1/30: Slab City- Leonard & Salvation Mountain

Salvation Mountain

One of the first things to learn about "The Slabs" is its primitive clock. With no electricity beyond an occasional car-battery contraption or gas generator, there's little to do past sunset other than sit around a fire drinking beer. While I personally approve of such enriching activities, beer costs money- meaning people are usually in bed EARLY. In fact, Kevin claimed to be in bed often as early as 6 or 7, and up with the sun.

8/18 Nashville- McCandless

Yet another day of unbearable excitement, the kind that makes for compelling travel- writing. I left Kim's house.

WooHoo!!

We transferred home- base from Kim's to Rich's place in Goodlettsville (NE of Nashville). They both had to work, so I hung out with McCarty and did more 'research' on Chris McCandless, looking for more detailed information that may indicate, as I've long suspected, that there is more (or less) to that story than that peddled by Jon Krakour. Always seems to be the case.

I did not realize it at the time, but it happened to be the day, August 18, that they estimate he died. Of simple starvation. There are aspects of this story that, when you think about them, simply do not add up.

It is quite suspicious that Krakour would fail to mention in the book that McCandless DID have a map, instead of cleverly saying "... if he had had a good map." Alternatively, Sean Penn failing to fully- disclose his employment history on the road. Penn conveniently omitted how long he actually worked at McDonald's in Bullhead City, AZ (not Burger King), and glossed over the fact that he worked with Westerberg long enough to earn $1,000 AFTER he'd met 'Ron Franz', and immediately before he set off for Alaska.

These are NOT minor details or meaningless omissions. McCandless has reached Anti- Capitalist Cult Status in no- small part because Krakour and Penn "took the liberty of bullshitting you.”

The fact strikes me that there are legions of kids whose ideas are coming from his "story". They are burning their money and social security cards, and chopping up their credit cards (not a bad thing). Then they are trying to live on dandelions because they are trying to emulate what amounts to a fairytale.

The full story would indicate that he failed at living sans- cash. Why else would he have worked so much, if as Emile Hirsh says in the movie, he "didn't need money"? Is making Quarter Pounders THAT satisfying? A question Penn chose not to address when he almost deleted one of the more interesting aspects of the book: Bullhead City. Did McCandless conclude that living without money was either impossible, or just not worth it?

I wonder if he experienced a bit of the frustration I did, and in the end concluded that it best to "invert" the system. Working just enough to provide necessities, while eliminating the 'illusory' necessities (comforts) as time went by.

Maybe he got to the point where he was frustrated by a lack of ability to be as self- sufficient as he would like, and decided Alaska was the place to go to get that knowledge. Or die trying.

Believe me, this is NOT just idle speculation for speculation's sake, although we obviously will never have any way of knowing. I have experienced similar thoughts and frustrations, and find it maddening that these 'entertainers' intentionally ignored them, needlessly corrupted a story that would have been just as remarkable on its own, then marketed it (Krakaur) as fact. Creating the mythical- superhero living out the Heroic Epic helps sales.

I doubt McCandless had any preconceived ideas about becoming a poster child for anything. He did what he did because he felt it was the thing for him. I have never seen the actual journal entries published-- anywhere, and know of no one who has. Why? What I do know is that, if my thoughts are correct, it could have served as a better example than propping the kid up as some sort of superhero, whose Kryptonite happened to be bad roots. This is why I've tried to include as much of the not- so- flattering reality as I could!

Hero worship and idolization is folly. For whatever reason, we seem to need examples of people who do amazing, almost impossible things. We need to look up to people who accomplish things we believe we could never do, then deify them as means to an excuse as to why WE should not even try. "Only ‘Saints & Superheroes' accomplish anything worthwhile."

Santa Clausification.

I've been guilty of this as much as anyone, but the more I learn about these prestigious pedestal- occupants, the more I see that, with few exceptions, they belong right down here with the rest of us. We all have doubts, faults, neuroses, hypocrisies, and skeletons in the closet. No one out there is superhuman. HOWEVER, if that is true, then we all have the SAME capacity to accomplish 'great things' anyone else has.

