬‭four‬‭years,‬‭as‬‭he‬‭saw‬‭it,‬‭preparing‬‭to‬‭fulfill‬‭an‬‭absurd‬‭and‬‭onerous‬‭duty:‬‭to‬ ‭graduate‬‭from‬‭college.‬‭At‬‭long‬‭last‬‭he‬‭was‬‭unencumbered,‬‭emancipated‬‭from‬‭the‬‭stifling‬ ‭world‬‭of‬‭his‬‭parents‬‭and‬‭peers,‬‭a‬‭world‬‭of‬‭abstraction‬‭and‬‭security‬‭and‬‭material‬‭excess,‬‭a‬ ‭world‬‭in‬‭which‬‭he‬‭felt‬‭grievously‬‭cut‬‭off‬‭from‬‭the‬‭raw‬‭throb‬‭of‬‭existence.‬ ‭Driving‬‭west‬‭out‬‭of‬‭Atlanta,‬‭he‬‭intended‬‭to‬‭invent‬‭an‬‭utterly‬ ‭new‬‭life‬‭for‬‭himself,‬‭one‬‭in‬‭which‬‭he‬‭would‬‭be‬‭free‬‭to‬‭wallow‬‭in‬‭unfiltered‬ ‭experience.‬‭To‬‭symbolize‬‭the‬‭complete‬‭severance‬‭from‬‭his‬‭previous‬‭life,‬‭he‬‭even‬‭adopted‬ ‭a‬‭new‬‭name.‬‭No‬‭longer‬‭would‬‭he‬‭answer‬‭to‬‭Chris‬‭McCandless;‬‭he‬‭was‬‭now‬‭Alexander‬ ‭Super-tramp,‬‭master‬‭of‬‭his‬‭own‬‭destiny.‬ [‭See‬‭Map‬‭Page‬‭24]‬ ‭CHAPTER‬‭FOUR‬ ‭DETRITAL‬‭WASH‬ ‭The‬‭desert‬‭is‬‭the‬‭environment‬‭of‬‭revelation,‬‭genetically‬‭and‬‭physiologically‬‭alien,‬ ‭sensorily‬‭austere,‬‭esthetically‬‭abstract,‬‭historically‬‭inimical....‬‭Its‬‭forms‬‭are‬‭bold‬‭and‬ ‭suggestive.‬‭The‬‭mind‬‭is‬‭beset‬‭by‬‭light‬‭and‬‭space,‬‭the‬‭kinesthetic‬‭novelty‬‭of‬‭aridity,‬‭high‬ ‭temperature,‬‭and‬‭wind.‬‭The‬‭desert‬‭sky‬‭is‬‭encircling,‬‭majestic,‬‭terrible.‬‭In‬‭other‬‭habitats,‬ ‭the‬‭rim‬‭of‬‭sky‬‭above‬‭the‬‭horizontal‬‭is‬‭broken‬‭or‬‭obscured;‬‭here,‬‭together‬‭with‬‭the‬ ‭overhead‬‭portion,‬‭it‬‭is‬‭infinitely‬‭vaster‬‭than‬‭that‬‭of‬‭rolling‬‭countryside‬‭and‬‭forest‬‭lands.‬‭.‬ ‭.‬‭.‬‭In‬‭an‬‭unobstructed‬‭sky‬‭the‬‭clouds‬‭seem‬‭more‬‭massive,‬‭sometimes‬‭grandly‬‭reflecting‬ ‭the‬‭earth's‬‭curvature‬‭on‬‭their‬‭concave‬‭undersides.‬‭The‬‭angularity‬‭of‬‭desert‬‭landforms‬ ‭imparts‬‭a‬‭monumental‬‭architecture‬‭to‬‭the‬‭clouds‬‭as‬‭well‬‭as‬‭to‬‭the‬‭land.‬‭.‬‭..‬ ‭To‬‭the‬‭desert‬‭go‬‭prophets‬‭and‬‭hermits;‬‭through‬‭deserts‬‭go‬‭pilgrims‬‭and‬‭exiles.‬‭Here‬ ‭the‬‭leaders‬‭of‬‭the‬‭great‬‭religions‬‭have‬‭sought‬‭the‬‭therapeutic‬‭and‬‭spiritual‬‭values‬‭of‬ ‭retreat,‬‭not‬‭to‬‭escape‬‭but‬‭to‬‭find‬‭reality.