Summary
Highlights
Westerberg introduced McCandless to his girlfriend, Gail Borah, with whom McCandless confided a lot, though rarely about his family, except his younger sister, Corine. Westerberg couldn't understand the issues between McCandless and his parents, as he'd seen worse. McCandless rebelled against his parents' control and way of life. Neither Westerberg nor Borah recalled McCandless having girlfriends, and Corine noted his celibacy throughout high school and college, evident in his marked quotes from Tolstoy and Thoreau.
Krakauer interviewed Westerberg 50 days after McCandless's body was found. McCandless appeared in March, ready for work, intending to go to Fairbanks by late April but return for the fall harvest. For four weeks, he diligently performed every task. However, he struggled with machines, leading Westerberg to believe McCandless lacked common sense.
McCandless planned to return for fall, and his talk of the Alaska trip suggested it would be his last great adventure. He refused Westerberg's offer to stay longer or buy him a plane ticket, calling it cheating. Two nights before leaving, he had a five-hour dinner with Westerberg's mom, discussing books. The night before his departure, they had a party at a local bar, and McCandless played piano. He said goodbye the next morning, making Borah cry and feel a premonition.
McCandless hitchhiked out, leaving his journal belt with Westerberg. On April 18, 1992, he sent a postcard from the Alaskan border. On April 27, 1992, he wrote to Westerberg from Fairbanks, stating it would be his last communication and ending with, 'I now walk into the wild.' He wrote similar letters to Jan and Franz that same day, stating, 'I now walk out to live amongst the wild.'