James Gallien had driven five miles out of Fairbanks when he spotted the hitchhiker standing in the snow beside the road, thumb raised high, shivering in the gray Alaskan dawn. A rifle protruded from the young man's pack, but he looked friendly enough

I went to see "Into the Wild" last night. Highly recommended.

I don't know that I'd read this article first necessarily, unless you already know something of the story.

Anyway, worth a read, ideally when you've already gone to the film (playing, of course, at Midtown, and not in any of the Regal megalopoli).

-k