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Chris McCandless - a cautionary tale about trail planning and preparation (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 1 month ago by Plum@lemmy.world to c/creepywikipedia@lemmy.world

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[–] kokesh@lemmy.world 31 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He was really dumb. We actually ask our dog handlers when they arrive, what they think about him. He was a reckless idiot.

[–] Eheran@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago (4 children)

Why do you/they think so?

[–] fartsparkles@sh.itjust.works 43 points 1 month ago (2 children)

He didn’t bother to learn about outdoor survival before he left. He arrived in Alaska with little food and equipment. He was offered free food and equipment to take with him by the driver who took him to the trail but he refused.

He didn’t take a map. He was 800m from being able to get back across the river and towards civilisation but instead returned to the bus to die.

His death was avoidable and selfish and the romanticising of his death glorifies being an idiot and taking entirely unnecessary risks.

[–] massive_bereavement@fedia.io 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

800 miles or meters?

[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 24 points 1 month ago

Literal meters. He was across a river and a short walk from safety but it was through heavy snow and hypothermia inducing water. But still he didn't even knew that was there because he was completely off about where he thought he was. I mean, he died in a bus because a road was close enough for a bus to get stranded there. That place was a proposed trail or something.

[+] Eheran@lemmy.world -7 points 1 month ago (2 children)

How can someone choose to do something, with only himself affected, and that be selfish? Otherwise yes, your are right. People thinking that was somehow cool are idiots.

[–] dustyData@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

He did do this kinds of things as rebellion towards his upbringing. He had a family who loved him who were devastated by his unnecessary loss. Part of the reason he is romanticized is because he could've lived a comfortable life, his family was wealthy, stable, and loving. This has encouraged others to try and live up to his misled ideals and caused them to also put their lives in unnecessary danger.

Also, this people put themselves in danger and then others have to put themselves in danger to rescue them or fix what they broke hurting themselves. People used to have to be rescued from the bus regularly afterwards.

I genuinely think he was suicidal, and his story encourages other's suicidal behavior. That alone is dangerous. This behavior is never rational. It stems from a warped view of reality.

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 18 points 1 month ago

Starving to death because he decided to go wander into the wilderness with insufficient experience or planning seems like pretty reasonable grounds for the position

[–] pmmeyourseedbombs@slrpnk.net 8 points 1 month ago (1 children)

He was underprepared for a life in that environment. Iirc he didn’t really prepare at all for the trip. There’s some documentaries on yt etc if you want to dive deeper. There’s also a movie which is said to be pretty good.

[–] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 8 points 1 month ago

Or, y'know, the book

[–] kokesh@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

If they think he was awesome, they usually end up being weird irresponsible people.

[–] problematicPanther@lemmy.world 19 points 1 month ago

Wow, what an idiot. Not for trying to live a nomadic lifestyle, but for trying to survive the Alaskan bush without so much as a map..,

[–] FeeshyFish@lemmy.world 5 points 1 month ago

I remember getting high and watching the film, not the documentary, about him. I was initially rooting for him, but halfway through I was getting angry. I just kept thinking "WTF is wrong with you? You need help at every turn and then just keep turning everyone away." I finished the movie and figured he was depressed and suicidal, but I still didn't like him as a character.