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Chris is born
Chris is born in El Segundo, California. -
Chris moves to Virginia
Chris and his family move to Annandale, Virginia for his dad’s work which is by D.C. -
The Start of Chris's Journey
Following the discovery Chris who had just gotten out of college decides to take his old car and head out west officially starting his journey. Unfortunately his car was caught in a flash flood so Chris was forced to leave it along with other possessions behind. A lesson to be learned here is that materialistic objects like money and cars are only temporary and you should be careful to not get too attached to them. -
Chris settles down for a while
Chris meets a man named Wayne Westerberg in North Dakota. Wayne works at a grain elevator and lets Chris work there giving Chris some stability in his hectic life. Chris and Wayne click and end up becoming very good friends, Wayne mentions how hard of a worker Chris is at his job. This goes to show the spirit and determination Chris possessed and how it is important to put 100% effort into the work you do and also to take pride in the work you do. -
Why Chris leaves his family
Chris goes back to his hometown in Segundo and through conversations with neighbors discovered that his father had a previous marriage. Chris was unaware of this and therefore felt resentful towards his father for not telling him. The value that Chris is displaying here is that you shouldn't let people be dishonest with you. -
Adventures in Mexico
Chris who now goes by the name "Alex Supertramp" plans to kayak into Mexico using the Colorado River. This plan was foiled though due to swamps that prevented Chris from getting past the coast. Chris decided to hitch a ride returning to America. In this situation Chris is demonstrating his ability which is to take risks for what you believe in much like his hopes of traveling to Alaska, Chris is determined to get to Mexico even though he has encountered some obstacles. -
Crossing the border into America
Chris finally returns to the U.S after spending a good deal of time in Mexico. When Chris crosses the border though he is found by the border patrol officers and is taken into custody for a short time. Luckily Chris was able to explain his journey to the officers after only having to spend a day in the jail and being confiscated of his rifle. Demonstrating what I think is his most admirable ability which is to take risks for what you believe in. I admire Chris for having such a strong willpower. -
Chris in Bullhead City, Arizona
Chris stops in Bullhead City to take a quick break. Chris decides to get a job at McDonalds to make some money. Here Chris shows that is important to prepare for your goals, by taking this job he is able to later provide for himself with the things that he needs and will use on his journey. -
Chris makes another connection
When Chris is back on the move he stops at California and meets an 80 year old man who goes by the name of Ronald Franz who had fallen on hard times due to losing his son. Chris had become good friends with Ronald helping him through the tragedy. Ronald taught Chris many useful survival techniques that would be very helpful to Chris during his journey. This is another example of how Chris had a huge positive impact on someone's life, mine included. -
Chris and Ronald depart
After Chris and Ronald head to San Diego, Ronald offers Chris money and a place to live with him but Chris who has always tried to be self reliant during the journey politely refuses and the friends depart. -
Chris in Carthage, South Dakota
Chris ends up near Ronald's house and asks him for a ride as far as Ronald his willing to take him. Ronald graciously takes him to Grand Junction, Colorado. Chris then hikes his way to South Dakota meeting back up with Wayne and taking his job back again. Reconnecting with good friends is sometimes an important to do and Chris shows this by reconnecting with his good friend Wayne who is able to provide him a temporary job. -
The journey to Alaska
Chris by now has departed with his good friend Wayne and decided he's ready to brave the Alaskan wilderness. On the way to Alaska Chris met a man named Jim Gallien who offers to give him a ride up to Alaska. Jim questions Chris but Chris doesn't go to far into his personal life. Jim is concerned that Chris is under prepared and offers Chris supplies and his rubber boots, stubbornly of course Chris only takes the boots committing to his own self reliance which is a good value for anyone to have. -
Crossing the Teklanika River
Chris finally in the Alaskan wilderness now crosses the Teklanika River that had relatively low tides when Chris crossed it giving him a false gauge of the river's depth. Eventually in the wilderness Chris finds an abandoned transit bus that had many useful supplies in it, Chris makes this his home for the adventure. Now Chris is finally living his dream of living off the land. This goes to show for anyone young no dream is too crazy to pursue and with determination nothing will stop you. -
Chris gets his first big game kill
Chris manages to kill a mouse while unfortunately the meat spoils because Chris has no way to preserve the meat this shows his resourcefulness considering he had such a small caliber rifle. Chris tried to not kill anymore big game because he knew the meat would be wasted. This is what it means to stick to your values even if it may not be the easiest choice in the end. -
A fatal mistake
Chris in an attempt to put no food to waste has started to eat the seeds of the potatoes. Unbeknownst to our hero the seeds block food from being properly digested in your stomach. -
Chris realizes his peril
Chris writes a note that begs help from anyone who is reading it. Chris urges the reader that the note is not a joke and that he is near death. Even as stubborn as Chris has been throughout the whole adventure he shows that at certain points it is ok to ask for help from others. -
Chris passes away
Bravely making it 112 days in the wilderness by solely living off the land Chris passes away due to starvation. Tragically Chris's body is discovered by other wanders. But even in death Chris shows immense bravery and positivity by saying "I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!". Though Chris is gone he continues to inspire young people to follow their dreams without fear of what society has to say.
