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College Years
Christopher Johnson McCandless graduates from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. He informs his parents that he is going to spend the summer traveling in his yellow Datsun. Later, he mails his final college transcript and a brief note to his parents. This is the last time the family had heard from him. -
Beginning of his Journey
McCandless abandons his Datsun after it is damaged a flood. He loads his belongings into his backpack and sets out on foot. He hitchhikes to Lake Tahoe and then into the Sierra Nevada mountain range. He also travels to the Cascade mountains, the Columbia River basin, and through Idaho. He meets Jan Burres and her boyfriend Bob and in Cut Bank, Montana, he meets Wayne Westerberg. -
Encounter with the Canoe
McCandless purchases a canoe and rides on the Colorado River and travels through several places including Lake Havasu, the Cibold National Wildlife Refuge, etc. Sends a postcard to Wayne Westerberg at the Sioux Falls work-release facility where his friend has been incarcerated. -
Canoe Adventure Comes to an End
McCandless reaches the Morelos Dam and the Mexican Border. He encounters dangerous waterfalls and soon realizes that he will not reach the Gulf of California traveling this route. He meets duck hunters who drive him there. He pulls his canoe out of the water and sets up camp on land. He canoes again about a month later and encounters a violent storm that almost drowns him. He leaves his canoe at El Golfo de Santa Clara and wanders around. He is later put in jail by U.S. Immigration officials. -
Ventures through Los Angeles & Las Vegas
McCandless applies for a job in Los Angeles and later changes his mind and returns to the road again. He camps at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with a young German couple. Later, he buries his backpack and heads to Las Vegas. About 3 months later, he leaves Las Vegas and journies to Bullhead City, Arizona. -
Bullhead City, Arizona
McCandless is here for about 2 months, which is the longest he had stayed at one place. He earned a job at McDonald's and lived in an empty RV given by a man named Charlie. -
Unexpected Visit
McCandless unexpectedly appears at Burre's campsite in "The Slabs" campground in Niland. He stays for about a month. -
Meets Ron Franz
McCandless meets Ronald Franz while hitchhiking near California. He stays with him for about a month and asks Franz to drop him off at the San Diego waterfront. He lives on the streets for a week. A month later, McCandless calls Franz to pick him up from Coachella, California. He spends the night at Franz's house and Franz drives McCandless to Grand Junction, Colorado. -
Begins His Alaskan Journey
McCandless works at Wayne Westerberg's grain elevator in Carthage, South Dakota. After a couple of weeks, he leaves for Alaska. -
Beginning of his Alaskan Journey
During the month of April of 1992, McCandless spends most of his time prepareing for his true journey. He takes a photo of the Alaska highway sign and reads up on edible plants at the University of Alaska's Fairbanks campus. He purchases a gun and sends postcards declaring he now "walks into the wild". He pitches his tent near the Stampede Trail. -
Journey in Alaska
Jim Gallien, a truck-driving electrician, picks up McCandless as he's walking down the highway. Gallien is the last person to see McCandless before he dies. -
Alaskan Journey
McCandless settles in an old bus beside the Sushana River and records "Magic Bus Day" in his journal. He decides to stay for a while, living in the bus which he describes it as "... crude comfort." -
Surviving in the Wild
In order to survive, McCandless kills several animals including a spruce grouse, a squirrel, a duck, a goose, a porcupine, and even a moose. He is extremely regretful in killing the moose, but eventually it becomes unedible so he must feed it to the wolves. -
Ready To Return Home
After about 10 weeks in the wild, McCandless decides to prepare and set out on the 20 mile hike back to the road to return home. He walks to the lake, which was frozen before. He is unable to walk over it and he does not want to swim because he is afraid he might drown. So he heads back to the bus and come up with another plan. -
Weak, Starving, and Stuck
McCandless writes in his journal, "EXTREMELY WEAK, FAULT OF POT. SEED, MUCH TROUBLE JUST TO STAND UP. STARVING. GREAT JEOPARDY." -
Day 100
McCandless reaches day 100 but he is in critical condition. -
S.O.S.
McCandless posts and S.O.S. note on the bus door and searches for food desperately. He writes his final journal entry reading, "Beautiful blueberries" which infers that he consumed poisonous berries. -
Rest In Peace
McCandless dies apparently of starvation in his sleeping bag. -
Found
Hikers and hunters discover McCandless's note and then his body in the bus.
