Well, Not where I was headed but a good discussion none-the-less!! LOL!!
On McCandless- I see him somewhere between Timothy Treadwell and Jeremiah Johnston
A love of nature and living simple, niave to a degree but not a nutcase! He did not favor killing animals so he had little knowledge of meat prep or storage. That he did kill animals even though he was not a suppoter of hunting showed he had enough common sense on where to draw the line. That he planned his trip for the end of the snowpack and planed to leave well before fall showed he had respect for the hashness of fall/winter in the far north- he went in in later April and planned to be out by August. PICT hit on something else I appreciated-- he did not go down groveling, he may not have fought to his last breath to survive but he was able to accept his fate without dragging others in by setting large fires for rescue. He chose to let his fate take him and I feel like that was his choice to make.
He made two mistakes- either one of which he could have survived but together, they ended his journey-- not having a map/compass and eating seed pods he did not evaluate for hazard.
There is a little Tom Sawyer in all of us, wanting great adventures and simple living. If not we would not be on this forum. We CHOOSE to be locked down in city/suburban lifestyles and jobs we would not choose unless they provided the means to live as we do and support a family. Any one of us could decide to sell it all, pack up the wife and kids and homestead. I wonder if in my last few minutes I will regret giving in to "modern life" ? For now, my getaways come a weekend or a week at a time and that will have to do for now.
Thanks,
Bill
On McCandless- I see him somewhere between Timothy Treadwell and Jeremiah Johnston
A love of nature and living simple, niave to a degree but not a nutcase! He did not favor killing animals so he had little knowledge of meat prep or storage. That he did kill animals even though he was not a suppoter of hunting showed he had enough common sense on where to draw the line. That he planned his trip for the end of the snowpack and planed to leave well before fall showed he had respect for the hashness of fall/winter in the far north- he went in in later April and planned to be out by August. PICT hit on something else I appreciated-- he did not go down groveling, he may not have fought to his last breath to survive but he was able to accept his fate without dragging others in by setting large fires for rescue. He chose to let his fate take him and I feel like that was his choice to make.He made two mistakes- either one of which he could have survived but together, they ended his journey-- not having a map/compass and eating seed pods he did not evaluate for hazard.
There is a little Tom Sawyer in all of us, wanting great adventures and simple living. If not we would not be on this forum. We CHOOSE to be locked down in city/suburban lifestyles and jobs we would not choose unless they provided the means to live as we do and support a family. Any one of us could decide to sell it all, pack up the wife and kids and homestead. I wonder if in my last few minutes I will regret giving in to "modern life" ? For now, my getaways come a weekend or a week at a time and that will have to do for now.
Thanks,
Bill