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Chris meets Westerberg and works in Carthage until Westerberg is arrested
Chris applies to a job in Carthage. Chris tells Westerberg, "he planned on staying until April 15, just long enough to put together a grubstake. He needed to buy a pile of new gear, he explained, because he was going to Alaska" (Krakauer 62). He works for four weeks in the grain elevator, which he enjoys, until Westerberg is arrested. Chris leaves again. -
Chris enters Las Vegas and finds a job
7 1/2 months after he abandons his Datsun, Alex digs up his belongings. Alex buries his backpack in the desert and enters Las Vegas with no money and no ID, and finds a job at an Italian restaraunt. -
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Chris goes to Bullhead City, Arizona
Chris settles down in Bullhead City, Arizona and stays there for more than two months. He gets a job at McDonalds and curiously uses his real name and social security number. -
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Chris meets Franz
Chris meets Franz, an alcoholic who lost his wife and only child in a drunk driving accident. The two form a close bond and develop a father-son relationship. Chris leaves for San Diego, asking Franz to pick him up. Franz asks Chris to adopt him, who uncomfortably avoids the question and tells him that they will talk about it when he comes back from Alaska. -
Jim Gallien picks up Alex from the road
Jim Gallien picks up a hitchhiker who introduces himself as just Alex. "Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior" (Krakauer 5). Gallien tries to convince him to not follow through with his plan, to no avail. He drops Alex out three hours out of Fairbanks, at the Stampede Trail -
Chris discovers an abandoned bus
Chris discovers an old bus beside the SUhana River. It had a bunk, barrel stove, matches, bug dope, and other essentials. He wrote "Magic Bus day" in his journal. In this journal, he writes, "Two years he walks the Earth [...] an extremist. An aesthetic voyagist whose home is the road. Escaped from Atlanta [...] No longer to be poisoned by civilization he flees, and walks alone upon the land to become lost in the wild" (Krakauer 163). -
Chris kills a moose
Chris kills a moose, taking a photo kneeling over his trophy. However, he attempts to smoke the meat in order to preserve it, which was extremely difficult. After a few days, the meat is spoiled with maggots. Chris wishes he never shot the moose and abandons the carcass. -
Chris hikes to Carthage and encounters a river
Chris begins a 20-mile hike to Carthage. He encounters a river that was once a simple knee-deep creek, but was now flooded and fast. He concluded that he would not be able to cross the river, so he turned around and went back to his bus. -
Chris dies
Hungry and tired, Chris eats seeds that may have had a poisonous mold on them, which further accelerated starvation. Chris wrote his last words in his journal, highlighting a quote from a poem, and penned a goodbye, saying, "I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!" (Krakauer 199). After that, he crawls into the sleeping bag and slipped into unconsciousness. He most likely died on August 18th. -
Chris's body is discovered
A group of hikers notice a bad smell coming from inside the bus. When investigated, they discover Chris's dead body inside a sleeping bag and his note, "S.O.S. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?" (Krakauer 12).