Into The Wild

Chris McCandless is Born

Feb 12, 1968

Chris is born in El Segundo, California.

Chris Graduates High School

May 26, 1986

Chris graduates from Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School in Virginia. Chris got all A's except for an F in physics and participated in track and field because he didn't like team sports. Chris also obtained his old yellow Datsun during his high school years.

Chris Graduates From Emory University

May 12, 1990

Chris graduates from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia with a 3.72 GPA. After graduating, he donated $25,000 to OXFAM, an organization dedicated to fighting hunger.

Chris is Picked Up By "Crazy Ernie"

Jul 5, 1990

Chris is picked up in North California by a man called "Crazy Ernie" and offered him a job. Chris never got paid, so he left in a few weeks time.

Chris Abandons His Datsun

Jul 10, 1990

Chris abandons his car in the Mojave Desert, which is later found in October by park rangers and used to assist in drug busts. Chris continued his journey by foot from there.

Chris is Picked up By Jan Burres

Aug 1, 1990

In Arcata California, Chris is picked up by Jan Burres and her boyfriend who let him stay with them for a couple of weeks. They eventually ended up dropping Chris off at Orick Beach which was also in California.

Chris Recieves a Ticket

Aug 10, 1990

Chris gets a ticket for hitchhiking in Willow Creek, California. The unpaid ticket is eventually sent to his parents at their home.

Chris Meets Wayne

Sep 10, 1990

Wayne Westerberg was the owner of a grain elevator in Carthage, South Dakota who was driving out of Cut Bank after buying some parts for a manufacturer. On his way back, he pulled over after seeing a hitchhiker who told him that his name was Alex McCandless. He ended up staying with Westerberg for three days, but then returned a couple of weeks later. Westerberg offered McCandless a job and a place to stay. A few days later Westerberg was arrested, so McCandless ended up leaving once again.

Westerberg Gets Arrested

Oct 23, 1990

Wayne Westerberg was involved in making "black boxes" —which allowed people to watch cable t.v without paying for it— and was sent to jail which caused Chris/Alex to move on to the next town.

Chris Reaches the Colorado River

Oct 28, 1990

Chris caught a ride from a trucker and reached the Colorado River, then proceeded to buy a used canoe in Topock Arizona.

The Morelos Dam/Mexico

Dec 2, 1990

Chris reached the Morelos Dam and the Mexican border and realized that he couldn't continue traveling here. Some duck hunters found him and dropped him off in El Golfo de Santa Clara.

Camping On a Bluff

Dec 14, 1990

Chris finds a bluff and camps out there for about ten days.

Canoe Trouble

Jan 11, 1991

Chris's canoe broke from a violent storm which almost caused him to drown. Chris had to continue his journey by walking across the Southwest for about five days.

Caught at the Border

Jan 18, 1991

Chris was caught at the border by U.S. Immigration officials when he tried to sneak back into the country from Mexico.

Camping at the Grand Canyon

Feb 6, 1991

Chris camps at the bottom of the Grand Canyon with German couple Karin and Thomas. Chris also noted that he had lost just over 25 pounds.

Chris Enters Las Vegas

Feb 27, 1991

Chris buries his backpack and heads off to hitchhike to Las Vegas

Chris Leaves Las Vegas

May 10, 1991

Job at McDonald's

Oct 1, 1991

Chris ends up in Bullhead City, Arizona and ended up getting a job at the local McDonald's. This is key because he used his real social security number which helped people identify his body. Chris ended up staying in Bullhead City for about two months and lived in one of Charlie's RVs.

Chris Writes to Burres

Dec 9, 1991

Chris sent a postcard to Jan Burres in Niland, California giving her a map and the address of where she could visit him in Bullhead City.

Chris Surprises Jan

Dec 13, 1991

Chris unexpectedly shows up at Jan and Bob Burres's campsite at the Slab in Niland.

Chris Meets Franz

Jan 2, 1992

Chris meets Ron Franz while hitchhiking near Salton Sea. In February, Chris met up with Franz again.

More Postcards

Mar 5, 1992

Chris sent Burres and Franz postcards from Seattle, Washington.

Franz Helps Chris

Mar 12, 1992

Chris called Franz from Coachella, California and asked to be picked up. Chris ended up staying the night at Franz's and was driven to Grand Junction, Colorado the next day. From there Chris worked for Wayne Westerberg again for about 2 weeks.

Hitches a Ride with Stuckey

Apr 13, 1992

Chris meets Gaylord Stuckey, who gave him a ride in the cab of his sunflower-seed hauling truck.

Semi-Prepares for the Wild

Apr 18, 1992

Chris took a picture of the sign that marks the start of the Alaska Highway, read up on edible plants, bought a gun, sent postcards, and started hiking West.

Chris Arrives in Fairbanks, Alaska

Apr 25, 1992

Chris sends Wayne a postcard stating that he made it to Fairbanks and this would be the last that Wayne would hear from him. He also requested for Wayne to return all of his mail to sender.

Chris Ventures Into the Wild

Apr 28, 1992

Jim Gallien picks up Chris in Fairbanks and offers him a ride three hours out of Fairbanks to the Stampede Trail. Gallien became interested in Chris's endeavors and gave him an old pair of rubber work boots and watched Chris go into the wild.

Chris Meets Jim Gallien

Apr 28, 1992

After walking on the highway for a while, a truck driving electrician named Jim Gallien stopped and picked Chris up. Jim was on his way to Anchorage and took Chris to the Stampede Trail.

Chris Finds a Bus

May 1, 1992

Chris found an old bus beside the Sushana River and wrote "Magic Bus Day" in his journal. He decided to stay there for a while.

Chris Leaves for Carthage

May 28, 1992

Chris Kills a Moose

Jun 9, 1992

Chris killed a moose and took a photo with the carcass. He proceeded to butcher the meat, causing maggots to get to it. He threw the carcass to the local wolves.

Preparing for the Hike to the Road

Jul 3, 1992

Chris packed his backpack to prepare for his 20 mile hike back to the road.

An Obstacle Appears

Jul 5, 1992

While on his hike back to the road, Chris comes to a raging torrent that used to be an uncumbersome river to cross. He then turned around and went back to the bus.

Arrives Back at the Bus

Jul 8, 1992

Last Journal Entry

Jul 30, 1992

Chris posted his SOS note on the door of the bus and foraged for blueberries. His last journal entry read: "Beautiful blueberries"

Chris's Death

Aug 18, 1992

Chris died of starvation in his sleeping bag on the bus.

Moose Hunters Find Chris's Body

Sep 6, 1992

Six moose hunters from three different groups stumbled upon part of the Fairbanks City Transit System: Bus 142 and noticed a rancid smell. One of the hunters, Gordon Samel, went inside and found Chris's body inside of a blue sleeping bag.

Article About Chris Is Published

Sep 13, 1992

An article about Chris was published in the New York Times.