Into The Wild … The Movie

[BirdShooter]

I heard this week that Jon Krakauer’s best selling book, Into the Wild, was recently made into a movie which is scheduled for release this September.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0758758/

As an Outside Magazine subscriber, I read Krakauer’s original and true account of Chris McCandles shortly after his death in Alaska. It is a gripping tale that I look forward to seeing in film. In 2000, we tried to hike to the now infamous wilderness bus.

https://n2backpacking.com/tales/alaska/denali/denali%206_00T.htm

All I can say is that the Alaskan terrain, where the story ends just outside of Denali National Park, is just as demanding as Krakauer describes it in the book. At one point, we spent over seven hours hiking less than two miles and nearly lost one of our party to Class V rapids in the Teklanika River. Despite their beauty, there is no doubt that the Alaskan wilderness can be unforgiving.

[Guests]

McCandles was reckless in my opinion. Those who enter the wilderness unprepared shouldn’t be surprised when they end up in a life and death situation. A simple topo map would have saved his life, but McCandles entered the Alaskan wilderness with little more than a road map. Admittedly, the results were tragic but I don’t think Hollywood should glorify him for it.

[Moondoggy]

There’s an article in the latest (September 2007) issue of Men’s Journal that provides an interesting perspective on the upcoming movie.

[BirdShooter]

Krakauer’s original article in Outside magazine before his book was published:

http://outside.away.com/outside/features/1993/1993_into_the_wild_1.html

[Moondoggy]

More information for anyone who is interested:

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

[Guests]

The Sept. 2007 issue of Outside has an article about the filming of the movie. Apparently Sean Penn is a “gentlemen”, according to McCandless’s parents and has been trying to do this movie since he firm read Krakuer’s book in 1996. Whatever the case, the movie appears to follow the book very closely.

[BirdShooter]

Sounds like this guy got in trouble in the same area that we hiked – maybe a little north. Makes you wonder if he was gunning for the bus:

Denali National Park & Preserve (AK)
Hiker Stuck On Ledge Rescued With Military Assistance

On Wednesday, August 22nd, Zack McCutcheon, 20, of Berkeley, California, was rescued from a small rock ledge on a steep slope on the north side of the Alaska Range with assistance of military personnel from Anchorage. The crew of an Air Force HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter was able to hoist McCutcheon into the helicopter around 8 a.m. and fly him to the park airstrip, where he was evaluated by park medics and found to be in relatively good condition. McCutcheon had become stranded the previous morning when he and his hiking partner, Chris Scruggs, attempted to cross a steep and extremely rugged ridge dividing the headwaters of the East Fork and Teklinika Rivers on the third day of a planned five-day backpacking trip. McCutcheon fell a short distance, and, though uninjured, was unable to move from his position approximately a thousand feet above the glacier in the valley below. It took Scruggs eight hours to hike the 15 miles to the park road, where he flagged down a park shuttle bus. The initial report was received in the park around 5:45 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon. Personnel in the park’s fire program helicopter and fixed-wing Husky aircraft were able to locate McCutcheon relatively quickly. The helicopter landed on a small saddle above McCutcheon’s location and ranger Michael O’Connor was able to make his way down to within 150 feet of McCutcheon, determining that he was suffering from only mild hypothermia. Due to deteriorating weather and impending darkness, both aircraft had to depart the area, but O’Connor stayed at the scene overnight to monitor McCutcheon. Because of concerns about forecasted precipitation and below-freezing temperatures, the park contacted the Rescue Coordination Center and requested military assistance. Personnel from the 210th, 211th and 212th Air Force Rescue Squadrons responded in an HH-60 Pavehawk helicopter and an HC-130 rescue tanker, both with night vision capability, arriving at the park between 11 p.m. and midnight on Tuesday. In spite of multiple attempts, they were unable to overcome weather conditions. After being on station for over three hours, they were forced to return to their base. The second combined rescue attempt was launched at daybreak on Wednesday. [Submitted by Kris Fister, Public Affairs Specialist]

[Moondoggy]

The trailer is out on several sites. Here is one….

http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/into_the_wild/trailers_player.php?IGNMediaID=2028192&playerType=playlist

[Guests]

Ahhh … here comes the hype. Most Alaskans, like me, are disgusted with this guy. We see 10+ Chris McCandlesses get in trouble in our backcountry every year. What makes this guys so special?

[TreeFrog]

The media blitz is on. Backpacker has a Q&A session with the actor playing McCandless in this month’s issue. Should be an interesting movie. I wonder how long it will take for all of the items McCandless left behind (and reportedly are still in the bus) to end up on EBay. That’s be a damn shame.

[Guests]

Photos of the bus:

http://www.confluence.org/photo.php?visitid=11139&pic=9

[Tree Top Flyer]

National Geographic Adventure is on board (OCT 07 issue). Ugh, Sean Penn’s involved in the movie. Will have to wait for it to come out on the tube or get a pirate copy of it.

[TreeFrog]

Interesting perspectives on Into the Wild from the Oprah show including Krakauer, Sean Penn, McCandless’s parents/sister

http://www2.oprah.com/tows/pastshows/200709/tows_past_20070920.jhtml?promocode=ssend20070920TD

[Guests]

Just read the article in Nat Geo Adventurer. Truly a tragic tale, but makes you appreciate that we often learn and appreciate life the most when we are outside of the comfort zone. God Bless, Chris.

[Guests]

My assessment (and I haven’t seen the movie yet):
– McCandless was pissed off at his parents – and rightly so
– He grew up in an affluent community in Virginia
– Went to school at an affluent school in Emory
– And neither environment made him happy
– Writings like Walden influenced him and he found happiness being penniless, free, and divorced from his parents
– A said tale, but McCandless is by no means crazy or psychotic as some (and mainly Alaskans) claim
– He took unnecessary chances and paid for those decisions
– It’s no more complicated than that

[Author]

Posts