‬ ‭paul‬‭shepard,man‬‭in‬‭the‬‭landscape:‬ ‭AHISTORIC‬‭VIEW‬‭OF‬‭THE‬‭ESTHETICS‬‭OF‬‭NATURE‬ ‭The‬‭bear-paw‬‭poppy,Arctomecon‬‭califomica,‬‭is‬‭a‬‭wildflower‬‭found‬‭in‬‭an‬‭isolated‬ ‭corner‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Mojave‬‭Desert‬‭and‬‭nowhere‬‭else‬‭in‬‭the‬‭world.‬‭In‬‭late‬‭spring‬‭it‬‭briefly‬ ‭produces‬‭a‬‭delicate‬‭golden‬‭bloom,‬‭but‬‭for‬‭most‬‭of‬‭the‬‭year‬‭the‬‭plant‬‭huddles‬‭unadorned‬ ‭ nd‬‭unnoticed‬‭on‬‭the‬‭parched‬‭earth.A.‬‭califomica‬‭is‬‭sufficiently‬‭rare‬‭that‬‭it‬‭has‬‭been‬ a ‭classified‬‭as‬‭an‬‭endangered‬‭species.‬‭In‬‭October‬‭1990,‬‭more‬‭than‬‭three‬‭months‬‭after‬ ‭McCan-dless‬‭left‬‭Atlanta,‬‭a‬‭National‬‭Park‬‭Service‬‭ranger‬‭named‬‭Bud‬‭Walsh‬‭was‬‭sent‬‭into‬ ‭the‬‭backcountry‬‭of‬‭Lake‬‭Mead‬‭National‬‭Recreation‬‭Area‬‭to‬‭tally‬‭bear-paw‬‭poppies‬‭so‬ ‭that‬‭the‬‭federal‬‭government‬‭might‬‭better‬‭know‬‭just‬‭how‬‭scarce‬‭the‬‭plants‬‭were.‬ ‭A.‬‭califomicagrows‬‭only‬‭in‬‭gypsum‬‭soil‬‭of‬‭a‬‭sort‬‭that‬‭occurs‬‭in‬‭abundance‬‭along‬‭the‬ ‭ outh‬‭shore‬‭of‬‭Lake‬‭Mead,‬‭so‬‭that‬‭is‬‭where‬‭Walsh‬‭led‬‭his‬‭team‬‭of‬‭rangers‬‭to‬‭conduct‬‭the‬ s ‭botanical‬‭survey.‬‭They‬‭turned‬‭off‬‭Temple‬‭Bar‬‭Road,‬‭drove‬‭two‬‭roadless‬‭miles‬‭down‬‭the‬ ‭bed‬‭of‬‭Detrital‬‭Wash,‬‭parked‬‭their‬‭rigs‬‭near‬‭the‬‭lakeshore,‬‭and‬‭started‬‭scrambling‬‭up‬‭the‬ ‭steep‬‭east‬‭bank‬‭of‬‭the‬‭wash,‬‭a‬‭slope‬‭of‬‭crumbly‬‭white‬‭gypsum.‬‭A‬‭few‬‭minutes‬‭later,‬‭as‬ ‭they‬‭neared‬‭the‬‭top‬‭of‬‭the‬‭bank,‬‭one‬‭of‬‭the‬‭rangers‬‭happened‬‭to‬‭glance‬‭back‬‭down‬‭into‬‭the‬ ‭wash‬‭while‬‭pausing‬‭to‬‭catch‬‭his‬‭breath.‬‭"Hey!‬‭Look‬‭down‬‭there!"‬‭he‬‭yelled.‬‭"What‬‭the‬ ‭hell‬‭is‬‭that?"‬ ‭At‬‭the‬‭edge‬‭of‬‭the‬‭dry‬‭riverbed,‬‭in‬‭a‬‭thicket‬‭of‬‭saltbush‬‭not‬‭far‬‭from‬‭where‬‭they‬‭had‬ ‭parked,‬‭a‬‭large‬‭object‬‭was‬‭concealed‬‭beneath‬‭a‬‭dun-colored‬‭tarpaulin.‬‭When‬‭the‬‭rangers‬ ‭pulled‬‭off‬‭the‬‭tarp,‬‭they‬‭found‬‭an‬‭old‬‭yellow‬‭Datsun‬‭without‬‭license‬‭plates.‬‭A‬‭note‬‭taped‬ ‭to‬‭the‬‭windshield‬‭read,‬‭"This‬‭piece‬‭of‬‭shit‬‭has‬‭been‬‭abandoned.‬‭Whoever‬‭can‬‭get‬‭it‬‭out‬‭of‬ ‭here‬‭can‬‭have‬‭it."‬ ‭The‬‭doors‬‭had‬‭been‬‭left‬‭unlocked.‬‭The‬‭floorboards‬‭were‬‭plastered‬‭with‬‭mud,‬ ‭apparently‬‭from‬‭a‬‭recent‬‭flash‬‭flood.