If cell phones existed could it have made a difference?
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shonoffilm — 12 years ago(May 17, 2013 04:49 AM)
It was stated in the movie by Chris' parents that he didn't have a phone. Which was the reason they decided to drive to Atlanta to check on him instead of call. Based on the scene where he refused a new car it was obvious Chris liked not keeping up with new technology. A phone wasn't useful to him, so he would have never considered purchasing a cellphone for an emergency. I get your point but it doesn't suit his personality.
conquer the world with howiconquered -
sirmildredpierce — 11 years ago(April 08, 2014 11:11 AM)
It is highly unlikely he was within cell phone range at the time. I would be surprised if cell phone service was available even in Healy at the time. Even then the max range of cell phones might be around 40 miles, not 100. 20 miles is a more realistic And even then that is generous. There are other factors that should be taken in to account. Cell phone signals are Line-of-Sight and are severely comprimised by rough terrain. All it takes is being behind a hill to lose your cell phone signal.
In modern times Satellite Phones would be a more likely choice for an emergency comm device. But the Iridium satellite system would not come online until 1998, several years after McCandless died. Satellite phones are designed to be rugged with a very long battery-life, two things most cell phones are not designed for, especially cell phones from a quarter-century ago.
It would be hard to argue that McCandless was "foolish" in some regards. But his failure to bring a cellphone with him was not one of not a foolish choice. It just wasn't a realistic one. -
kev37865 — 11 years ago(August 19, 2014 10:21 AM)
I was up there 2 weeks ago, and coverage on the Kenai Peninsula was very bad unless you were in Kenai, Seward or Soldotna. Coverage was a bit better between Anchorage and Talkeetna, but an info pamphlet I picked up re: Camping in Denali N.P. states that in the park cell phone coverage is nonexistant and sat-phone service is spotty.
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justwrite3 — 13 years ago(March 18, 2013 11:54 AM)
Rather than a cell phone, the better wilderness option is a handheld ham radio. It has a far greater range and isn't dependent on cell coverage, a rechargeable battery, or purchasing a plan from a mobile provider.
But McCandless wasn't interested in such sensible provisions. He didn't even bring a compass. He was unaware that there was a hand-operated tram merely 1/4 mile from where he attempted to cross the Teklanika river.
From his Wikipedia page:
His venture into a wilderness area alone, without adequate planning, experience, preparation, or supplies, without notifying anyone and lacking emergency communication equipment, was contrary to every principle of outdoor survival and, in the eyes of many experienced outdoor enthusiasts, nearly certain to end in misfortune.
Alaskan Park Ranger Peter Christian wrote:
Essentially, Chris McCandless committed suicide.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_McCandless
Not having an emergency communication device of some kind is just further evidence of his ignorance and willful stupidity. A person prudent enough to bring an emergency communication device wouldn't have gone solo into the Alaskan wilderness so ill-prepared in the first place. -
palisade-1 — 13 years ago(March 19, 2013 03:32 PM)
But McCandless wasn't interested in such sensible provisions. He didn't even bring a compass. He was unaware that there was a hand-operated tram merely 1/4 mile from where he attempted to cross the Teklanika river.
He didn't need a compass he knew where he was, he had a map, he was close to several roads and only 20-25 miles from town, and on the edge of a large, well-maintained national park with facilities, roads, bridges, cabins and so forth. He had explored the area quite thoroughly when he first got there, but settling down in the bus proved to be his fatal mistake.
He didn't die in the bus because he didn't know a way out he died because he didn't or couldn't try to get out. Which it was, we'll never know.
The hand-operated tram would have been no use to him even if he HAD known about it. The cable car was on the far side of the river, and McCandless had no way of making it come to his side, any more than he could have summoned a rowboat tied on the opposite side to come to him. It required a human in the car to make it cross the river.
That said, ham radio outfits were rather complex things back then my best friend's dad had one, and it took up a fair bit of space, and required a lot of training and a license to operate. What we might well ask is why he didn't take emergency flares or build a fire to signal for help. He had managed all his other solo trips into the wilderness with no phone or radio, and he clearly overestimated his ability to deal with Alaskan conditions or with an emergency, illness or accident, which appear to have been factors in his case. He was poorly prepared all right, but not so much a babe in the wilderness as some have portrayed him (the film doesn't go into his personal history at all, so this conclusion is certainly justified based on just the movie).
