Actually, I see plenty of similarities between Reuss and McCandless, as does
Wikipedia's entry on Reuss McCandless was not ignorant, he was well educated and very well read. He was simply inexperienced and took on more of a challenge than he realized. He studied the Alaskan backcountry in books, read survival tactics, had a gun, knew how to hunt, was taught how to butcher a kill etc etc, but he just hadn't ever done it. To not bring a map was a stupid mistake, but he was not a stupid or ignorant person. He was warned about the dangers by many people, but for an invincible youth pursuing the adventure of a lifetime, common sense warnings don't mean much.
Reuss walking off into the remote Utah desert in 1934 with two burros is not all that different in my opinion. He may have had some good cowboy skills, but it was still a dangerous adventure.
Seriously ? Wikipedia? Even if wiki meant anything, the only similarity mentioned there is that Krakauer mentioned Reuss in his book. I don't call that "plenty" of anything.
As far as education and being well-read, none of that means McCandless was not ignorant in the particular endeavor that he was on: and there, he was almost completely ignorant. I have read 8 or ten books on Everest, but I have never been above 14,500, never climbed on snow or ice: I think I'll do K-2 next season: wanna come?
And c'mon: knew how to hunt? Taught to butcher a kill, etc? So how come he lost a moose that could have fed him for weeks, maybe months, and never took another one? In four months. One conversation with a guy in grain elevator is "being taught"?. As for the map, schmap. When faced with the river, he didn't even look 1/4 mile upstream or down for a possible alternative.
And if you don't see the difference between that and "Reuss walking off into the remote Utah desert in 1934 with two burros ", then on second thought, I retract the K-2 invitation. One big difference would be the two burros. Another other would be the 4 years of successful experience he had before the Utah trip.
Sorry to sound so caustic, but the idolatry and apologia heaped on McCandless, some by Krakauer but an inexcusable excess by Penn, can only feed and perpetuate the type of ignorance that leads to further possible tragedies such as may have befallen Dustin Self.
