Diary of Chris McCandless

The Diary of Chris McCandlessa.k.a. Alexander Supertramp

Dear Diary,

Today I finally reached the great white north of Alaska, the birthplace and beginning of my great odyssey! This is the final and greatest adventure that I will ever undertake. “The climactic battle to kill being false within and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution” (112). I will live in the wild, away from civilization and without money. Being alone without government control and the poisonous civilization, I can truly live as a free spirit in ultimate freedom. “I now walk into the wild” (92).

God bless us all,

Alexander Supertramp, 1992

Dear Diary,

Magic bus day! As a lone adventurer, I have ventured deep into the wild and discovered an abandoned Fairbanks bus 142! Even though this old bus is not luxurious or comfortable, it will provide my needs of shelter during my days out in the wild. In addition, the shabby interior of the vehicle can offer me some degree of refuge from the constant mosquito swarms at night. The decrepit vehicle is now my new home in this unknown territory. As “[a]n aesthetic voyager whose home is the road” (122). I keep my eyes peeled for other surprises and discoveries, I wonder what else is out there?

Yours truly,


Dear Diary,

Today I bagged the greatest prize of all—MOOSE! I am overjoyed to have brought down one of these great beasts with my .22 caliber rifle! Words cannot describe how proud I am of myself, I feel “like some unemployed janitor who’d gone to Reno and won a million-dollar jackpot” (114). Bringing down this moose is not the only triumphant achievement I have had these days. A few days ago, I shot my third porcupine and “a Canada goose as big as a Christmas turkey” (114). I am now living life in its most natural and purest form. God its great to be alive!

Proudly,


Dear Diary,

Despite past successes, today was a day of famine and hunger. Missed some ducks and only managed to shoot one small squirrel and nothing else. Picked a couple of berries, roots, and herbs, but still not enough to satisfy my hunger. I hope to have better luck tomorrow, but for the meantime, it’s going to be hard falling asleep on an empty and growling stomach.

Good night,


Dear Diary,

“DAY 100! MADE IT!...But in weakest condition of life. Death looms as serious threat. Too weak to walk out, have literally become trapped in the wild.—No game” (133). “Extremely weak…Much trouble just to stand up. Starving. Great jeopardy” (129). I need serious medical attention and right now, the chances of me getting it out of this Alaskan wilderness alive are very slim. Being trapped in the wild, I cannot do anything to save myself.

Sincerely,


Education

Diary of Chris McCandless