‬‭When‬‭he‬‭looked‬‭inside,‬‭Walsh‬‭found‬‭a‬‭Gianini‬ ‭guitar,‬‭a‬‭saucepan‬‭containing‬‭$4.93‬‭in‬‭loose‬‭change,‬‭a‬‭football,‬‭a‬‭garbage‬‭bag‬‭full‬‭of‬‭old‬ ‭clothes,‬‭a‬‭fishing‬‭rod‬‭and‬‭tackle,‬‭a‬‭new‬‭electric‬‭razor,‬‭a‬‭harmonica,‬‭a‬‭set‬‭of‬‭jumper‬ ‭cables,‬‭twenty-five‬‭pounds‬‭of‬‭rice,‬‭and‬‭in‬‭the‬‭glove‬‭compartment,‬‭the‬‭keys‬‭to‬‭the‬ ‭vehicle's‬‭ignition.‬ ‭The‬‭rangers‬‭searched‬‭the‬‭surrounding‬‭area‬‭"for‬‭anything‬‭suspicious,"‬‭according‬‭to‬ ‭Walsh,‬‭and‬‭then‬‭departed.‬‭Five‬‭days‬‭later‬‭another‬‭ranger‬‭returned‬‭to‬‭the‬‭abandoned‬ ‭vehicle,‬‭managed‬‭to‬‭jump-start‬‭it‬‭without‬‭difficulty‬‭and‬‭drove‬‭it‬‭out‬‭to‬‭the‬‭National‬‭Park‬ ‭Service‬‭maintenance‬‭yard‬‭at‬‭Temple‬‭Bar.‬‭"He‬‭drove‬‭it‬‭back‬‭at‬‭sixty‬‭miles‬‭an‬‭hour,"‬ ‭Walsh‬‭recalls.‬‭"Said‬‭the‬‭thing‬‭ran‬‭like‬‭a‬‭champ."‬‭Attempting‬‭to‬‭learn‬‭who‬‭owned‬‭the‬‭car,‬ ‭the‬‭rangers‬‭sent‬‭out‬‭a‬‭bulletin‬‭over‬‭the‬‭Teletype‬‭to‬‭relevant‬‭law-enforcement‬‭agencies‬ ‭and‬‭ran‬‭a‬‭detailed‬‭search‬‭of‬‭computer‬‭records‬‭across‬‭the‬‭Southwest‬‭to‬‭see‬‭if‬‭the‬‭Datsun‬‭s‬ ‭VIN‬‭was‬‭associated‬‭with‬‭any‬‭crimes.‬‭Nothing‬‭turned‬‭up.‬ ‭By‬‭and‬‭by‬‭the‬‭rangers‬‭traced‬‭the‬‭car's‬‭serial‬‭number‬‭to‬‭the‬‭Hertz‬‭Corporation,‬‭the‬ ‭vehicle's‬‭original‬‭owner;‬‭Hertz‬‭said‬‭they‬‭had‬‭sold‬‭it‬‭as‬‭a‬‭used‬‭rental‬‭car‬‭many‬‭years‬ ‭earlier‬‭and‬‭had‬‭no‬‭interest‬‭in‬‭reclaiming‬‭it.‬‭"Whoa!‬‭Great!"‬‭Walsh‬‭remembers‬‭thinking.‬ ‭"A‬‭freebie‬‭from‬‭the‬‭road‬‭gods—a‬‭car‬‭like‬‭this‬‭will‬‭make‬‭a‬‭great‬‭undercover‬‭vehicle‬‭for‬ ‭drug‬‭interdiction."‬‭And‬‭indeed‬‭it‬‭did.‬‭Over‬‭the‬‭next‬‭three‬‭years‬‭the‬‭Park‬‭Service‬‭used‬‭the‬ ‭Datsun‬‭to‬‭make‬‭undercover‬‭drug‬‭buys‬‭that‬‭led‬‭to‬‭numerous‬‭arrests‬‭in‬‭the‬‭crime-plagued‬ ‭national‬‭recreation‬‭area,‬‭including‬‭the‬‭bust‬‭of‬‭a‬‭high-volume‬‭methamphetamine‬‭dealer‬ ‭operating‬‭out‬‭of‬‭a‬‭trailer‬‭park‬‭near‬‭Bullhead‬‭City.‬ ‭"We're‬‭still‬‭getting‬‭a‬‭lot‬‭of‬‭mileage‬‭out‬‭of‬‭that‬‭old‬‭car‬‭even‬‭now,"‬‭Walsh‬‭proudly‬ r‭ eports‬‭two‬‭and‬‭a‬‭half‬‭years‬‭after‬‭finding‬‭the‬‭Datsun.‬‭"Put‬‭a‬‭few‬‭bucks‬‭of‬‭gas‬‭in‬‭the‬‭thing,‬ ‭and‬‭it‬‭will‬‭go‬‭all‬‭day.