Personal Essay: My Journey To Grand Canyon
In the 2013 online article, “The Chris McCandless Obsession Problem”, author Diana Saverin describes the Alaskan wilderness travel phenomenon along with attempting to uncover the ‘McCandless Pilgrims’ “root of motivation. Sparked by the release of both Jon Krakauer’s and Sean Penn’s “Into the Wild”, numerous individuals pack their backpacks and eagerly step into their (sometimes newly-bought) hiking shoes and tramp into the Alaskan Wild to pay homage to their hero Chris McCandless. Filled with personal anecdotes and interviews, Severin’s Outside article takes a new approach Into the Wild commentary by directing attention to the lives McCandless’s story affected indirectly rather than critiquing on McCandless himself. In response to what appears to be a huge amount of troubled McCandless-inspired tramping stories, Saverin provides an unbiased rationale as a attempt to explain why so many are “willing to risk injury, and even death, to..visit the last home of Alaska’s most famous adventure casualty”. Saverin begins her article with anecdote- telling the unfortunate experience of young lovers and adept adventure seekers, Ackerman and Gros.
Richard M. Donovan wrote the book “paddling the Wild Neches”. Once the story is fully read, the realization of what a human will do in order to keep an important place that values so much, it is magnificent. Richard was 66 years old during his 200 mile canoeing expedition, he did not think that he was going to make it happen. However, he accomplished what he felt he needed to do so he can open minds about a place that needs their help. He captured what was hidden in the river and wanted to tell his story about it.
The book “Wild” written by Cheryl Strayed in 2012 evokes strong emotion and resolution facilitated by her hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. Her journey does resemble a road trip by displaying the urge to go someplace else, to use the trail to find something that was missing inside of her. Strayed is often lost throughout her journey, physically and metaphorically, which also aligns with the road trip narrative. Lastly, by choosing to endure solitude throughout the hike, she finds healing and acceptance, which parallels the trope of the open road. The story of her hike first breaks the reader’s heart and then repairs it, just as the walk did for her.
Chris McCandless was introduced to the magic of nature at an early age although he was raised in a family that chose to live off their riches rather than their land. One of the largest influences to McCandless would have been his grandfather. “The old man’s backwoods savvy, his affinity for the wilderness, left a deep impression on the boy,” (Krakauer 109). Many of those who question McCandless’s dedication to the wilderness, had not understood his personal influences. McCandless had an interest for nature from a young age that flooded into his adolescent years that explains why he had such a fascination for leaving his home for Alaska.
In 2003, “I certainly made mistakes” - Aron Ralston, on his miscalculation of the risks and his decision of not informing anyone about his canyoneering trip at Bluejohn Canyon, Utah. From his actions, it transformed a general walk in the park scenario into a fatal journey of 127 hours or five and a half days. This essay will examine how a life-threatening and desperate physical setting of Bluejohn Canyon similar to LOTF can manifest itself within the mind and context of each individual associated, leading them to perform certain actions that will reflect on their background values and identities divergently. Surprisingly, being obscured in a hazardous and despairing physical setting can adjust one’s identity and POV to become harsh and
In Into the Wild, Chris McCandless serves as an example of what rediscovering the frontier can give us as he undertakes both a symbolic and physical frontier. He is proof of the adventurous spirit buried deep within every American, that draws them into the frontier, and into the wild. Taking the first step into the unknown is the most taxing step of the journey, which is why Jon Krakauer frequently returns to the end of Chris’s college experience, which is when he begins the first steps toward the frontier. Chris sees hope in an endlessly changing life. He sees adventure and new experiences where others might see danger and peril.
Exploring the United States of America and the nature of it has been a dream to the many adventure seekers throughout the world. Long adventures like this create long-lasting memories and friendships with Mother Nature and the society around it. Chris Mccandless, a newly college graduate, gives up everything including his Family and possessions to fulfill his dream to travel the west and live in the wild of Alaska. Throughout his long journey he creates many strong relationships with the many people he met hitchhiking his way to Alaska. His ultimate goal was to survive in the wild of Alaska with as little supplies needed and without contact to any human being.
America’s love for the wilderness has always been closely tied with personal values. Beyond just a love of nature, many would say the wild holds endless fascination due to the emotions it inspires and the values we connect to it, rather than just a fondness for greenery. Cronon’s “The Trouble with Wilderness” is one exploration of how wild was a culturally created ideal and the effect that it had on America. A more personal example exists in Krakauer’s Into the Wild, as Chris McCandless’s journey into the Alaskan brush was no doubt motivated by these ideas on wilderness, and the promise of personal fulfillment. There is a reason why we define wilderness as we do, and it is a view that not only affects our actions, but also how we interpret
Heading into the wilderness to hike may seem like a fun adventure, but what would it be like to stay out there for 35 weeks straight, knowing that some of the most ferocious animals are nearby? In “A Walk in The Woods” by Bill Bryson, Bill examines the dangers and challenges of hiking the Appalachian Trail, which stretches 2,000 miles from Georgia to Maine. Along the way, Bryson encounters various obstacles and difficulties that force him to push his limits. Some of the things Bryson encounters range from animals to diseases to dangerous weather conditions. The theme of danger that must be faced to be overcome is presented throughout the book when Bryson and Katz must confront the risks of the Appalachian Trail.
In the book “Into the Wild”, John Krakauer gives an account of a man, Christopher McCandless, who decides to take a long trek across the west into Alaska, where he eventually perishes. The book “Wild”, written by Cheryl Strayed, follows her journey as a twenty-six year old woman across the Pacific Crest Trail. Throughout both stories, the characters go through intense battles with the world around them and themselves, but the stories are not completely identical. The reasons for these two people’s journeys are varied as is their outlook on life and how their journeys ended overall. Within these stories there are also hidden parallels that link the stories and create a very similar dynamic between the two.
I am a pioneer! My pioneer story isn’t your average Latter Day Saint pioneer story, as far as historical LDS stories go! I was raised by goodly parents, I was born and raised in Spokane Washington. I am the youngest of three children born to Jim and Shannon Newell. My brother James is the oldest and four years older than myself.
After years of waiting and preparing we started on the journey to the west. We made our way to Independence, Missouri to go on the Oregon Trail which was laid by traders and trapers. While there I became familiar with George Wilson who was also a working family man. A lot of families left together making the trail busy and causing jams..
Chaco Canyon, in the American Southwest, has been a treasure trove of archaeological evidence that gives insight as well as questions to answer in respect of the extent of the contact with Mesoamerica. The classic period of Chaco, AD 900, sees a rise in ceremonial objects ( Judge,4). Originally attributed to the “height” of Chaco’s dominance , AD 1040-1100, 33 scarlet macaw remains have been excavated, (Powell,1), while the more than 400 total remains have been unearthed in the region, (Watson,1). References have been seen in the artifacts including depictions on ceramics from the era, (Noble, Plate 12). New studies have been focusing on the macaws of Chaco and they push their appearance back further into the history of Pueblo tradition.
John Wesley Powell helps make a verbal landscape in the minds of the readers by using certain words and phrases. He helps create an image of the Grand Canyon by using certain words and phrases to make a picture in the reader’s mind. The place is “shown” to the reader by form and sound. A phrase used to show the place through form is “…there are thousands of gorges…thousand Yosemites…form one grand canyon.”
Visiting to a state that I have always wanted to go is to visit Colorado with my family; therefore, it was fun while going to that place. This happened last years’ summer. There are a few things that we did in that state. So before we went to Colorado, we had to drive from one state to another. Like we first drove from Illinois, our state, to Iowa.
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