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Chris McCandless travels the United States.
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Graduated from Emory University in Atlanta Georgia, in college he began to separate himself from other people and worried more about his school work.
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abandons car and begins his journey on foot, begins to realize this journey might be harder than anticipated
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From July through August Chris hitchhikes his way through the cascade mountains and up the Columbia River then eventually gets to Montana and meets Wayne Westerberg. Enduring strong weather and minimal food throughout his travels he learns how to adapt to difficult situations.
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Chris purchases a second hand canoe in Needles California and makes his way down the Colorado river from October- November.
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Chris pulls his canoe out of the water and sets up camp on the edge of a plateau. warming himself up to living off the land taking baby steps
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Chris heads for high ground in an attempt to avoid strong winds and finds a small cave, he lived in there for ten days. adapting to harsh weather conditions he learns to coexist with the harsh weather of wherever he is at.
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Chris travels to Houston, then to the Pacific coast. There is no direct travel route while hitchhiking, there are many detours.
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Applies for an ID and a job in Los Angeles and then changes his mind and returns to the road. Chris kind of came back to society for a period of time and then went back off the grid.
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Chris buries his belongings and hitchhikes into Las Vegas, only to leave on May 10th. Chris is not completely withdrawn from society, he hasn't completely made up his mind
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Arrives in Bullhead City, Arizona where he works for two months at a McDonald's and sleeps in an abandoned R.V. Again revisiting the idea that he is unable to survive solely on his own.
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Unexpectedly appears at Burres's campsite at The Slabs campground in Niland.
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Chris meets Ronald Franz while hitchhiking near California's Salton Sea.
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Calls Franz from Coachella, California not far from Salton sea and asks to pick him up. Although on his own, Chris relies on friends he meets along the way to help him.
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Reads up on edible plants at the University of Alaska's Fairbanks campus, buys a used gun and hikes west. Chris is preparing to finally go off on his own, in his own head he thinks he is ready/prepared to survive in the Alaskan bush on his own.
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Finds the bus beside the Shushana River.
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Chris lives in the bus from May to early July, he tries to hike back to the road but the beaver-dammed frozen river is now flowing rapidly and he cannot cross. Chris heads back to the bus. He is beginning to realize he is stranded and is running low on options.
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From July 30th to August 11th Chris lives in the bus living off small animals and whatever he can find but it is not enough, he is slowly dying of starvation. Chris is beginning to regret his decision and is doing all he can to keep himself going. He has realized that he was not prepared to go on this journey.
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Chris posts S.O.S. note on the outside of the bus, forages for berries and writes his final journal entry. In writing the S.O.S. note, Chris knows he is most likely not making it out of bush alive.
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Dies in his sleeping bag on the bus alongside the Shushana River
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Hunters discover Chris's body in the bus
