A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Here you can discuss anything related to Christopher McCandless.
SteveSalmon
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:42 am

A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby SteveSalmon » Mon Sep 16, 2013 3:20 am

I recently completed another trip to Bus 142. Another last minute trip. Another beautiful experience. Some of you around here may remember I wrote about my first trip in great detail a few years ago. I may write of this trip, I may not, I'm honestly not sure yet whether or not this is the place for it. I've learned a lot about sharing on the internet and I've also learned... well, that's another topic for another day.
My inventory for this trip included a few must haves. A few things I learned that I would need from the last trip should I ever again walk down Stampede Trail. One of those items was a watch. I wanted to log every step in time when I found myself back on that trail. This time I had that watch and so with it, I learned a few things.

A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned are how long in time it takes to get to the bus. How long in time it takes to get to Savage river. And how long it takes to get to the Teklanika river. What I looked forward to timing the most was how long in time it took to get to Bus 142 from the Teklanika river.
How long the walk back to the Bus it was for Chris McCandless after he realized he would not be crossing on the day he wanted to leave.
Well, I can tell you. It takes exactly 4 hours to walk from the Tek back to the Bus. Four hours. Chris knew this. He knew it wasn't a "hop back" to the bus. I don't think for one second he took a look at the Tek and decided to just turn around and go right back to the Bus he had said goodbye to hours earlier. Chris wrote a to do list before he left. His intentions were clear. He was leaving. I feel strongly that Chris McCandless searched for options. He was a bright guy. Im certain that he looked for braided pieces to cross with. It's so ridiculous to me to read these criticisms from people who have probably never walked further than the driveway to get to their car. For these people who say he died in a bus not far from the highway. Or some even say "only 20 miles" from the Parks Highway. Only 20 miles belongs to a sentence regarding a motorcycle journey or perhaps even a mountain bike journey. 20 miles of walking is serious shit. I've done it and it's no joke, yet, these people still say "only 20 miles". These people who go to the gym and fight for the closest spot up the ass of the building so they don't have to walk any further than they have to....to......go workout.
The Stampede gets real and rather narrow from the Tek to the Bus. You can tell right away after making it across that this is the side that doesn't see as much traffic. There are significant differences between the piece from the highway to the Tek and the Tek to the bus. It's a commitment to continue. It's a commitment to return if you have to do so.
One of the most important things people should focus more on is that bastard Teklanika river. I will, for the rest of my days, liken it to a funhouse mirror. What you see is NOT what you get. Sometimes, as in the case for my last hike to the bus, the roar is more like a purr. But, one should never ever underestimate the dangers of this particular river crossing. Don't think when you do get across that the Bus is just around the bend either. Let it be known that the Tek is no joke and if and when you DO cross it, you've still got a long way to go. Even after you make it to the Bus, which is still and will always be an experience that I could never find the words for, the Teklanika river remains on your mind. The experience of making it to the Bus is almost enough to distract you from the thoughts of what the Teklanika river is going to look like when you go back to it to go home. You'll have 4 hours to wonder and worry. If you truly want the river to welcome you across with open arms, do as I did and take a packraft. If you find yourself half way there and staring at the river raging in front of you and it doesn't feel right, turn around and go back to the highway as I once had to do myself. If it's not to be, it won't be.

~Steve Salmon

GoNorth
Posts: 259
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 3:47 pm

Re: A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby GoNorth » Tue Sep 17, 2013 2:01 pm

SteveSalmon wrote:It takes exactly 4 hours to walk from the Tek back to the Bus. Four hours. Chris knew this. He knew it wasn't a "hop back" to the bus. I don't think for one second he took a look at the Tek and decided to just turn around and go right back to the Bus he had said goodbye to hours earlier.


I'm sure he didn't. According to his "journal" entries, he must have stayed near the river for several days and nights. After all, the entry "river look impossible" was on day 69 and "return bus" on day 72. It's just the movie version that suggests that he went back to the bus right away. It also makes more sense to write "rained in" when staying in a tent rather than in a bus. ;)

SteveSalmon
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:42 am

Re: A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby SteveSalmon » Wed Sep 18, 2013 3:10 am

Great points as always GoNorth! : ) My brain is just terrible at retaining info anymore. : (
Anyway, great to hear from you. I hope all is well wherever you are.

~Steve Salmon

nickparis
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:04 pm

Re: A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby nickparis » Wed Sep 18, 2013 8:31 am

Great post Steve, and follow up GoNorth. What also must be said about the trip from the Tek to the bus is that if you want to do it in 4 hrs (which I think is quite impressive!) it is a constant hump. Also, depending on the time of year it is not always easy to pick the trail up the bus side of the Tek, when I made the trip we made the mistake of navigating around the beaver ponds for and hour or so before we found our way again.

