Transcendental Principles In Into The Wild

A True Preserve Of Nature
Most people would argue that the transcendental principles are too extreme to live by. However, the movie Into the Wild directed by Sean Penn, follows the true life story of Christopher McCandless. In the movie, McCandless graduates from Emory University with high honors, but soon after decides to leave his conventional lifestyle. McCandless travels to Alaska, intent to live in the solitude of nature, similar to how Thoreau traveled to Walden Pond. Unfortunately, McCandless eventually runs out of supplies and is discovered to have passed away. I originally heard this story through my sister Jessie and her friend Olivia. They were discussing how they found it interesting that in his high school days, McCandless was a cross country runner. They questioned if this could’ve taken part in his mindset to travel out alone into the Alaskan wilderness. I was intrigued by this story because as a cross country runner myself, I have observed the tendencies of distance runners to abide by many transcendental principles. Although I wouldn’t go as …show more content…
Located in Cedar Rapids the Sac and Fox Trail immediately beckoned us in. The first time we ever went was a gorgeous fall morning. Although the fifty degree temperature temperature would be considered a brisk for most, for us runners it was ideal. We started our run, and right away I was struck by the beauty of the area; trees in full fall foliage lined both sides of the trail. On the left side of the trail a creek trickled past. Our footsteps were quiet as we savored the softness of the dirt trail, a change from the usual smack of our feet on concrete. As we ran curved through tall grass fields and whispering trees I found myself questioning if this really was Cedar Rapids. As we ran along, I remember my Dad and I both said to each other how magnificent it was. Mostly, though, we ran in silence and took in the