GoNorth wrote: What if he had been at certain places only a day later? He wouldn't have met Wayne, or Jan, or Ron - but some other people instead.
You're right about this. He most likely would have met other people or no one at all. Maybe he would have met someone who would helped him learn how to survive in the wild better, like preserving food, learning better hunting skills, or something on that sort of level. Maybe he would have ended up surviving in Alaska or decided not to go. Maybe if his journey was different and/or made different decisions, he could still be alive today.
One thing we will never know for sure though was whether or not he was ever planning on ditching the car and if he was, when? Was he planning on leaving it before Alaska, in Alaska, or never at all? This question leads to so many possibilities-ones which we will never get the answer for, only guesses.