Classic Chris

"Because he had no topographic map, however, he had no way of conceiving that salvation was so close at hand" (Krakuaer 174).

Topic: Travel Advice

As said above, Chris had yet again set his "amazing" journey at a fault. Chris had apparently gotten rid of his map purely because he wanted to find an unknown area to claim his own. However, the map he had had no uncharted spots for him to venture off to like he had wanted. No map by that time had any blank spots. So his solution to that issue was to just completely get rid of the map. "In his own mind, if nowhere else, the terra would thereby remain incognita," Krakuaer explains. Chris really was just a kid. I think he definitely overestimated his survival skills. Earlier in the book, Chris is said to have had a love for nature and he had been camping and hiking a lot with his family. He probably thought he could handle himself out in the wild with his technically little experience. Not only did he get rid of his map, but he got rid of most of his supplies. All he was left with by the time he got to Alaska was a literal library of books, the jacket and boots he got from Gallien, a rifle, rice, and the map he eventually threw away. He could have killed some animals for meat, but he was so against killing another living being and you cant be like that if you literally brought nothing with you. However, he did eventually kill moose. But without the skills to properly store the meat, the meat eventually went bad and he was back to square one. I honestly think Chris could have survived out in Alaska, if only he had kept all of that supplies he had earlier in his journey. However his ignorance killed him instead.