‬‭Real‬‭reliable.‬‭I‬‭kind‬‭of‬‭wondered‬‭why‬‭nobody‬‭ever‬‭showed‬‭up‬‭to‬ ‭reclaim‬‭it."‬ ‭The‬‭Datsun,‬‭of‬‭course,‬‭belonged‬‭to‬‭Chris‬‭McCandless.‬‭After‬‭piloting‬‭it‬‭west‬‭out‬‭of‬ ‭Atlanta,‬‭he'd‬‭arrived‬‭in‬‭Lake‬‭Mead‬‭National‬‭Recreation‬‭Area‬‭on‬‭July‬‭6,‬‭riding‬‭a‬‭giddy‬ ‭Emersonian‬‭high.‬‭Ignoring‬‭posted‬‭warnings‬‭that‬‭off-road‬‭driving‬‭is‬‭strictly‬‭forbidden,‬ ‭McCandless‬‭steered‬‭the‬‭Datsun‬‭off‬‭the‬‭pavement‬‭where‬‭it‬‭crossed‬‭a‬‭broad,‬‭sandy‬‭wash.‬ ‭ e‬‭drove‬‭two‬‭miles‬‭down‬‭the‬‭riverbed‬‭to‬‭the‬‭south‬‭shore‬‭of‬‭the‬‭lake.‬‭The‬‭temperature‬ H ‭was‬‭120‬‭degrees‬‭Fahrenheit.‬‭The‬‭empty‬‭desert‬‭stretched‬‭into‬‭the‬‭distance,‬‭shimmering‬‭in‬ ‭the‬‭heat.‬‭Surrounded‬‭by‬‭chollas,‬‭bur‬‭sage,‬‭and‬‭the‬‭comical‬‭scurrying‬‭of‬‭collared‬‭lizards,‬ ‭McCandless‬‭pitched‬‭his‬‭tent‬‭in‬‭the‬‭puny‬‭shade‬‭of‬‭a‬‭tamarisk‬‭and‬‭basked‬‭in‬‭his‬‭newfound‬ ‭freedom.‬ ‭Detrital‬‭Wash‬‭extends‬‭for‬‭some‬‭fifty‬‭miles‬‭from‬‭Lake‬‭Mead‬‭into‬‭the‬‭mountains‬‭north‬ ‭of‬‭Kingman;‬‭it‬‭drains‬‭a‬‭big‬‭chunk‬‭of‬‭country.‬‭Most‬‭of‬‭the‬‭year‬‭the‬‭wash‬‭is‬‭as‬‭dry‬‭as‬ ‭chalk.‬‭During‬‭the‬‭summer‬‭months,‬‭however,‬‭superheated‬‭air‬‭rises‬‭from‬‭the‬‭scorched‬‭earth‬ ‭like‬‭bubbles‬‭from‬‭the‬‭bottom‬‭of‬‭a‬‭boiling‬‭kettle,‬‭rushing‬‭heavenward‬‭in‬‭turbulent‬ ‭convection‬‭currents.‬‭Frequently‬‭the‬‭updrafts‬‭create‬‭cells‬‭of‬‭muscular,‬‭anvil-headed‬ ‭cumulonimbus‬‭clouds‬‭that‬‭can‬‭rise‬‭thirty‬‭thousand‬‭feet‬‭or‬‭more‬‭above‬‭the‬‭Mojave.‬‭Two‬ ‭days‬‭after‬‭McCandless‬‭set‬‭up‬‭camp‬‭beside‬‭Lake‬‭Mead,‬‭an‬‭unusually‬‭robust‬‭wall‬‭of‬ ‭thunderheads‬‭reared‬‭up‬‭in‬‭the‬‭afternoon‬‭sky,‬‭and‬‭it‬‭began‬‭to‬‭rain,‬‭very‬‭hard,‬‭over‬‭much‬‭of‬ ‭the‬‭Detrital‬‭Valley.‬ ‭McCandless‬‭was‬‭camped‬‭at‬‭the‬‭edge‬‭of‬‭the‬‭wash,‬‭a‬‭couple‬‭of‬‭feet‬‭higher‬‭than‬‭the‬ ‭main‬‭channel,‬‭so‬‭when‬‭the‬‭bore‬‭of‬‭brown‬‭water‬‭came‬‭rushing‬‭down‬‭from‬‭the‬‭high‬ ‭country,‬‭he‬‭had‬‭just‬‭enough‬‭time‬‭to‬‭gather‬‭his‬‭tent‬‭and‬‭belongings‬‭and‬‭save‬‭them‬‭from‬ ‭being‬‭swept‬‭away.