Chapter 5, Bullhead City Summary and Analysis

Jack London's reference to the "dominant primordial beast" in The Call of the Wild is echoed by a graffiti quote found in the abandoned bus on the Stampede Trail. Alexander Supertramp's graffiti hails the dominant primordial beast and Captain Ahab. The Captain Ahab reference will later become important to the author's thesis. This quote, then, helps Krakauer lay the groundwork for his conclusions.

McCandless's camera is ruined, when he buries it outside Vegas. With its loss, he discontinues his journal entries, as well. Thus, little is known of his movements after leaving Las Vegas in May of 1991. A letter sent to Jan Burres indicates he spends July and August in Oregon, along the coast. The fog and rain drive him back to California and then into the desert, once again. He arrives in Bullhead City, Arizona in...