Into the Wild inspired my life of adventure – but I learned the wrong lessons about freedom
The writer reflects on how watching Into the Wild at 16 shaped two decades of restless travel, initially inspiring her to seek freedom by escaping her north London life and chasing remote experiences, much like the film's protagonist Christopher McCandless. Over time she came to see this pursuit differently, recognising that constantly running towards the next adventure was less about genuine freedom and more about avoiding unresolved feelings, and that the film's warning about the cost of abandoning relationships had merit.
Her perspective shifted further after feeling isolated while living in Los Angeles in her late twenties, prompting a return to London to rebuild connections with family and friends. Now 44 days into hiking America's roughly 2,650-mile Pacific Crest Trail, she frames the journey not as an escape but as a deliberate step towards deeper self-trust and connection with nature, having concluded that true freedom is a state of mind rather than a physical destination, and that solitude need not mean loneliness.
- Into the Wild inspired 20 years of travel and adventure-seeking
- Writer realised freedom isn't found through constant escape
- Now hiking the Pacific Crest Trail with a healthier mindset
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The writer's reflections centre on Into the Wild, the 2007 film based on Jon Krakauer's book about Christopher McCandless, a young American who gave up his possessions and relationships to live off the land, ultimately dying alone in the Alaskan wilderness. The film has long been seen as a touchstone for people drawn to travel and self-reliance as a route to personal freedom, though it also carries a cautionary undertone about the risks of cutting oneself off from others.
The piece is a personal essay by a writer looking back on how the film shaped her own choices from the age of 16 onwards, as she left London to travel and seek out remote, adventurous experiences. It matters less as news and more as a reflection on how ideas of freedom, escape and connection can change with age and experience, particularly for readers interested in travel writing or long-distance hiking culture.
Context for the present day comes from the Pacific Crest Trail, a hiking route of around 2,650 miles running from Mexico to Canada through California, Oregon and Washington, widely used as a benchmark for long-distance trekking in America. The essay uses her current experience on this trail as a lens for revisiting earlier assumptions about solitude, freedom and family ties.