Into the Wild

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When you see the words “Into the Wild,” many of you probably think of Christopher McCandless venturing unprepared into the harsh Alaskan wilderness in 1992. But did you know he also spent time near Lake Mead? His yellow Datsun, which he drove from Atlanta, Georgia, was found by a National Park Service ranger covered in mud and hidden beneath a tarp. It was discovered in a dry riverbed with no plates and no sign of the owner. The car was a mystery until later, when via McCandless’s journal, it was discovered what happened. McCandless was caught in a flash flood, which prompted him to take shelter and abandon his car. He then buried its license plates along with a rifle, gathered his paper money together (around $120) and set it on fire. He packed the rest of his things in his backpack and set out to hike around Lake Mead in temperatures reaching up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Luckily, he was picked up by passing boaters who gave him a ride to one of the lake’s marinas. This was several months before his ill-fated journey into Alaska.

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