Travel Journal

If I could travel anywhere in the United States I would travel to Hawaii. I would travel to Hawaii because it is a very beautiful place. My father had to go there for a business trip in 2001 and came back with gorgeous pictures of the landscape. I would take a plane there, which would take about twelve hours from Baltimore to Honolulu. Hawaii is known for its beautiful beaches and culture that is different from the rest of America. It is also known for its volcanoes and mountains. Hawaii also has rainforests and waterfalls. In January, Hawaii is mostly cloudy with some showers. I would take spring and fall clothes; tee-shirts, jeans, jackets, tennis shoes, and flip-flops. I would expect to see the beautiful scenery that was in my father’s pictures and experience the Hawaiian culture.

Direct and Indirect Characterization

Direct
Lean - “Five feet seven or eight with a wiry build.” Pg. 4
Indirect
He does not want to be connected to his family - “You could tell something wasn’t right between him and his family.” Pg 18
Dreamer - “People from the outside…think ‘Hey, I’m goin’ to…claim a piece of the good life,’ but when they get out here…it isn’t like the magazines make it out to be.” Pg. 4
Naïve - “Gallien thought the hitchhiker’s scheme was foolhardy and tried repeatedly to dissuade him.” Pg. 5
He likes taking risks - “The only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions.” Pg. 5
Determined - “He was determined. Real gung ho. He couldn’t wait to head out there and get started. ” Pg. 6
Intelligent - “You could tell right away Alex was intelligent…He read a lot. Used a lot of big words.” Pg. 18

Author Biography

Jon Krakauer was born April 12, 1954 in Brookline, Massachusetts, but grew up in Corvallis Oregon. He is the middle of five children. He, like Chris McCandless, liked to travel and hike; he climbed Mt. Everest and stayed alone in the Stikine Icecap region, where he met his wife, Linda Mariam Moore. Into the Wild was Krakauer’s first nonfiction novel and was published in 1996. The novel was on the New York Times bestseller list for over two years. The book was adapted into a movie directed by Sean Penn in 2007.