How Chris McCandless Died • Hacker News Board

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#11

Post by runjake » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:48 PM UTC

malloreon wrote: post #2

Obligatory quotes from McCandless' wikipedia page ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless ): Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: "When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail…

This point has been rehashed again and again and again every time McCandless is mentioned. We get it.

Aside from that, what is your point? Did you even bother to read the article, which despite mentioning this detraction, has nothing to do with it? Or were you just looking for easy upvotes?

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#12

Post by guywithabike » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:48 PM UTC

cpncrunch wrote: post #6

malloreon wrote: post #2

Obligatory quotes from McCandless' wikipedia page ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless ): Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: "When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail…

I think the point is that he was an independent thinker, and thus was disillusioned by all the BS in modern society. Sure he made some mistakes and he had some back luck, but he chose to find meaning in his life instead of being another sheep. Can you say the same for your own life?

If having "some bad luck" and living a "meaningful life" means I die of starvation / poisoning alone in a forest, then I guess you can count me out.

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#13

Post by loser777 » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:49 PM UTC

It's interesting to note that Jon Krakauer also wrote Three Cups of Deceit, when Three Cups of Tea was required summer reading for me in high school. Funny how opinions about people change--though in this case it's sad instead of angering.

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#14

Post by vecter » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:50 PM UTC

cpncrunch wrote: post #6

malloreon wrote: post #2

Obligatory quotes from McCandless' wikipedia page ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless ): Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: "When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail…

I think the point is that he was an independent thinker, and thus was disillusioned by all the BS in modern society. Sure he made some mistakes and he had some back luck, but he chose to find meaning in his life instead of being another sheep. Can you say the same for your own life?

How was Chris's life more meaningful than everyone else's?

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#15

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:50 PM UTC

malloreon wrote: post #2

Obligatory quotes from McCandless' wikipedia page ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless ): Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: "When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail…

[deleted]

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#16

Post by Zimahl » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:51 PM UTC

malloreon wrote: post #2

Obligatory quotes from McCandless' wikipedia page ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless ): Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: "When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail…

Mostly I'm puzzled by the way he's emerged as a hero

I tend to agree with the sentiment although I appreciate the his quest.

As a side note, I can understand how someone gets into a sticky situation in the theme of adventure. A friend's little brother (in his 20s, lot so little) decided to hike the Appalachian Trail this summer. Unfortunately he found out about a month in that he was ill-prepared for the calories it takes to hike the sometimes over 20 miles-per-day and the physical toll as well. He had to quit much earlier than expected.

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#17

Post by mhartl » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:51 PM UTC

malloreon wrote: post #2

Obligatory quotes from McCandless' wikipedia page ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless ): Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote: "When you consider McCandless from my perspective, you quickly see that what he did wasn't even particularly daring, just stupid, tragic, and inconsiderate. First off, he spent very little time learning how to actually live in the wild. He arrived at the Stampede Trail…

Read the article.

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#18

Post by stevehawk » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:52 PM UTC

holy hell.. "How Chris McCandless Died" is such a bad title considering at the very end it says - "there is ample reason to believe that McCandless contracted lathyrism from eating those seeds". So he /may/ have died that way.

Jon Krakauer just really wants to believe that McCandless could have survived if he hadn't been a dumbass.

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#19

Post by glibgil » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:54 PM UTC

mpyne wrote: post #5

The author posits that it wasn't stupidity that killed McCandless for eating a plant not known to be toxic, but rather ignorance. However the reason he (and the rest of us) were ignorant of the danger of the potato seed is that the potato seed isn't dangerous to anyone except those in a severe caloric deficit and still undergoing physical exertion. In other words he applied knowledge gained in one situation (normal p…

If he didn't eat the wild potato seeds, he would have survived the 18 days until help came. He would have survived on squirrels and porcupines. The wild potato seeds poisoned him. He died from complications of paralysis. No one should eat wild potato seeds, ever, just to be sure they don't become permanently paralyzed. Young men are the highest risk group. This is new information. No one knew this before. I don't know how to help you understand the article better. You got it very wrong.

Re: How Chris McCandless Died

#20

Post by Zimahl » Thu, Sep 12, 2013, 8:55 PM UTC

lrm242 wrote: post #10

cpncrunch wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the point is that he was an independent thinker, and thus was disillusioned by all the BS in modern society. Sure he made some mistakes and he had some back luck, but he chose to find meaning in his life instead of being another sheep. Can you say the same for your own life?

Give me a break. The guy was most certainly not an independent thinker. Nor was he a critical thinker. Nor did he have any respect for the challenge he was taking on. He was an angst ridden teenage boy captured in an twenty something's body that never learned the difference between fantasy and reality. Most importantly, he never learned that in the real world there are consequences for stupid actions.

This. The previous comment is the reason why McCandless is such a polarizing figure. Those who prepare and go on a quest without suffering negative consequences are somehow derided for not being independent thinkers, somehow cheapened for not risking enough.

"Adventure is just bad planning." - Roald Amundsen