Lot's of people take risks everyday. Krakauer wanted to climb the devils thumb because he had an obsession with mountain climbing much like McCandless's dream to live in the wilderness. The first time Krakauer didn't finish climbing the mountain. Then he thought back to how much his dad pushed him and his siblings to be successful and he tried a second attempt at it. This time Krakauer made it to the top of the mountain capturing some photos for proof. I think people do things like this because they want to live a life where you get to choose how you live. Also to get away from the negative things that society puts into your mind. There are lots of situations where people feel like they're missing out on life and before they die they feel like they could've lived happier and done more. Therefore the people like Krakauer and McCandless decide to abandon society and live a life with no rules and stress free so when they pass away they can say they've served their purpose of life. I wouldn't do this because eventually you would get lonely, go insane, starve, and probably die at a young age much like McCandless did. Also he wasn't very prepared to live in the wild alone by himself... In an abonded bus.