I must admit, Kathy, I wasn't as enthusiastic about "Into the Wild" as you are. It's been a (long) while since I read it, but I found McCandless to be more than a little strange, and more than a little self-centered.
I have a great deal of respect for the back country and for people who know how to maneuver in it. It is very, very easy to do one thing wrong and find yourself beyond hope. I remember a story by Edward Abbey describing a hike in which he got himself into just such a circumstance; it was only with a great deal of luck and desperation that he got out of the situation. It's too easy for the best-laid plans to go astray in the back country.
People who go into the back country who are ill-prepared, or who know the dangers but disregard standard safety measures, don't get that same respect from me. (I do remember that he didn't have much of a plan, a map, or much more than rice for food.)
For me it was an interesting book, but I doubt I'll read it again. I found Krakauer's Into Thin Air to be much more rewarding.
