I would like to visit. . . .

         If I could travel to anywhere in the United States, it would probably be Redwood National Park in California.  To get here, I would fly to  Del Norte County Airport/Jack McNamara Field Airport in Crescent City, California.  I would fly SkyWest Airlines, as that is the only airline that flies to this small airport in Crescent City.  I would probably travel by park transportation or some other form of public transportation.  Redwood National Park is known for its enormous redwood trees.  They are hundreds of years old and hundreds of feet tall.  Due to weather patterns influenced by the ocean, the temperature stays constant year-round - from the mid-40s to low-60s (Fahrenheit).  Annually, the area gets about 60-80 inches of rain.  Park officials strongly encourage visitors to be prepared for any type of weather - this includes bringing layers for cold weather and boots for wet and slippery areas.  Again, I would have to bring clothes for all types of weather, as well as hiking gear for traveling through the forest.

        While visiting Redwood National Park, I would expect a lot of great things. I have never been to California before, and doing so would just be a wonderful experience.  Personally, seeing the west coast and the beauty of such an aged forest would truly be an unforgettable experience.  From what I know about national parks, I picture the forest as being filled with life in so many forms, as well as park rangers and other fascinated visitors.  By going on this trip, I could be closer to nature and would learn to appreciate it so much more.

Below are some images of Redwood National Park and the surrounding areas:

 Image 1: http://www.hickerphoto.com/redwood-national-forest-8433-pictures.htm

Image 2: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/california/redwood-national-park

Image 3: http://www.destination360.com/north-america/us/california/redwood-national-park-map

Information: http://www.nps.gov/redw/planyourvisit/park-overview.htm

Jon Krakauer

            Jon Krakauer was born in 1954 in Corvallis, Oregon.  At an early age, Krakauer had already developed a love for mountain climbing and adventuring in the wilderness, as his father introduced him to mountaineering while he was only about eight years old.  In his life before being an author, Krakauer made a living as a carpenter and commercial salmon fisherman.  In 1977, Krakauer traveled to the Stikine Icecap in Southeast Alaska.  Here, he went about three weeks without coming in contact with another human being.  Krakauer also adventured to one of the most famous mountains in the world - Mount Everest, which he reached the top of.  On his descent from the peak of the mountain, a storm killed four of five of his team traveling with him on this expedition.  His major writing career began with Into Thin Air, a firsthand account of his adventure to Mount Everest's peak.  Other books by Krakauer include Into the Wild and Eiger Dreams.


Below is a picture of Jon Krakauer.

All information, as well as the above image, was obtained from: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/krakauer/author.html

Travis's Into the Wild English Blog Project! Hooray!

Our English Class is reading Into the Wild, by Jon Krakauer, as our next literary project.  This novel is a true story about a young man who takes a journey through the wilderness.  The story begins with the main character's, Chris McCandless, body being found in an abandoned bus in Alaska.  Into the Wild retraces the journey of Chris McCandless two years after graduating from college.  Early on in his journey, Chris drops his real name, taking the name "Alexander Supertramp."  On his journey, Chris maintains a journal of his experiences.  Krakauer talks about another person, Everett Ruess, who went missing in Utah.  Chris survived in the wilderness for about 119 days, and hunted game, and collected various edible roots and berries.  A mistake, however, lead Chris to his fate.  Chris had mistakenly consumed the poisonous seeds of a plant.  These seeds stopped Chris's body from receiving the nutrients that it needed to survive.  In a healthy, nutritious body, the poison could have been fought off; however, Chris was surviving on rice, lean meat, roots, and berries, and his body was simply not strong enough to fight off the poison.  While he was dying from this poison, he wrote in his journal: "EXTREMELY WEAK.  FAULT OF POT.  SEEDS . . ."  


I am very excited to start reading a new novel in English!  Now let's journey "into the wild . . ."