"its the great experiences,the memories,the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found

THis is pretty much what Chris wanted to do. He turned his back on the drudgery of consumerism, attainment of money, and external validation. Taking a page from Thoreau, Chris wanted to live deliberately. He wanted to "suck the marrow out of life." Unfortunately Chris didn't get everything right. His naivety about the Alaskan wilderness as well as the fact that he wasn't cut out to be isolated for extended periods was Chris's undoing.