The Tragic Story of Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp

Christopher McCandless, also known as Alexander Supertramp, was a young American hiker and adventurer who died in 1992 while attempting to hike alone to the Stampede Trail in Alaska. His story was chronicled in Jon Krakauer's book "Into the Wild," which became a bestseller and was later adapted into a film of the same name directed by Sean Penn.

McCandless was born in 1968 in El Segundo, California, and grew up in a well-off family in Annandale, Virginia. He graduated from high school in 1986 and attended Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, where he studied anthropology and sociology. However, he became increasingly disillusioned with the materialism and conformity of modern society and felt suffocated by his parents' expectations for him to attend law school and follow in their footsteps.

In April 1992, McCandless set out on a journey to explore the wilderness and find his own path in life. He hitchhiked to Alaska and began a solo hike into the Stampede Trail, but he died of starvation and exposure just two months later, at the age of 24. His body was found by a moose hunter in August 1992, and his story has since become a source of fascination and inspiration for many people around the world.

McCandless's journey and death have been interpreted in many ways, as a symbol of the search for meaning and freedom, the dangers of hubris and idealism, and the fragility of human life in the face of nature's power. His story has also sparked controversy and debate, with some critics accusing him of being foolish and irresponsible, while others see him as a heroic figure who refused to conform to societal expectations.