Chris' Journey & The Foundation   

The Christopher Johnson McCandless Memorial Foundation, Inc

Christopher Johnson McCandless, left this world in August of 1992 in an abandoned bus located on the remote Stampede Trail near Denali, Alaska. This bus, which Chris called home for a short period of time, marked the tragic end to an otherwise adventurous, joyous and very human personal two-year journey. A trek only the bold of heart would have undertaken. Covering the vast wilderness between the Sea of Cortez and his summit destination, Alaska, Chris was guided from within towards his dream. Along the way, this sojourner touched the hearts and souls of many, which one may chose to believe was his ultimate purpose. Leaving a lasting impression, which altered the course of lives, he continues to pulls at the heart strings of those he will never know.

At the time of his passing, his parents, Billie and Walt McCandless, created a charitable trust called the Christopher Johnson McCandless Memorial Fund whose purpose was to distribute assets to charities and individuals in Christopher’s memory. From 1992 until the present, Christopher’s parents have managed and distributed the assets in the memorial fund and the successive Foundation (2006) without personal benefit.

In 1994, Billie and Walt signed a contract allowing author, Jon Krakauer, to write a book based on their son’s experiences. Jon pledged to dedicate two years of his life to following every step of Chris’s journey in order to provide an authentic account of this two-year odyssey. The assets of the Fund known as Chris's Purpose were minimal before it began to receive book royalties in 1996 from Jon’s book, “Into the Wild.”

Initially, Chris’s parents believed the fund’s limited assets, primarily from magazine and newspaper use of Chris’s story and select pictures from the 100’s of self photos he had taken on his journey, would quickly be exhausted. But this was not to be, as the story of Chris’s journey, researched and told by Jon, began to gather momentum. Surprisingly and consistently, when funds were distributed to a needy cause, a book royalty check for an amount greater than the gift would soon arrive. The Chris's Purpose could just as easily be called God’s Purpose.

In 2005, Chris’s parents – in cooperation with Jon, agreed to let Sean Penn create a movie based on the book and Christopher’s experiences. The film, with direction and screenplay by Sean, was released in 2007. The Foundation received funds, in terms of a one time contract, from this commission.

Picture information in order:

The beginning of Chris’s Journey when he abandoned his car after it flooded in the Detrietal Wash, Arizona. © CJMMF
Chris’s view as he paddled to the Sea of Cortez. © CJMMF
Into the wild, Chris sets off down the Stampede Trail in Alaska. © CJMMF
Hal Holbrook, Billie & Walt McCandless and Sean Penn during the filming of Into the Wild in Borrego Springs, California. © CJMMF
Jon Krakauer 1994 © CJMMF
Chris's Canoe, Near El Golfo © Heather Horton