I think there will always be stories like this one. McCandless or Everett Ruess, there is always an adventurer that meets with peril. I think the lessons to others are important though. First, it is all about context. There are few stories told about the people that set off and do something like this and survive. Partly, because it is not much of a story if you survive.
I also think that it is interesting that the book and movie "Into the Wild" has got the play it has. Hey, I'm a giant Krakauer fan; he's one of my favorite authors. I find it interesting how people get different lessons from the book. What I got is that he was completely self absorbed, cold and cruel to his family and pretty much unprepared to set out and survive at the edge of wilderness. It was like he read Walden and didn't get the point.
I feel bad for the kid's family.
