The other "Into the Wild" story that NOBODY is talking about (survival nightmare) 

I met Thomas in Anchorage before he went up to the cabin near Ambler. He was a friend of a friend and I spent a few hours hanging out with him in the woods and practicing making fires with a bow drill. He was in Alaska in part to decide whether he and his new wife would want to move there. He was a kind, gentle, and soft spoken person and very knowledgeable about the outdoors. He was well prepared with gear. I was very sad to learn a few weeks later that he had disappeared. My personal belief as a lifelong Alaskan is that he left the cabin for a day outing of some kind and suffered an accidental injury or fell into a body of water. The number one way to die in the outdoors in Alaska is water. Bear attack seems less likely to me but certainly also possible. There is no way he ran away to start a new life - I can confirm he he was newly married (I met his widow later), and there would be no way for a tall white guy with a long red ponytail and a German accent to travel through a remote Alaskan village without people noticing. The locals spent a lot of time looking for him. In another sad turn of events, the woman who owned the cabin he stayed at died in a drunk driving hit and run accident about two years later. Thanks for telling his story. You did a good job and didn't speculate wildly.

Preacher was down by the river when he saw a bear charging towards him. Preacher looked to the sky and said "God, Please turn this bear into a Christian". There was a clap of thunder, the bear stopped, put his paws together and said "Bless you Lord for this food I am about to eat".

Yesterday I went for a walk in the woods and followed a game trail a little ways. I stepped on what I thought was solid ground but turned out to be a hole covered with leaves. If it had been deeper, or I'd been going faster, I'd easily have broken my leg. Without a way to call for help, without people who know where you are and when you should be back, in that environment...even just on a day hike, that's all it takes.

Here is a fact that most people don't see. Just because you survived in one part of the world doesn't mean you are able to do the same in a different part of the world.

My family is from Wasilla, AK we have a golden rule we follow when going out, "Go Alone, Don't Come Home." It's one of the very most important philosophies I've learned in life.

I’m born and raised in the Appalachians. I am pretty good at surviving. That being said I don’t think most people (myself included) understand just how dangerous Alaska can be. I can watch all the documentaries in the world and read but I think it is so much worse that’s what I think. Alaska, as beautiful as it looks, scares the crap out of me. When you find yourself in the worst it can offer, it must be truly terrifying

When we were young my mom had a boyfriend who made a living by hunting & trapping. He really taught us a lot about surviving in the bush, but, he told us that anything can happen & all the prep & knowledge in the world may not save you. I've always remembered that & have had the greatest respect for mother nature, since then.

One thing I learned in the military is that the "law of averages" will eventually get you. Do something dangerous (or even routine) enough times and eventually something you never considered or prepared for will go wrong.

One of my school mates died on an easy day hike at 30 years old just because he stepped off the trail to pee, slipped and hit his head. The problem was, he was hiking alone that day, laying there unconcious after the fall and not really visible from the trail. His wife was waiting for him at home, because she was 9 months pregnant. It was supposed to be his last hike before the baby was due, on a nice summer day and an easy popular route. When he didn't return in time she immediately called rescue services but it was too late when they found him. Anything can happen when you're alone outdoors, unfortunately.

I think if we're being honest, the more time we've spent in the wilderness, the more the probability rises that we've done something stupid such that the only reason we're alive is luck. Experience is great but more experience can also just mean more opportunity to make a mistake. I've definitely done it and that's how I learned to be properly if not gratuitously over-geared for whatever conditions I'm out in - it's just luck that I never had to have planes out looking for me. RIP to the people who've inevitably made mistakes and happened to not get lucky.

Another unfortunate, though trivial incident, is the removal of the bus Mcandless lived and died in, it stood watch for 60 years in the wilderness before being removed ,flown out to a museum in Fairbanks I believe. Too many people were either dying or having to be rescued to get to it, so the state moved it.