‬‭There‬‭was‬‭nowhere‬‭to‬‭move‬‭the‬‭car,‬‭however,‬‭as‬‭the‬‭only‬‭route‬‭of‬ ‭egress‬‭was‬‭now‬‭a‬‭foaming,‬‭full-blown‬‭river.‬‭As‬‭it‬‭turned‬‭out,‬‭the‬‭flash‬‭flood‬‭didn't‬‭have‬ ‭enough‬‭power‬‭to‬‭carry‬‭away‬‭the‬‭vehicle‬‭or‬‭even‬‭to‬‭do‬‭any‬‭lasting‬‭damage.‬‭But‬‭it‬‭did‬‭get‬ ‭the‬‭engine‬‭wet,‬‭so‬‭wet‬‭that‬‭when‬‭McCandless‬‭tried‬‭to‬‭start‬‭the‬‭car‬‭soon‬‭thereafter,‬‭the‬ ‭engine‬‭wouldn't‬‭catch,‬‭and‬‭in‬‭his‬‭impatience‬‭he‬‭drained‬‭the‬‭battery.‬ ‭With‬‭the‬‭battery‬‭dead‬‭there‬‭was‬‭no‬‭way‬‭to‬‭get‬‭the‬‭Datsun‬‭running.‬‭If‬‭he‬‭hoped‬‭to‬‭get‬ ‭the‬‭car‬‭back‬‭to‬‭a‬‭paved‬‭road,‬‭McCandless‬‭had‬‭no‬‭choice‬‭but‬‭to‬‭walk‬‭out‬‭and‬‭notify‬‭the‬ ‭authorities‬‭of‬‭his‬‭predicament.‬‭If‬‭he‬‭went‬‭to‬‭the‬‭rangers,‬‭however,‬‭they‬‭would‬‭have‬‭some‬ ‭irksome‬‭questions‬‭for‬‭him:‬‭Why‬‭had‬‭he‬‭ignored‬‭posted‬‭regulations‬‭and‬‭driven‬‭down‬‭the‬ ‭wash‬‭in‬‭the‬‭first‬‭place?‬‭Was‬‭he‬‭aware‬‭that‬‭the‬‭vehicle's‬‭registration‬‭had‬‭expired‬‭two‬‭years‬ ‭before‬‭and‬‭had‬‭not‬‭been‬‭renewed?‬‭Did‬‭he‬‭know‬‭that‬‭his‬‭drivers‬‭license‬‭had‬‭also‬‭expired,‬ ‭and‬‭the‬‭vehicle‬‭was‬‭uninsured‬‭as‬‭well?‬ ‭Truthful‬‭responses‬‭to‬‭these‬‭queries‬‭were‬‭not‬‭likely‬‭to‬‭be‬‭well‬‭received‬‭by‬‭the‬‭rangers.‬ ‭McCandless‬‭could‬‭endeavor‬‭to‬‭explain‬‭that‬‭he‬‭answered‬‭to‬‭statutes‬‭of‬‭a‬‭higher‬‭order—‬ ‭that‬‭as‬‭a‬‭latter-day‬‭adherent‬‭of‬‭Henry‬‭David‬‭Thoreau,‬‭he‬‭took‬‭as‬‭gospel‬‭the‬‭essay‬‭"On‬‭the‬ ‭Duty‬‭of‬‭Civil‬‭Disobedience"‬‭and‬‭thus‬‭considered‬‭it‬‭his‬‭moral‬‭responsibility‬‭to‬‭flout‬‭the‬ ‭laws‬‭of‬‭the‬‭state.‬‭It‬‭was‬‭improbable,‬‭however,‬‭that‬‭deputies‬‭of‬‭the‬‭federal‬‭government‬ ‭would‬‭share‬‭his‬‭point‬‭of‬‭view.‬‭There‬‭would‬‭be‬‭thickets‬‭of‬‭red‬‭tape‬‭to‬‭negotiate‬‭and‬‭fines‬ t‭o‬‭pay.‬‭His‬‭parents‬‭would‬‭no‬‭doubt‬‭be‬‭contacted.‬‭But‬‭there‬‭was‬‭a‬‭way‬‭to‬‭avoid‬‭such‬ ‭aggravation:‬‭He‬‭could‬‭simply‬‭abandon‬‭the‬‭Datsun‬‭and‬‭resume‬‭his‬‭odyssey‬‭on‬‭foot.‬‭And‬ ‭that's‬‭what‬‭he‬‭decided‬‭to‬‭do.‬ ‭Instead‬‭of‬‭feeling‬‭distraught‬‭over‬‭this‬‭turn‬‭of‬‭events,‬‭moreover,‬‭McCandless‬‭was‬ ‭exhilarated:‬‭He‬‭saw‬‭the‬‭flash‬‭flood‬‭as‬‭an‬‭opportunity‬‭to‬‭shed‬‭unnecessary‬‭baggage.