Est 2008

Christopher McCandless Into The Wild

This website is designed to give you a complete overview of Christopher McCandless (Alexander Supertramp) and the book/movie ‘Into The Wild’ that followed his passing. It is a moving story about a young man chasing after his dream and ultimate Alaskan adventure.

For those of you unaware, Chris was a young man that traveled throughout North America living off the barest of essentials and in most cases, off the land. Unfortunately, he paid the ultimate price for this in the end and was found perished in an abandoned Fairbanks City bus on the Stampede Trail in Alaska. His name became famous after Jon Krakaeur wrote an award-winning book about his adventures which eventually became a world-famous movie by Sean Penn with an awesome soundtrack by Eddie Vedder.

After being exposed to this amazing story, I felt compelled to build this website. This website and my endeavors have connected me with the McCandless family. In August 2010, Billie and Walt McCandless sent me some pictures and information about Chris in his early years.

I have also been in contact with Chris’s sister Carine. She has submitted a personal letter to the visitors of this site, as have a Shawna and Shelley McCandless. For more information on Carine’s work and efforts dedicated to Chris, you can visit her website. Carine has also written a book titled The Wild Truth which was launched in November 2014.

We have received a paper from Ron Hamilton, a staff member of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a published author who has won numerous awards for fiction, nonfiction and poetry. You can read his paper and theory on Chris McCandless’ death here. In addition, recently we have received a paper from Wayne Sheldrake who is also an award-winning writer. You can read his paper and theory on Chris McCandless death here.

Sam Thayer also expresses his thoughts on how Chris died. Sam is a renowned author and forager and internationally recognized authority on edible wild plants. He has been offering courses across the United States on how to use edible wild plants as teaching material. He was admitted to the National Wild Foods Hall of Fame in 2006.

There are three books about Chris and his story. The first is Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, the second is Back To The Wild by Walt and Billie McCandless and the third is The Wild Truth by Carine McCandless.


If you are a student or a member of the forum and you have a lot to say about the story, we can create a page for you on this website with your picture and your thoughts. We have had some great submissions already. Send us an email if you would like your research paper/story also added to the website!

This website is dedicated to Christopher McCandless and his family. If you have a website, please link to us.

Note: The image at the top of the page is a self-portrait that Chris took of himself in front of the famous 142 Fairbanks City bus. The image has not been altered in any way.

Into The Wild website was created in 2008 and updated to a mobile user-friendly version in October 2023.
If you need a good photographer, or web design, just let me know 🙂

Chris’ belt that he made with that he made with Ronald Franz