You have to assume that during the early 90's and for many years before, the trail on that side of the river would have hardly been used at all, so little in fact the Chris didnt come into contact with anyone through the whole summer, let alone the types of vehicle that now keep the trail passable, so would have been extremely difficult to pick up and navigate. I know that when we went in May 2012, the first climb on the trail away from the river towards the bus was mostly grown over and with the snow melt coming off the mountains it was impossible to distiguish the difference between creek and trail. We also dont know that Chris used the trail all the way to the bus, I havent seen any photos of him on the trail between the Tek and the bus so its possible that he veered off onto the tundra and came accross the bus another way. It took Chris four days to find the bus 1st time around and three days after his exit attempt failed. We have to consider that 20 years ago that the terrain was much harder to cross than it is today and thus making the attemt to get out of the wild so much harder.

The story continues to inspire me.

SteveSalmon
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:42 am

Re: A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby SteveSalmon » Sat Sep 21, 2013 5:35 am

Sometimes I write shit here and I shake my head and wonder what the hell I was trying to get at, or what the hell my point was. Instead of deleting this rant, I've decided to just leave it up. After all, I don't hate it's entirety, just a few parts of clouded judgement in writing.
If it helps my case (haha), I fired into the keyboard a whole bunch of shit all at the same time with no regard for clarity I suppose. Keyboard venting maybe?
For now, I'd like to just bring some clarity to the four hour thing. Yes, it did, in fact, take my hiking pal DS and I 4 hours to get to the bus, however, I should also add that certain rare conditions welcomed us all the way there. Beautiful weather, an amazingly dry trail, and a lot of persistence. The Tek being low like it was contributed to the majority of the record time. Truth be told though, my feet took a beating and I needed to tread lightly the next entire day. Hell it's been 6 weeks and the skin where the blisters once were is still repairing itself.

Nick,
Im not so sure that I believe Chris didn't come into contact with others during his hike and stay on the Stampede. As far as the conditions of it from the Tek to the bus, I'd venture to say that the conditions are damn close. Certainly not as a traveled as it is from the highway to the Tek, the Stampede is still a hunting artery during the summer and winter time by way of ATV's and snow-machines and cross country skiers. Great input though Nick and I thank you for it.

More later....

nickparis
Posts: 42
Joined: Mon Jan 31, 2011 7:04 pm

Re: A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby nickparis » Mon Sep 23, 2013 10:41 am

Thanks Steve, I would be interested to hear what your thoughts are with regard to Chris coming into contact with others whilst on his hike or at the bus...?

Keep the posts coming Steve, they are quite often the start of serious and intersting discussion on this forum which has been lacking in recent times...

All the best mate

Nick

fredmerlin
Posts: 68
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 10:12 am

Re: A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby fredmerlin » Mon Sep 23, 2013 11:15 am

If I may,...I feel that if Chris encountered 'people', he would have mentioned it in his journal. Every other meeting or sighting, (ie: bear, moose, even berries and dreams) were at least mentioned in his writings or documented with a photograph. Remember, 'relationships can be found all around us, not just human contact.'

I, too understand about the 'rambling crap' here...my feeling is that we FEEL stuff that doesn't come out quite right, or enough. I suppose that's because we all have a bit of artist or author in us, but it's not honed for relating to others. We cannot quite grasp it and express it. And, this story particularly, lends itself to that 'fault' because of its unanswerable questions.

SteveSalmon
Posts: 295
Joined: Thu Sep 30, 2010 4:42 am

Re: A few details rarely, if ever, mentioned...

Postby SteveSalmon » Mon Sep 23, 2013 3:41 pm

Thank you for your kind words NickParis.
Fred, great input and great to hear from you as always.

I'm not sure that he would've journalized an encounter with another person. Maybe he did and that's what the "Disaster" entry was about. That trail is a unique hunting opportunity and has been long before he ever stepped foot onto the Stampede. I find it hard to believe that someone didn't cross paths at one point with Chris. I also wonder how many of the books that Chris put journal entries in, were, in fact, his. There were plenty of things in that bus already before Chris arrived. I know that when I hike and travel, books seem to me as wasted weight. From what I understand, books are among the items people offload the most during a A.T. trek after they realize they aren't reading very much along the way. Instead, they find themselves passing out from long days of hiking/climbing. I'm sure a book or two did, in fact, belong to Chris, Im just not so sure they all belonged to Chris. He could've easily picked one or two up from Jan during the time he helped her with her flea market set up at the Slabs.

~Steve Salmon


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