‬‭He‬ ‭concealed‬‭the‬‭car‬‭as‬‭best‬‭he‬‭could‬‭beneath‬‭a‬‭brown‬‭tarp,‬‭stripped‬‭it‬‭of‬‭its‬‭Virginia‬‭plates,‬ ‭and‬‭hid‬‭them.‬‭He‬‭buried‬‭his‬‭Winchester‬‭deer-hunting‬‭rifle‬‭and‬‭a‬‭few‬‭other‬‭possessions‬ t‭hat‬‭he‬‭might‬‭one‬‭day‬‭want‬‭to‬‭recover.‬‭Then,‬‭in‬‭a‬‭gesture‬‭that‬‭would‬‭have‬‭done‬‭both‬ ‭Thoreau‬‭and‬‭Tolstoy‬‭proud,‬‭he‬‭arranged‬‭all‬‭his‬‭paper‬‭currency‬‭in‬‭a‬‭pile‬‭on‬‭the‬‭sand—a‬ ‭pathetic‬‭little‬‭stack‬‭of‬‭ones‬‭and‬‭fives‬‭and‬‭twenties—and‬‭put‬‭a‬‭match‬‭to‬‭it.‬‭One‬‭hundred‬ ‭twenty-three‬‭dollars‬‭in‬‭legal‬‭tender‬‭was‬‭promptly‬‭reduced‬‭to‬‭ash‬‭and‬‭smoke.‬ ‭We‬‭know‬‭all‬‭of‬‭this‬‭because‬‭McCandless‬‭documented‬‭the‬‭burning‬‭of‬‭his‬‭money‬‭and‬ ‭most‬‭of‬‭the‬‭events‬‭that‬‭followed‬‭in‬‭a‬‭journal-snapshot‬‭album‬‭he‬‭would‬‭later‬‭leave‬‭with‬ ‭Wayne‬‭West-erberg‬‭for‬‭safekeeping‬‭before‬‭departing‬‭for‬‭Alaska.‬‭Although‬‭the‬‭tone‬‭of‬ ‭the‬‭journal—written‬‭in‬‭the‬‭third‬‭person‬‭in‬‭a‬‭stilted,‬‭self-consciousness‬‭voice—often‬‭veers‬ ‭toward‬‭melodrama,‬‭the‬‭available‬‭evidence‬‭indicates‬‭that‬‭McCandless‬‭did‬‭not‬ ‭misrepresent‬‭the‬‭facts;‬‭telling‬‭the‬‭truth‬‭was‬‭a‬‭credo‬‭he‬‭took‬‭seriously.‬ ‭After‬‭loading‬‭his‬‭few‬‭remaining‬‭possessions‬‭into‬‭a‬‭backpack,‬‭McCandless‬‭set‬‭out‬‭on‬ ‭July‬‭10‬‭to‬‭hike‬‭around‬‭Lake‬‭Mead.‬‭This,‬‭his‬‭journal‬‭acknowledges,‬‭turned‬‭out‬‭to‬‭be‬‭a‬ ‭"tremendous‬‭mistake.‬‭...‬‭In‬‭extreme‬‭July‬‭temperatures‬‭becomes‬‭delirious."‬‭Suffering‬‭from‬ ‭heat‬‭stroke,‬‭he‬‭managed‬‭to‬‭flag‬‭down‬‭some‬‭passing‬‭boaters,‬‭who‬‭gave‬‭him‬‭a‬‭lift‬‭to‬ ‭Callville‬‭Bay,‬‭a‬‭marina‬‭near‬‭the‬‭west‬‭end‬‭of‬‭the‬‭lake,‬‭where‬‭he‬‭stuck‬‭out‬‭his‬‭thumb‬‭and‬ ‭took‬‭to‬‭the‬‭road.‬ ‭McCandless‬‭tramped‬‭around‬‭the‬‭West‬‭for‬‭the‬‭next‬‭two‬‭months,‬‭spellbound‬‭by‬‭the‬ ‭scale‬‭and‬‭power‬‭of‬‭the‬‭landscape,‬‭thrilled‬‭by‬‭minor‬‭brushes‬‭with‬‭the‬‭law,‬‭savoring‬‭the‬ ‭intermittent‬‭company‬‭of‬‭other‬‭vagabonds‬‭he‬‭met‬‭along‬‭the‬‭way.‬‭Allowing‬‭his‬‭life‬‭to‬‭be‬ ‭shaped‬‭by‬‭circumstance,‬‭he‬‭hitched‬‭to‬‭Lake‬‭Tahoe,‬‭hiked‬‭into‬‭the‬‭Sierra‬‭Nevada,‬‭and‬ ‭spent‬‭a‬‭week‬‭walking‬‭north‬‭on‬‭the‬‭Pacific‬‭Crest‬‭Trail‬‭before‬‭exiting‬‭the‬‭mountains‬‭and‬ ‭returning‬‭to‬‭the‬‭pavement.