I had been to the bus from "Into the Wild" a decade ago. I don't think this story compares, really. But this guy apparently walked off into the wilderness, in terrible weather, ALONE. Not a good plan, ever. He also left his rifle behind. Even if he had a bow, did he have a large caliber pistol for use if attacked by bear or wolves, etc? I would say, never go into the wilderness alone. Never go without adequate defensive weapons for any situation that might unfold. Do not let your ego override your abilities. No one is EVER completely trained for every contingency, thus the requirement for a partner or two who can help when nature or incidence demands...

My mother in law was a nurse in the Kootenays, BC. She knew a mother who's son was a geologist, he went off to work in Alaska but dissappeared and never returned. Such a sad story, but. Alaska.

No matter how experienced a person is, a broken leg or a bear attack can be fatal in a place like that.

It doesn't matter how great you are at being outside, Mother nature will have you if she wants to.

I think wanting to face the ultimate challenge and then having a misadventure/injury makes sense. "You don't know where the edge is until you go over it." Not taking at least one gun is an odd decision even if his desire was to pack as light as possible.

Man over 2k people go missing here every year. He was either eaten by a bear or eaten by the earth. Permafrost thaws and you don’t know you’re walking on a lake until you fall through the spongy moss. Quicksand here is very real also.

Dude could have fallen and landed on pointy limb injuring himself, he could have broken an ankle, died walking through the forest from heart attack, cut himself severely, fallen in river, hypothermia, tree fall, among others, all of which would led to death being that remote and off trail. His body could be under a log, under a boulder, in a lake, river, stream, bears stomach, wolves' stomach. The forests are large, wild, remote places. We tend to think we can find an answer and find a body but in reality, we'll never know the answers to events like these. I hunt in some fairly off the beaten places, in thick dark timber, no trail around and I think to myself that if I went down it's likely I'd never be found, interesting mind set at times.

"Due to how remote the area is and that it's been over 10 years now, I highly doubt we will find a trace of Seibold". That's what they all said about Otzi 5,300 years ago!

can we take a second to appreciate the effort and high quality of Kyle's videos????

I'm confused as to why he left his firepower behind. Especially in that wild, remote place. It just doesn't make sense for someone to make that decision, knowing the likelihood of a wild predator encounter. RIP brother.😢

The not taking at least one gun gets me. Did he ever even leave the surrounding cabin area? Bears would know there are humans (food) there.

If you get lost in Alaska in winter, all the survival skills in the world won't help unless you find your way back to food and shelter. Most likely, he got lost.

I live in Northern Norway. Tourists pour in around easter and they are often inexperienced hikers. The biggest problem here is that the weather changes 30 times a day and hiking guides here are pretty serious when it comes to the weather forecaste and dangers of avalanches wich often makes the tourists impatient, so they start hiking by themselves. I'm not worried about experienced hikers because they come prepared. It's sad to see people come here on vacation for a good time and only end up in tragedy 😞

By not taking his guns, I would assume that he planned on doing a short scouting or exploring hike. The circle in the snow may have been a navigational marker he left part way through his exploration. I think if he had been attacked by a bear, there would have been some sign of the struggle or his remains. I think it is more likely he encountered a tragedy on the river nearby and was swept far from the place where searchers were looking.

Thank you for sharing his story. He is a fellow countryman, and I have just read the blog entries regarding the search. So much pain for families and friends. 😞

Our nomadic ancestors traveled, hunted, and lived in small GROUPS. Groups who trained every moment since earliest childhood to survive in those conditions, and who amassed and passed down both vitally important knowledge and man-mad artifacts, from fishing hoods, to portable shelters, to weather spotting, to hunting techniques. One person against the Alaskan wilderness is not returning to our roots as human beings. It's taking a terrible risk that the smallest mistake will end your life. With no one else to help you, or seek help for you, a broken ankle or even a badly twisted knee would be a death sentence. Rest in Peace.

Exploring the wilderness is a wonderful adventure, but there's a fine line between adventure and recklessness. It's important to be mindful of the fact that when you venture into remote areas, you're not only responsible for your own safety but also for the potential burden on the community if a rescue operation becomes necessary.

When people have a romantic idea of the wilderness then they have the wrong idea of the wilderness.

