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This was the day when Chris McCandles was born not knowing yet that he will have the greatest life in his life
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Chris graduated from Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School. That summer, he traveled throughout the country and he returned home only 2 days before his college year started.
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Sometime after he graduated, he donated $25,000 from his savings to OXFAM, an organization that was dedicated to fighting hunger
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Chris's car had been destroyed by a violent flash flood, so he took this mishap as an opportunity to get rid of all of his belongings. He buried his deer-hunting rifle, striped his car of its Virginia plate, and burned all one hundred twenty-three dollars in his wallet.
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He changed his name so he can start an entirely new life for himself.
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Wayne Westenberg had no work for Chris because of his imprisonment, so Chris left Carthage, South Dakota. He was a very determined worker, so he was well-liked at the grain elevator.
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Chris canoes on the Colorado River. In January, he abandons the canoe due to weather conditions. Christopher had not spoken to or seen another human in 36 days. From October 1990 to January 16th, 1991
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When he entered Las Vegas he had no money or ID. There he worked at an Italian restaurant. He lived there from February 24 - May 10, 1991
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Not much is known because Chris stopped keeping a journal when he left Las Vegas. We do know that he lived on the coast from July - August 1991
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In Bullhead he worked at a McDonald's. This is possibly the longest he has ever stayed in one place. He stayed there from November- December 1991
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The Slabs were located in Niland California. There he sold books for Jan and Bob.
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Christ lived with Ron where he taught Chris how to work with leather and Chris made a belt that told a story with pictures of his journeys. Chris ended up living with Ron for some time. Before Chris left, Ronald asked him if he could adopt Chris since his wife and only child were killed by a drunk driver, and Ronald was the only member of his family left. Chris lived there from January - February 1991
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Chris was on his way north so Ronald drops him off at Grand Junction.
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Chris had exactly one thousand dollars in his boot. He left his journal with Wayne Westenberg for safekeeping. While he was hugging everyone goodbye he started crying. He probably realized that he may not see them again.
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Chris had gotten a ride with a man by the name of Gaylord Stuckey. The car ride took three days. Chris, then, spends another three days in town preparing for the long hike to the bus.
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Chris would walk to the bus where he slept and lived in. This bus had been abandoned, it belonged to the city of Fairbanks, Alaska. The bus is still there many people visit the bus in honor of Chris.
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He had to cross the Teklanika River to get to town but Chris couldn't leave the wild because the Teklanika River has swelled almost five times its original size and has become violent and uncrossable so he had no choice but to go back to the bus.
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Chris died from starvation and a fungus that was growing on a plant that he was eating at the time. His body was recovered 19 days and he was only 24 when he died. He spent about 113 days in the wild. Chris went on a long, difficult, and amazing journey to find out who he really is and the true meaning of an ethical life. To Chris, it meant to abandon everything and everyone he knew, start a new leaf in life, and be "cleansed" of the world. He went through it to the end and died a happy man.