‬ ‭At‬‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭July,‬‭he‬‭accepted‬‭a‬‭ride‬‭from‬‭a‬‭man‬‭who‬‭called‬‭himself‬‭Crazy‬‭Ernie‬‭and‬ ‭offered‬‭McCandless‬‭a‬‭job‬‭on‬‭a‬‭ranch‬‭in‬‭northern‬‭California;‬‭photographs‬‭of‬‭the‬‭place‬ ‭show‬‭an‬‭un-painted,‬‭tumbledown‬‭house‬‭surrounded‬‭by‬‭goats‬‭and‬‭chickens,‬‭bedsprings,‬ ‭broken‬‭televisions,‬‭shopping‬‭carts,‬‭old‬‭appliances,‬‭and‬‭mounds‬‭and‬‭mounds‬‭of‬‭garbage.‬ ‭After‬‭working‬‭there‬‭eleven‬‭days‬‭with‬‭six‬‭other‬‭vagabonds,‬‭it‬‭became‬‭clear‬‭to‬‭McCandless‬ ‭that‬‭Ernie‬‭had‬‭no‬‭intention‬‭of‬‭ever‬‭paying‬‭him,‬‭so‬‭he‬‭stole‬‭a‬‭red‬‭ten-speed‬‭bicycle‬‭from‬ ‭the‬‭clutter‬‭in‬‭the‬‭yard,‬‭pedaled‬‭into‬‭Chico,‬‭and‬‭ditched‬‭the‬‭bike‬‭in‬‭a‬‭mall‬‭parking‬‭lot.‬ ‭Then‬‭he‬‭resumed‬‭a‬‭life‬‭of‬‭constant‬‭motion,‬‭riding‬‭his‬‭thumb‬‭north‬‭and‬‭west‬‭through‬‭Red‬ ‭Bluff,‬‭Weaverville,‬‭and‬‭Willow‬‭Creek.‬ ‭At‬‭Arcata,‬‭California,‬‭in‬‭the‬‭dripping‬‭redwood‬‭forests‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Pacific‬‭shore,‬ ‭McCandless‬‭turned‬‭right‬‭on‬‭U.S.‬‭Highway‬‭101‬‭and‬‭headed‬‭up‬‭the‬‭coast.‬‭Sixty‬‭miles‬ ‭south‬‭of‬‭the‬‭Oregon‬‭line,‬‭near‬‭the‬‭town‬‭of‬‭Orick,‬‭a‬‭pair‬‭of‬‭drifters‬‭in‬‭an‬‭old‬‭van‬‭pulled‬ ‭ ver‬‭to‬‭consult‬‭their‬‭map‬‭when‬‭they‬‭noticed‬‭a‬‭boy‬‭crouching‬‭in‬‭the‬‭bushes‬‭off‬‭the‬‭side‬‭of‬ o ‭the‬‭road.‬‭"He‬‭was‬‭wearing‬‭long‬‭shorts‬‭and‬‭this‬‭really‬‭stupid‬‭hat,"‬‭says‬‭Jan‬‭Burres,‬‭a‬ ‭forty-one-year-old‬‭rubber‬‭tramp‬‭who‬‭was‬‭traveling‬‭around‬‭the‬‭West‬‭selling‬‭knick-knacks‬ ‭at‬‭flea‬‭markets‬‭and‬‭swap‬‭meets‬‭with‬‭her‬‭boyfriend,‬‭Bob.‬‭"He‬‭had‬‭a‬‭book‬‭about‬‭plants‬ ‭with‬‭him,‬‭and‬‭he‬‭was‬‭using‬‭it‬‭to‬‭pick‬‭berries,‬‭collecting‬‭them‬‭in‬‭a‬‭gallon‬‭milk‬‭jug‬‭with‬ ‭the‬‭top‬‭cut‬‭off.‬‭He‬‭looked‬‭pretty‬‭pitiful,‬‭so‬‭I‬‭yelled,‬‭'Hey,‬‭you‬‭want‬‭a‬‭ride‬‭somewhere?'‬‭I‬ ‭thought‬‭maybe‬‭we‬‭could‬‭give‬‭him‬‭a‬‭meal‬‭or‬‭something.‬ ‭"We‬‭got‬‭to‬‭talking.‬‭He‬‭was‬‭a‬‭nice‬‭kid.‬‭Said‬‭his‬‭name‬‭was‬‭Alex.