In preparation for my Alaska Aurora Borealis trip, the organizers sent a suggested reading list. The only book that I could find at the library was Into the Wild written by Jon Krakauer. Into the Wild is a non-fiction account of a young man, Chris McCandless, who travels into and dies in Alaska.
McCandless was smart, athletic and a tad out of touch with reality. He dropped out of society, abandoned his family and car, entering the Alaskan wilderness with few tools and little common sense. He didn’t think preparation was necessary for him and it was his ignorance which eventually killed him.
When I read Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, I wanted to yell at her, saying that she had no idea what she was doing and was going to get hurt. (What a mom, what a girl scout) With dumb luck, she survived but could have easily gone the way of McCandless. His luck was not as good.
I think this was on the reading list as an example of “what not to do,” of how the adventure of the north can be seductive and tempting. It’s the fantasy of living off the land, exploring new things, getting away from it all – all gone wrong.