If he had actually been "in the wild," a phone would not have helped. The cell towers were not positioned out in the middle of nowhere back in the early 90's. (I know because I trekked up north at that time. My cell picked up signals near towns and cities, but not way out in the middle of nowhere). -
stardama69 — 12 years ago(April 08, 2013 05:30 PM)
He wasn't completely unskilled, as he survived for quite a long time in his bus, and could have gotten out there alive. He just totally ran out of luck - with the river, the poisonous plants, then the lack of living food.
"I don't care what you believe in, just believe in something ! No matter what" -
palisade-1 — 12 years ago(April 09, 2013 07:30 AM)
You're right, IMO, that luck played a major role here. Also, in fact the real-life Chris McCandless had a great deal of wilderness camping skills and experience; what he significantly (and tragically) lacked was such experience in a subarctic region like Alaska.
However, the river, the plants and the absence of living food are misrepresented in the film (this is called artistic license, but many viewers want to know the actual facts as well as the Penn version of events).
The Teklanika River was too fast-moving and swollen when Chris went back the way he came. However, he had a number of other options, which he certainly knew of, including going downsteam to the park services road and getting the bridge, or going upriver, past the park service cabins, and crossing the river where it is braided into smaller streams. We don't know why he didn't attempt either, but luck (in the form of accident, injury or illness) likely played a role.
The plants were not poisonous, and McCandless ingested no toxins; neither was mold that grew upon such plants poisonous or inhibitive of digestion. Chris kept a food diary, and it is clear he simply did not take in sufficient calories, especially fats and carbs, to stay alive.
As for living food, another big mystery is why he did not attempt to catch fish. He had fishing gear; the salmon were running at the time (and other nutritious and edible fish were readily found in the area), yet he made no mention in his diary of any attempt to fish. Maybe he disliked fish. However, that's an unexplained omission. He could have survived on a diet of fish alone for months, as fish contain high-quality omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids, as well as quality protein. -
Aimless_Small_Potatoes — 11 years ago(April 22, 2014 07:39 PM)
Imagine how he could've taken a cell phone and then called for help only as a last resort if he really needed it!
You must have missed the part where he wanted to be cut off from society. He burned his money because money "makes you cautious". The very thought of him taking a cell phone with him completely defeats the purpose of his journey. -
palisade-1 — 11 years ago(April 23, 2014 06:17 AM)
You must have missed the part where he wanted to be cut off from society. He burned his money because money "makes you cautious".
It's true that Penn presents this picture in the film, but it was not factual (this movie is "based on a true story," but it is not a true story). McCandless did not want to be "cut off from society" he wanted to go on a pilgrimage, a spiritual journey, a la Thoreau, Tolstoy and a few others who inspired him; he envisioned himself living a monastic retreat in a wilderness environment and challenging himself both spiritually and physically. He intended this "walkabout" to be one of no more than 3 months' duration as he was committed to returning to South Dakota in August. He told Wayne he wanted to get married someday but he wanted to experience more of life first.
The only money he burned was when he abandoned his car; he burned about $100 in cash to symbolize starting over. He did not burn ID as shown, and he went on to work for money, opened bank accounts, earned thousands of dollars over the two years and still had $300 in cash on him when he died.
He may not have taken a cell phone,, but he did have map of the local area, which Krakauer knew but left out of the book;-) It didn't fit in with his (Krakauer's) romantic notions. -
Samus Aran — 11 years ago(August 26, 2014 02:47 AM)
Not sure if it's accurate, but earlier in the movie it mentions that he never had a phone at all, not even a landline (when his parents first drove up to see him, and found him moved out months earlier).
So the chance of him bringing a cellphone along seem rather zero. -
Kuruwin — 11 years ago(January 20, 2015 08:41 AM)
In all of this we also have to remember that if he was injured part of the reason why he didn't suck it up and try to crawl his way out of the place might have been due to being frozen by fear of leaving the shelter.
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jinojiwantenggara — 11 years ago(March 04, 2015 07:31 AM)
If cellphone existed, then I'm sure he would taking selfies and then upload them to flickr, instagram, panoramio, facebook. Well, at least that what I would do.
People only want to hear what they want to hear -
palisade-1 — 9 years ago(August 25, 2016 09:13 AM)
Never mind a cell phone; he probably would have survived if he had bothered to take an old-fashioned paper map.
He
did
have a detailed paper map of the area (including Denali park and its service road, which was near the bus). This fact was not mentioned in either book or movie, but it
was
included in the coroner's report.
McCandless also had plenty of money and ID. The movie leaves out the fact that he had posted on the bus a note saying he was injured and needed help. That probably was a significant factor.
They did have cell phones back then, but Chris's location was probably out of range, and he had no way to charge one.
