Chapter 16

The plot focuses on Chris again. At this point in his journey, he has left Carthage. He hitchhikes toward Alaska and pauses to soak in the Liard River Hot Springs on the edge of the Yukon Territory. There he meets Gaylord Stuckey, a truck driver who drives “Alex” to Fairbanks. On the way, Chris opens up to Gaylord about his family, including his father’s infidelity, and his excitement at living alone in the woods. Stuckey warns Chris that it is a risky endeavor because of the lack of availability of suitable fruits and berries to eat. He takes a ride till University of Alaska at Fairbanks, where he looks up books on edible roots and plants in the forest. With only a bag of rice, a newly purchased rifle, and a few books, Chris leaves the campus and walks toward the woods.

He reaches the Stampede Trail and makes home in the abandoned bus near the uncharacteristically low Teklanika River. He struggles to shoot animals in the winter but is happier when the days become warmer and the summer arrives. He is able to forage and hunt more easily. He decides to walk west but realizes that it would be too difficult in the muck and returns to the bus.

In June, Chris shoots a moose but is filled with regret about having killed it. After reading Thoreau and Tolstoy, he understands his “errors” and plans to end his adventure. However, he realizes that the water is rising in Teklanika River and thinks it would be safer to wait for the water levels to go down. His failure to understand that he could cross the river in spring is a fatal mistake.

Chapter 17

A year after Chris’ death, Krakauer and three of his friends decide to revisit the Teklanika River. They want to cross the river to reach Chris’ bus and search for clues. Unlike Chris, Krakauer has an excellent map of the region and three companions who are experienced outdoorsmen. They zipline across the river and realize that had Chris understood the map of the area, and thus the zipline, he could have survived.

Krakauer goes through Chris’ belongings and prepares an inventory: his toothbrush, his books, his patched jeans, his cheap hiking boots. Krakauer and his friends talk late into the night about McCandless and his death. Unlike Chris’ critics, they did not think he was arrogant or unprepared. They felt there was meaning and purpose behind his actions. According to Krakauer, Chris’ only fault was that he “demanded much of himself,” more than he could perhaps deliver.

Chapter 18

McCandless, after being unsuccessful in crossing the river, returns to the bus on July 8, 1992. He continues to hunt and forage but is unable to source enough food for himself. In the margins of his copy of Doctor Zhivago, Chris notes “Happiness only real when shared.” He grows thin and on July 30, he writes that he is “extremely weak” and is in danger. He also mentions something about consuming potato seeds.

Krakauer wonders how Chris died in a span of just a month. Krakauer begins to analyze the mentions of “potato seeds” in Chris’ journal and comes up with many possible reasons for his death. He concludes that Chris must have eaten potato seeds affected with mold, which made his body incapable of metabolizing food.

Too weak to walk, Chris spends his last day reading books and penning a goodbye note. Chris writes his final journal entry on August 12. He writes his final message on the back of a poem, “I have had a happy life and thank the Lord. Goodbye and may God bless all.” Krakauer believes that Chris is resting in peace.

Epilogue

Krakauer accompanies Walt and Billie to the site of Chris’ demise. Chris’ parents spend time investigating the bus. They perform a remembrance memorial wherein they leave a survival kit, flowers, a plaque, and a note beseeching the finders to call their parents inside the bus. They leave the site with nursing hearts, though comforted by the scenery around them.

Analysis of Chapter 16 to Epilogue

In this section, the book focuses on Chris’ journey again. Krakauer, in these chapters, emphasizes that Chris was not as ill-prepared as many believe him to be. In Chris’ conversation with Stuckey, where he openly shares about his family and his Alaskan dream, we are shown his ability to connect with others. The essentials that he carries, such as rice, a rifle, and a book of edible flora, shows that he intended to survive and did research. Chris’ experience in the wilderness is one of constant adaptability and rapid education. His guilt on hunting a moose makes him want to quit his adventure. His decision to leave shows that he has undergone a change during his journey, reflected in his practical choice of not attempting to cross the river when it is dangerous.

The arrogant and expansionist intentions behind Sir John Franklin’s expedition to the mountains stands in direct contrast to Chris’ journey of seeking home in nature. He was humbled by the wilderness and did not attempt to tame it.

Krakauer and his companions admire Chris for the days he spent in the wilderness. His belongings give them an insight into his motivations and ambition, which makes them argue that he was not rash and arrogant.

Billie’s comment that she hasn’t prayed since her son’s death reminds us of Franz’s statement that he lost his faith in God when he heard of Chris’ death. Interestingly, in his last journal entry Chris thanks God, saying that he is grateful for having had a good life. This seems ironic when compared to the grief Chris’ death has caused to his parents.