As a long time boy scout how many days have you lived off the land with just the clothes on your back and your wits? This kid survived for years this way.

As a long time boy scout how many days have you lived off the land with just the clothes on your back and your wits? This kid survived for years this way.

The botany book that listed a poisionous plant as edible was huge!

In the book "Eiger Dreams" by Krakaur there is a short story about his own trip to Alaska. May give some insight to why people do what our uncles and aunts, sitting in RV'
s and watching O'Reilly, do things that just don't add up to common sense. Anyone walking by El Cap Bridge will hear it said over and over by the sensible few... "You guys are stupid and going to die."



Die young or old and fat, having not, in the zen sense of the word, 'lived'? Take your pick, Krakaur took his.

Nope. He lived off handouts and he was both miserly and completely ingrateful about it. Yet he had the audicity to brag about his 'economy.'

And MOST people lived on the edge of the wilderness in those days, just not on Conn.

DMT

False. Krakauer dreamed this theory up to make the kid less foolish. But it was discredited by researchers who tested all the plants. All edible and non-toxic.

Off on a tangent...I was looking around and found something about a guy who also went to Alaska and lived on his own(for 35 years). Haven't done anything but scan the below url, but it sounds like something I'd be interested in. Seems this guy left plenty of information about his time out there.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Proenneke

re: living on his own. He had a pilot occasionally drop off supplies. The guy was hard core as hell, but he technically was not living off the land.

PBS occasionally airs his movie. Worthwhile to watch.

I was working in CT about 280 miles from home when I was robbed of my wallet. Not enough gas to make it home, no CC cards, ID or cell phone. No phone card and no one to call. I had 11 dollars in my pocket.

Dumb kid starves himself to death. Yawn.

It was a good book...

>Cam

Another brilliant post by Roy.

For those of you who haven't passed English 101, class is in session:

This isn't a story about Chris McCanndless. Krakauer\Penn are using this kid's story to get their point across about self redemption and the search for meaning in life. It doesn't matter if you like the character or not, he is fictitious; coming from the author\director's mind. Krakauer and Penn never met this kid in real life, they don't know if he is a self-righteous a-hole or a brilliant charismatic soul searcher. They obviously don't care either. They create this character in a way to get their point across. It doesn't matter if he ate poisonous seeds or kayaked down the river, the book and movie are about the message. If it was just about the kid's story, they could have just published his journal and saved a lot of time and effort.

I know Roy could have probably climbed all those crags, spent years in Alaska, and probably saved a few injured bears along the way, but it wouldn't illustrate the author's point or reason for writing this.

Don't feel bad because no film directors are approaching you for your journals, it has nothing to do with your climbing ability or survival skills. It's because spending 3 days a week chalking up at the climbing gym and the weekends trying to hang dog your first 5.12 doesn't provide a good medium to deliver a message.