jen2wynn wrote:To the question “was Chris a hero or a fool?” I am not going to judge. What I do think Chris’ real story shows is that people can do some incredibly stupid things that put their life and others at risk. People romanticize about going on wilderness adventures without any sort of preparation or knowledge and believe (I suppose) that they will figure it out as they go. These type of scenarios rarely end well. I just watched another movie called “Jungle” about a group of men in the Amazon Rainforest. Two died and two amazingly survived. There are hundreds of stories just like these that once again prove how dumb and arrogant people can be. I guess what I hope others will learn from Chris’ adventure is that it is imperative to know what you are getting yourself into realistically. If you want an adventure in the wilderness, fine. Just be prepared and knowledgeable. Where selfishness comes in is that most of the time, search parties are sent out to rescue these people. This costs money and also risks the lives of the people who are in the search party. It is one thing if a disaster happens (ie, plane crash, boat sinks, etc.) and people are forced into life threatening survival situations where search parties are sent out and another when someone goes off on their adventure without any realistic preparations and forces others to pay for their misadventure. To me, that is selfishness in the highest sense of the word. For people who wish to explore the unknown, at least learn how to survive in the wild before you embark on such an adventure. Even then, you still may perish…….any expert will tell you that.
Thank you for your well thought out and rational response. I've read many, many responses calling Chris a hero, yet the one that disturbed me was a person who said that, "he died living." (This is just an assumption, but I think they meant that Chris died on the adventure he desired.) Maybe so, but his arrogance and ignorance of long-term survival is what killed him. He refused the offer for warm clothing and appropriate supplies; his. 22 caliber rifle was far too small to kill larger game. If Chris had had a topographical map, he would have been able to cross the river by the tram. Instead, he made the choice to go into an extremely inhospitable area blindly.
I disagree with the person who said that "he died living." Chris died an agonizing death that NO ONE deserves! It's heartbreaking that he didn't educate himself on survival, and that his family suffered.
I do have sympathy, because I grew up in a very dysfunctional family who, although not as rich as his, had money and put me through an excellent university. On the other hand, I don't have much empathy. As unintentional as it was, he was the architect of his demise by not believing that he needed essential supplies. It's a tragedy, but a wholly avoidable one.