Remarkable Survival Story

One of my favorite movies – at least when it comes to having a legitimate effect on me greatly after first seeing it – is Into The WildThe (Hollywood-ized) true story of Christopher McCandless, who gives up his status as a recent college graduate, with endless possibilities ahead, to wander across the country and scrape together what he can to live by working odd jobs and meeting interesting folks – including a rare dramatic movie turn – albeit with a few Swingers moments – by funny guy Vince Vaughn. McCandless eventually fulfills the movie’s plot target by venturing off into the Alaskan wilderness, gets trapped by a river’s ice-melt runoff and then eventually dies inside an abandoned bus after eating a toxic plant.

Emile Hirsch’s character carves out good-bye notes to his loved ones, which brings us to the remarkable story of a West Sacramento man. Mike Vilhauer, who was lost for five days after taking a fishing trip into remote Alpine County in the Sierras.