Every time I mention this guy people come out of the woodwork with all sorts of crazy explanations for why he died, all of them an effort to deny reality so that it doesn’t mess up the fictional beliefs they are emotionally attached to.
There are so many guys out there who want so badly to believe that solitary people can survive extended periods of time simply on what they catch, kill, or pluck out of the woods - which is absolutely not true. It wasn’t true a hundred years ago, and it’s not true today.
It is amazing to see these people fly into denial and do acrobatics around the true cause of McCandless’s death. They want to believe anything except for the truth: He simply starved. To accept this means they would have to give up their childish, false beliefs about single men being able to live completely on only what the woods provide.
Here’s the truth: McCandless starved. There wasn’t any food to keep him alive. He got so weak that even if food did show up, he wouldn’t have had the energy to get it. Solitary persons cannot live for extended periods of time merely on what they catch, kill, or pluck from the woods. It’s not a matter of skill. It’s a matter of what is possible or not, and it’s not possible.
Out here, a little light goes a long way. You don't need to push back the whole night, just enough of it to see your next step.
— The Practical Woodsman
This is something I can say I never experienced on the ol’ Shawnee Appalachy River.
Braving the Ol' Shawnee Appalachy - Pt 2: Ornery Gal
Damp insulation won't keep you warm. Dry your layers whenever the sun gives you the chance, because the woods won't remind you before nightfall.
— The Practical Woodsman
