Supertramp

[dafydd]

There is a wonderful film by Sean Penn (based on a book) called Into The Wild, about the true story of Christopher McCandless aka Alex Supertramp, a young American college graduate who at 22 donated all his money ($24,000) to Oxfam, and set off on a 2year trek across America for his ultimate goal: living in the wilderness of Alaska, 'away' from civilization. I've been reading the book, and speculating on whether Supertramp was bisexual/gay. Anyone familiar with the story had similar thoughts? In the end he tragically starved to death in an abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail, by the Teklanika River.

Wiki entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless

Highly recommend the book and film.

d:rolleyes:

[TwylaTwobits]

I'm in the rare position of actually agreeing with Bret. It was a pretty stupid act but does make for an interesting story. Basic lesson plan for what not to do Survival 101.

[JP1986UM]

Darwin got another one, just took a lot longer than the other stupid ones.

Its less exciting that the stupid moron who lived out with the bears in Alaska....then got eaten by one.

You just have to laugh.

[12voltman59]

I do remember when the news of his death made the headlines---but I really don't know enough about his story and of him to decide whether he was gay or bi.

[mrplayfuluk]

I remember the film, it struck me that he was more niaive than a moron. His idea was noble but he didn't do any research even though he had plenty of time to....

[dafydd]

I don't mean to speak ill of the dead but c'mon what was the guy thinking?

Going into the Alaskan wilderness far away from any people in a very remote place, not telling anyone where he was going, and taking only a bag of white rice to survive on for the winter yeah that's really smart you're basically asking for death and starvation by choosing to do that.

It seems like Christopher McCandles was Heterosexual but really just did not care about sex or relationships all that much.

I thought that the movie was OK but overrated as it seemed to glamorize him too much and it never told the viewer just why he decided to go into the wild unlike the book did.

Well he was sufficiently skilled to last for about 4months on that bag of rice.
After reading the amazing book (recommended) I'm not so sure about his incompetence. Quote from the book p184

"Sure, he screwed up", Roman answers, "but I admire what he was trying to do. Living completely off the land like that, month after month, is incredibly difficult. I've never done it. And I'd bet you that very few, if any of the people who call McCandless incompetent have ever done it either, not for more than a week or two. Living in the interior bus for an extended period, subsisting on nothing except what you hunt and gather - most people have no idea how hard that actually is. And McCandless almost pulled it off.....When I first started coming to Alaska, I think I was probably a lot like McCandless, just as green, just as eager. And I'm sure there are plenty of other Alaskans who had a lot in common with McCandless when they first got here, too, including many of his critics. Which is maybe why they're so hard on him. Maybe McCandless reminds them a little too much of their former selves"

and the author concludes "how difficult it is for those of us preoccupied with the humdrum concerns of adulthood to recall how forcefully we were once buffeted by the passions and longings of youth"

I think its a really interesting story.

d