Why do we never hear about our idol's shortcomings? Struggles in the beginnings of whatever the endeavor of choice? Why are we so 'crushed' when we do? Why do we never hear about King's depression? Plagued by self- doubt and needing members of his staff to push and encourage him; remind him that he WAS indeed right? Martin Luther King Jr.? DOUBTED HIMSELF?? Wow.

I cannot get past this. Why? Is it because if we take away their perceived 'superpowers', we are left with the stark reality that we too are capable, and perhaps that injects uncomfortable senses of responsibility, to ourselves, that would be more comfortable to avoid?

Heroes are fabrications. In my not- so- humble opinion, we should view them as examples of ourselves, complete with OUR faults, but the ability to transcend them. I doubt that most even thought about transcending shortcomings. Most, I suspect, are driven by something they simply 'must' do. They probably had no choice but to follow it. Is that superhuman- courage? Or something else?

Who knows, but do me a favor? Consider pulling your heroes back from their pedestals. Try being your own.

That was pretty much my day. Not much for singing happy- songs, but interesting nonetheless!

I decided to go to a Tennessee Health Care Campaign meeting with Kim on Tuesday evening, so I would be staying until at least Wednesday. I really wanted to see what exactly was going on at a grassroots level, but not optimistic that I will come away happy. I hope there is something more than "progressive", idealistic chit- chat and something that resembles courage; or at least a little anger!

8/17 Nashville

Kim and I spent most of Sunday afternoon re- discussing her history and making sure that I got the facts and time line correct. I interviewed her, and spent the entire afternoon writing what, by far, is my longest post to date. I like writing apparently!

Shalain later called to let me know that out Couchsurfer had arrived at our place in Santa Fe, and she wanted info on what to see in California. I sent her directly to Santa Barbara and Highway 1! Jennie is here from England, and had been working at a Boy Scout ranch in northern New Mexico, and will now be traveling the US through the end of the year. It was a bit odd setting up a Couchsurfer at my home when I'm not there, but I didn't see the phrase "World Citizen" anywhere in her profile, and ultimately Shalain ran with it and seemed to be enjoying herself.

Rich came over again last night and we sat on the couch playing on You Tube. I like You Tube. Seems to be that last bastion of original art and entertainment, and I find it much more entertaining than TV. A bit late to the party, as always.

I did some research on Digihitch trying to get more information on hitchhiking in Tennessee and the rest of the Southeast. The people from the website seem to give good reviews, with the exception of recommending that I hide the fact that I may be a 'yankee'. Yeah, a few are still fighting THAT war! I got an email from a guy in Kentucky who was interested in chatting to see if we'd like to travel together. Preston I believe was his name. I wrote back to say hi, we'll see how that goes.

Later, I found an interesting website, Terra Incognita Films, who have done their own documentary on Chris McCandless and "Into the Wild". I've had a slight problem with the movie, since I have read the book. Sean Penn took a bit too much creative license, even for Hollywood.

In the movie, McCandless burns all of his IDs and Social Security Card, then eventually all his money. Unfortunately, there's a picture of the man who found his backpack, which was mysteriously left in the bus after they found his body. It held about $300, A MAP, and his wallet... with a drivers license, social security card, library cards. It's interesting to read how Krakour seems to have conveniently omitted or nuanced the facts to fit a story. One that he has been VERY successful in selling.

I am NOT saying that everything in the book and movie is bullshit, and I am NOT diminishing McCandless; his story is still remarkable. I'm just wondering if he has been a bit bastardized, Santa Clausified, for the purpose of exploiting his story for obscene profit. If so, the 'McCandless Cultists' are chasing a fairytale.

“Rather than love, than money, than fame, give me truth.”
—Henry David Thoreau

Apparently McCandless loved that quote, and so do I. I wonder, if this is the case, how he would feel about the book and the movie.

Fay was still a tropical storm, and they have no clear idea as to where it is going to strike, other than the Florida Keys. I decided to wait on calling Ken until I had a better idea of how that was going to play out.