First, the self portraits Chris took in Alaska. What strikes me is the look of joy on his face in every one of those pictures. None more so than his final portrait holding the "I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all!" message. His waive, his smile, his eyes are expressive of his happiness and joy. He revelled in life even as he was facing death by starvation. When he took that final picture, he must have known his end was very near. His body was emaciated (under 80lbs). He was too weak to travel far from the bus. He accepted his fate bravely, knowing that he had accomplished what he set out to do, namely, survive alone in the wilderness of Alaska and find fulfillment and peace in his heart.
Second, most people fail to understand the effort involved in walking 30 miles out of the bush. It took Chris 2 days to reach the Teklanika River, only half way to the highway. Lot's of people comment that he should have bushwacked his way downriver to an easier crossing (and he was unaware of the cable crossing's existence). But people need to keep in mind his weakened physical state. He was physically exhausted. The heavy rains had swollen the river and cutting a path through the dense underbush would have been extremely difficult. That he chose to turn back at that point was a tragic mistake, but an understandable one, given the weather, river and his weakened state. Now, he had just enough energy to walk the 15 miles back to the bus, take that final photograph and crawl into the sleeping bag to sleep forever.
Third, up until his attempt to walk out, Chris' Alaskan Adventure had been a complete success. He had survived alone, living off berries, roots and small game (plus one moose) for just shy of 100 days. It may have taken Chris some time to realize that he was starving. Obviously, he knew he was losing weight, but at what point did this become life threatening? His diet was insufficient to supply the calories required to stabilize his caloric expenditure, but for the most part he was eating plants and small game. He wasn't healthy one day and dead of starvation the next. Starvation crept up on him until he realized he needed to get out before it was too late. Unfortunately, he miscalculated the change in the river from when he arrived (he walked over frozen ice) until he needed to leave (a raging torrent). But for that one miscalculation, Chris would have survived the return trip to regale his family and friends with stories of his adventures. Chris' life as a wandering spirit is poignant and tragic, and I can't look at that final picture without tearing up.