‬‭And‬‭he‬‭was‬‭big-time‬ ‭ ungry.‬‭Hungry,‬‭hungry,hungry.‬‭But‬‭real‬‭happy.‬‭Said‬‭he'd‬‭been‬‭surviving‬‭on‬‭edible‬ h ‭plants‬‭he‬‭identified‬‭from‬‭the‬‭book.‬‭Like‬‭he‬‭was‬‭real‬‭proud‬‭of‬‭it.‬‭Said‬‭he‬‭was‬‭tramping‬ ‭around‬‭the‬‭country,‬‭having‬‭a‬‭big‬‭old‬‭adventure.‬‭He‬‭told‬‭us‬‭about‬‭abandoning‬‭his‬‭car,‬ ‭about‬‭burning‬‭all‬‭his‬‭money.‬‭I‬‭said,‬‭'Why‬‭would‬‭you‬‭want‬‭to‬‭do‬‭that?'‬‭Claimed‬‭he‬‭didn't‬ ‭need‬‭money.‬‭I‬‭have‬‭a‬‭son‬‭about‬‭the‬‭same‬‭age‬‭Alex‬‭was,‬‭and‬‭we've‬‭been‬‭estranged‬‭for‬‭a‬ ‭few‬‭years‬‭now.‬‭So‬‭I‬‭said‬‭to‬‭Bob,‬‭'Man,‬‭we‬‭got‬‭to‬‭take‬‭this‬‭kid‬‭with‬‭us.‬‭You‬‭need‬‭to‬ ‭school‬‭him‬‭about‬‭some‬‭things.'‬‭Alex‬‭took‬‭a‬‭ride‬‭from‬‭us‬‭up‬‭to‬‭Orick‬‭Beach,‬‭where‬‭we‬ ‭were‬‭staying,‬‭and‬‭camped‬‭with‬‭us‬‭for‬‭a‬‭week.‬‭He‬‭was‬‭a‬‭really‬‭good‬‭kid.‬‭We‬ ‭thought‬‭the‬‭world‬‭of‬‭him.‬‭When‬‭he‬‭left,‬‭we‬‭never‬‭expected‬‭to‬‭hear‬‭from‬‭him‬‭again,‬ ‭but‬‭he‬‭made‬‭a‬‭point‬‭of‬‭staying‬‭in‬‭touch.‬‭For‬‭the‬‭next‬‭two‬‭years‬‭Alex‬‭sent‬‭us‬‭a‬‭postcard‬ ‭every‬‭month‬‭or‬‭two."‬ ‭From‬‭Orick,‬‭McCandless‬‭continued‬‭north‬‭up‬‭the‬‭coast.‬‭He‬‭passed‬‭through‬‭Pistol‬ ‭River,‬‭Coos‬‭Bay,‬‭Seal‬‭Rock,‬‭Manzanita,‬‭As-toria;‬‭Hoquiam,‬‭Humptulips,‬‭Queets;‬‭Forks,‬ ‭Port‬‭Angeles,‬‭Port‬‭Townsend,‬‭Seattle.‬‭"He‬‭was‬‭alone,"‬‭as‬‭James‬‭Joyce‬‭wrote‬‭of‬‭Stephen‬ ‭Dedalus,‬‭his‬‭artist‬‭as‬‭a‬‭young‬‭man.‬‭"He‬‭was‬‭unheeded,‬‭happy,‬‭and‬‭near‬‭to‬‭the‬‭wild‬‭heart‬ ‭of‬‭life.‬‭He‬‭was‬‭alone‬‭and‬‭young‬‭and‬‭wilful‬‭and‬‭wildhearted,‬‭alone‬‭amid‬‭a‬‭waste‬‭of‬‭wild‬ ‭air‬‭and‬‭brackish‬‭waters‬‭and‬‭the‬‭seaharvest‬‭of‬‭shells‬‭and‬‭tangle‬‭and‬‭veiled‬‭grey‬‭sunlight."‬ ‭On‬‭August‬‭10,‬‭shortly‬‭before‬‭meeting‬‭Jan‬‭Burres‬‭and‬‭Bob,‬‭McCandless‬‭had‬‭been‬ ‭ticketed‬‭for‬‭hitchhiking‬‭near‬‭Willow‬‭Creek,‬‭in‬‭the‬‭gold-mining‬‭country‬‭east‬‭of‬‭Eureka.‬‭In‬ ‭an‬‭uncharacteristic‬‭lapse,‬‭McCandless‬‭gave‬‭his‬‭parents'‬‭Annandale‬‭address‬‭when‬‭the‬ ‭arresting‬‭officer‬‭demanded‬‭to‬‭know‬‭his‬‭permanent‬‭place‬‭of‬‭residence.‬‭The‬‭unpaid‬‭ticket‬ ‭appeared‬‭in‬‭Walt‬‭and‬‭Bil-lie's‬‭mailbox‬‭at‬‭the‬‭end‬‭of‬‭August.‬