From: Brian D Williams (talon57@well.com)
Date: Tue Aug 15 2000 - 07:47:27 MDT
From: "altamira" <altamira@ecpi.com>
>The kid's name was Chris McCandless, as I recall. I found his
>story quite moving--he made some mistakes that appear stupid in
>retrospect, but I could picture myself making similar mistakes if
>I'd been in his situation. (I wouldn't have made mistakes about
>the plants, but then I've been studying wild & cultivated plants
>since I was 10 years old).
>I believe the root of the plant in question WAS edible, but the
>seeds were not. Chris had been eating the root of the plant all
>along; his metabolic problems started when the seeds ripened and
>he began to eat them. There are a number of common garden plants
>for which roots are edible but seeds and leaves are not--Irish
>potatoes and jicamas, for example.
The sad truth is that he was just another cheechako who though he
knew it all. He refused every attempt to help him, and warn him,
because he "knew" better.
Another sad tale along with Jack London's "To Light A Fire" which
I reread annually to remind myself that Mother Nature will let her
most ardent admirer freeze to death without offering them so much
as a match.
Some people may think I'm a bit silly for always having a survival
kit with me, even in the middle of downtown Chicago, but I long ago
learned the lesson, and am always prepared.
Brian
Member:
Extropy Institute, www.extropy.org
Adler Planetarium www.adlerplanetarium.org
Life Extension Foundation, www.lef.org
National Rifle Association, www.nra.org, 1.800.672.3888
Mars Society, www.marssociety.org
Ameritech Data Center Chicago, IL, Local 134 I.B.E.W
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