Method McCandless Supertramp style suicide

[DreamCatcher]

Interesting read:

Why Are We Still Talking About Chris McCandless?

It's been 23 years, but the young man who ventured into the wilds of Alaska and ultimately died there in 1992 is still making headlines.

www.mnn.com

Recently found out about the "Into the wild" book, movie, and actual person.

The stories all say he was unprepared for the wilderness, and didn't have a clue how to live.

But I had a different theory. I think he was ready to die, and this was his own adventure suicide. Bringing himself to a place where there wasn't going to be an escape option. SI couldn't stop him, nothing to do but wait until time ran out.

I've thought of doing something similar. Go to Alaska at the start of winter and just hike out into the nothingness. It probably won't take long, and there really isn't any escape or rescue once you cross a certain distance from help. Truly alone with nature for the last few weeks or months.

I'm not sure starvation would be the option of choice, but if someone like that had a particularly strong SI then I could see how that might have been his only option. He kept doing more extreme things until he finally found one that couldn't fail.

I'm looking at my birthday this year to set out, it's right at the start of winter too. I'd bring some rope and other things so I'd have options other than starvation, but it'll be nice to only have a few more months to endure. And it's something my strong SI couldn't do a thing about.

 

[a_strange_day]

I liked the movie so much, so perfect with Eddie.Vedder sountrack, it makes it one of the rare films I preferred to the book.
I dont think he wanted to die, he wanted to live free from society and did it instead of just fantasizing about it like many other people, didn't end well

Would't do that even if I had the courage, there's many more peaceful ways to die

 

[Roger]

Is this where the phrase "ctb" originated ?

 

[DreamCatcher]

Is this where the phrase "ctb" originated ?

Didn't think about that, he certainly did catch that bus.

I liked the movie so much, so perfect with Eddie.Vedder sountrack, it makes it one of the rare films I preferred to the book.
I dont think he wanted to die, he wanted to live free from society and did it instead of just fantasizing about it like many other people, didn't end well

Would't do that even if I had the courage, there's many more peaceful ways to die

I wouldn't die of starvation as one of my top ten ways to go, but it's the situation that might make it possible to bring along other methods and be able to rationalize "this or starvation". It's just something that might easily bypass most people's SI. Especially since you can easily get around up there in the summer, but once winter hits if you're unprepared you're doomed.

Like taking a picnic to a hurricane. It's bright and sunny right now, but if you don't evacuate in time you're trapped and have to deal with the consequences.

 

[oopswronglife]

I don't think he commited suicide. I think he died because he was naive. He had a history of doing dumb things and surviving them through luck or the goodwill of others. Nevertheless it was a painful and slow death and nothing at all enticing or romantic about it in my view. When I was young and naive I found a thread of romantic excitement in the story...now I see him as an idiot who did a lot of things wrong and it killed him. Whether he ultimately cared if he survived it or not I don't know, but I don't think it was his intention.

Also CTB predates this story. It comes from the earliest days of pro choice forums.

 

[Soul]

I'm sorry to say I thought Supertramp Style Suicide meant ... oh never mind! 8\

I wouldn't enjoy going out feeling as sorry for myself as a lost-in-the-hungry-cold scenario would make me feel. I'm more like that duke during the French Revolution whose friends warned him to get away before they came to behead him. He duly leapt on his horse and galloped into the night. It started raining. He huddled miserably under a tree for an uncomfortable spell and then said fuck it! And rode back home and went to bed. And got beheaded. Tidy and comfy.

 

[peacetoall]

Interesting read:

Why Are We Still Talking About Chris McCandless?

It's been 23 years, but the young man who ventured into the wilds of Alaska and ultimately died there in 1992 is still making headlines.

www.mnn.com

Recently found out about the "Into the wild" book, movie, and actual person.

The stories all say he was unprepared for the wilderness, and didn't have a clue how to live.

But I had a different theory. I think he was ready to die, and this was his own adventure suicide. Bringing himself to a place where there wasn't going to be an escape option. SI couldn't stop him, nothing to do but wait until time ran out.

I've thought of doing something similar. Go to Alaska at the start of winter and just hike out into the nothingness. It probably won't take long, and there really isn't any escape or rescue once you cross a certain distance from help. Truly alone with nature for the last few weeks or months.

I'm not sure starvation would be the option of choice, but if someone like that had a particularly strong SI then I could see how that might have been his only option. He kept doing more extreme things until he finally found one that couldn't fail.

I'm looking at my birthday this year to set out, it's right at the start of winter too. I'd bring some rope and other things so I'd have options other than starvation, but it'll be nice to only have a few more months to endure. And it's something my strong SI couldn't do a thing about.

I strongly disagree that he wanted to take his life. I have read the book a few times(one of my all time favorites) and seen the movie, and there is absolutely no evidence that he wanted to commit suicide. His daily logs/journal entries, impressions he left on those that knew him give no indication that he was suicidal.

 

[oopswronglife]

I strongly disagree that he wanted to take his life. I have read the book a few times(one of my all time favorites) and seen the movie, and there is absolutely no evidence that he wanted to commit suicide. His daily logs/journal entries, impressions he left on those that knew him give no indication that he was suicidal.

People can certainly be excused for considering the idea since he did incredibly stupid things like start off into the Alaskan wilderness without even the most basic provisions. If I recall someone he hitchiked with begged him not to go off alone as he planned and when McCandless refused the guy gave him some boots and supplies he had in his truck. The kid was just clueless.