41 Facts About Christopher McCandless

Christopher McCandless is the subject of Into the Wild, a nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer that was later made into a full-length feature film.

Christopher McCandless had been assigned the story and had written it under a tight deadline.

That same year, Christopher McCandless became the subject of Ron Lamothe's documentary The Call of the Wild.

Christopher Johnson McCandless was born in Inglewood, California and spent his early childhood in El Segundo, California.

Christopher McCandless was the eldest child of Wilhelmina Marie "Billie" McCandless and Walter "Walt" McCandless, and had a younger sister named Carine.

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Christopher McCandless had six half-siblings from Walt's first marriage, who lived with their mother in California and later in Denver, Colorado.

In 1976, the family relocated to Annandale, Virginia, where Christopher McCandless's father was hired as an antenna specialist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .

Carine Christopher McCandless alleged in her memoir The Wild Truth that her parents inflicted verbal and physical abuse upon each other and their children, often fueled by her father's alcoholism.

Christopher McCandless's cited their abusive childhood, as well as his reading of Jack London's The Call of the Wild, as the motivating factors in her brother's desire to "disappear" into the wilderness.

In 1986, McCandless graduated from W T Woodson High School in Fairfax, Virginia.

Christopher McCandless travelled to southern California and reconnected with relatives and friends in the summer of 1986.

Christopher McCandless graduated from Emory University in May 1990 with a bachelor's degree in the double majors of history and anthropology.

An avid outdoorsman, Christopher McCandless completed several lengthy wilderness hiking trips and paddled a canoe down a portion of the Colorado River before hitchhiking to Alaska in April 1992.

Wayne Westerburg recalls Christopher McCandless stating that he hoped to get married and have a family in his future.

Christopher McCandless left Virginia in the summer of 1990, driving a Datsun west in an apparent cross country trip to California.

Christopher McCandless's car was not in good condition and suffered numerous breakdowns as he made his way out of the eastern United States.

Christopher McCandless carried no car insurance on the vehicle and was driving with expired license plates.

Christopher McCandless's car was later found, repaired, and put into service as an undercover vehicle for the local police department.

Christopher McCandless was suspected of burglarizing other cabins when food and money ran low, but only one case was ever positively confirmed by authorities after his death.

In early 1991, Christopher McCandless left the Sierra Nevada and hitchhiked in a circular course south through California, into Arizona, and then north to South Dakota.

Christopher McCandless worked at this job for the remainder of 1991, until one day suddenly quitting and leaving his supervisor a postcard which read:.

Christopher McCandless then headed to Colorado, where he used money from his job to buy kayak supplies as well as a handgun.

Christopher McCandless then navigated the Colorado River, without a permit, and was occasionally pursued by wildlife and park rangers who had heard of his exploits from other river travelers, several of whom had been concerned that McCandless had been seen white water rafting in dangerous areas of the river with no safety equipment.

The authorities attempted, but never succeeded, in locating Christopher McCandless, who was wanted due to his lack of proper river training as well as kayaking on the river without a valid boating license.

Christopher McCandless eventually followed the Colorado River all the way to Mexico, where he crossed the international border through a spillway at the Morelos Dam.

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Christopher McCandless was briefly held in custody but released without charges after his gun was confiscated.

Christopher McCandless was stated to be traveling with a "big backpack" and would give a false name if asked his identity.

Christopher McCandless was described as very suspicious of people around him, unkempt, and smelling due to lack of hygiene.

Gallien, who had given Christopher McCandless a ride from Fairbanks to the start of the rugged track just outside the small town of Healy, later said he had been seriously concerned about the safety of Christopher McCandless after noticing his light pack, minimal equipment, meager rations, and obvious lack of experience.

However, Christopher McCandless ignored Gallien's persistent warnings and refused his offers of assistance .

Gallien dropped Christopher McCandless off believing he would head back towards the highway within a few days as hunger set in.

Christopher McCandless did not have a detailed topographical map of the region and was unaware of the existence of an abandoned, hand-operated cable car that crossed the river.

One of these factors include Christopher McCandless running the risk of "rabbit starvation", from over-relying on lean meat for nutrition.

Krakauer speculated that Christopher McCandless might have been poisoned by a toxic alkaloid called swainsonine, after eating sweet-vetch seeds containing the toxin, or possibly by a mold that can grow on them, when he put them into a plastic bag.

Christopher McCandless put forward the proposal that McCandless starved to death because he was suffering from paralysis in his legs induced by lathyrism, which prevented him from gathering food or hiking.

Christopher McCandless's life became the subject of a number of articles, books, films, and documentaries, which helped elevate his life to the status of modern myth.

Christopher McCandless became a romantic figure to some inspired by what they see as his free-spirited idealism, but to others, he is a controversial, misguided figure.

Christopher McCandless has been a polarizing figure since his story came to widespread public attention with the publication of Krakauer's January 1993 Outside article.

Christopher McCandless arrived at the Stampede Trail without even a map of the area.

Christopher McCandless starved to death, accidentally poisoned himself, or a combination of the two.

An eponymous 2007 film adaptation of Into the Wild, directed by Sean Penn with Emile Hirsch portraying Christopher McCandless, received a number of awards, including Best Picture from the American Film Institute.