Blog #28: Nature Writing Essay

Blog #28: Nature Writing Essay
Into the Wild is a novel written by Jon Krakauer, about a nature loving young man, Chris McCandless, who fulfill his desires and goals and goes of into the wild, without any sort of communication to the world, camping in Alaska for months. He was passionate about being in pure nature, wanting to "shed unnecessary baggage." Through my eyes he was admirable in many different ways even though people “see nothing positive about Chris”. He was the type of person, a very rare one too, that change and touched people life with just very little time of knowing each other. Also someone that is determined and persistent on trying to reach his goal, that’s a very hard quality to find now a day.

Having the ability to change people’s life with just little time together is amazing. Chris McCandless traveled through the United States (Mexico too.) changing people’s life, one in particular Ronal Franz. Franz was 88 years old devoted Christian when he picked up Chris; and Chris opened Franz's eyes to see how lonely he had been and that there could be happiness. They spend much time together; the age difference didn’t see to be a problem for the two of them. He was so touch by Chris that before he dropped him of in Interstate 70 outside Grand Junction he proposed that he could adopt Chris. Chris reaction was to shrug it off and discuss it when he came back from Alaska. Chris insisted that he should radically change his lifestyle and start living bold. “The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experience, and hence there is no greater joy that to have an endless changing horizon” “Be nomadic” were his exact words to Franz in a letter Chris sent to Franz. Even by not knowing Chris that long people were convinced that he wasn’t a common wayfare. After Chris to Alaska he took his advice, moved all his furniture to storage and took over Chris’ old campsite pass the hot springs. Wayne Westerberg picked up Chris in September 10, gave him job and a roof over his head. “McCandless worked hard, doing dirty, tedious jobs that nobody else wanted to tackle. “ Wayne’s mom only met him once and she recalls her meeting “there was something fascinated about him…. he was hungry to learn about things. Unlike most of us he was the sort of person who insisted on living in our beliefs.” He had just met one time and when she found out about his death it amazed how much it bother her. Chris had this effect in people, met him and talk to him for a couple of minutes you’ll be given him your credit card number.

He’s determination and persistent is also a quality that I admire about him. Chris started this whole adventure with his car that he bought himself, he loved that car, very proud of it, but in a flash flood it was all gone. This car meant so much to him, that he refused his father, Walt, to buy him a new one as a present when he graduated from College. That might have stop him but no, he looked at it in a positive way, “He saw the flash food as an opportunity to shed unnecessary baggage.” When he reached Alaska apparently the floor was iced, he wasn’t being careful so he fell through the ice, I think that’s pretty funny because Chris is actually scare of the water, icy water, so when he fell I though he was done, and wouldn’t want to move on, but he got up and continue. “He was really into pushing himself” said one of Chris’ high school team members in cross country. I wish I was persistent. Pushing my self to the fullest is something that I personally think can’t do. But that’s what I admire about him.

Passionate, is one word I could use to describe Chris. Passionate about his desire, self driving by them. “Wilderness appealed to those bored or disgusted with man and his works” We all need to passionate to be have a long lasting goal in life or at least in that very moment, so what if we were all as passionate as Chris? If we all wanted our goals as much as he wanted to be in the wild? “Ten days and nights of freight trains and hitchhiking bring him to the great white north. No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks upon the land to become lost in the wild” You can see his passion burning in his writings. “The desert is the environment of revelation” was his philosophy. And when he arrived at Alaska, he wrote “I am Reborn. This is my dawn. Real life has just begun.” After living in Alaska for about four months, he finally accomplish his goals... desires… objective

After reading this wonderful art of writing, it really leaves with realizations about yourself. Am I doing what makes me happy? Or is society holding me back? Chris McCandless would answer that he did whatever he wanted, even though he died of starvation, he died peaceful. He had fulfilled his duties as an adventurer with passion, persistent and determination. It was a bonus that he did it with touching random peoples life from all over the Untied States. “Chris McCandless was at peace, serene as a monk gone to God”