Not taking his guns?? Very Weird. I live next to the National Forest in Northern CA and have my .38 with me when I am out in the woods. Black bears and Cougars are here. Rattlesnakes in the summer. I am an older woman and have lived in the woods for over 40 years.

I’ve hiked many places in Alaska for over 40 years including in the Gates and have on,y had a few instances where the bear was a few seconds from catching a 12 gauge round. Hiking in the early spring and late fall are the most dangerous times for bear. Also cow moose with young are a lot more aggressive than any bear. We have a remote place where both brown and black bear come through the yard all the time.

Interesting, I am from Germany, and never heard of this story. From my perspective, many young people in Germany, or Europe in general, are dreaming of the US and its „wild“ states like Alaska: freedom and nature everywhere. Surely Thomas was well prepared, but he also may have idealized living in the wild and met his fate there.

I’ve never been on a proper hike in my life, but this channel is still entertaining. He’s carved out a great niche for himself here on RU-vid.

When you hit a million subscribers, it will be well deserved. Stellar content as always Kyle. Love watching your channel grow. I find myself excited when I get a notification that you've posted a new video cause I know it's going to be good. Keep up the good work!

I'm a huge fan of the "Scary bear attacks" RU-vid channel, and they have profiled far too many stories where the victim did everything "right" with bear spray etc. and still ended up dead or seriously injured.

It's not bear country - it's the bears' country

I love how we are consistently told how rare and/or unlikely it is that predation could be the cause of a human disappearing while out wandering solo in an environment that contains several species of apex predators.

So many people disappear in the bush up here. Especially newcomers who head off on some wilderness adventure. The are many ways to disappear out there. Some more mysterious than others.

As a solo hiker, you understand the risks involved in going alone. You can be prepared and even have things for emergency situations. But the bottom line is accidents happen. Any time I go off adventuring alone, I always let someone know where I'm going to be. But that's not going to really help much if I fall and crack open my skull or get attacked by a bear. You can't live your whole life sitting on the sidelines because something might happen to you one day or you can get out there and live. This guy lived his life exactly the way he wanted to. I don't think he could have or would have done anything differently. And if I disappear on one of my solo journeys, I hope everyone knows I wouldn't have done anything differently either.

He could have fallen through the ice crossing a river, and got swept under the ice , or climbed out and gotten hypothermia. Avalanche, injury from falling. Eating the wrong thing. There's a million things that could have happened. Like Chris McCandless , he also was an adventurer, and explorer. Young men ( and women) have gone adventuring since the beginning of time. In other times they would have been admired for their bravery and risk taking, even if they died trying.

Reminds me of another experienced hunter/survivalist that disappeared years ago. Both had guns and both left them. That to me is odd since it would be like leaving your water or your clothes behind. You need protection in the wild and they both knew that....just odd.....

In the 80's long before in to the wild came out I thought of quitting my job and going into the woods to live and instantly thought of all that could go wrong and choose not to and through I've done a lot of camping , not alone and can identify some of plants and know what to eat I'm still scared to go on a through hike or even a weakened camp on my own even though I've watched other through hikers make it and know nothing about survival knowing that people with way more exercise than me turn up missing makes me think I making the right choice

Christopher McCandless' story will ever be far more complicated than face value. The speculation is he could have eaten the seeds of a plant very similar to the sweet-vetch seed plant that was toxic, but John Krakow, who was just as fascinated with Chris as a lot of us have been, tested those seeds and determined he was picking the correct seeds. John poured over all information on chris, and was convinced there was more to the story. Next, he turned to a very old practice done by Nazis, with the same plant Chris was using copiously (this information was discovered by someone else). In small quantities, it is perfectly fine to eat. But, like Christopher, when fed large amounts of mostly only this seed, wretched effects began to take hold. They nicknamed it "Silent Fire". One of Chris' last entries was "extremely weak, fault of pot. Seeds". When prisoners were fed copious amounts of this so called pea fodder, they began to grow very weak, and eventually barely be able to crawl. It burnt through them and left them skeletal and extremely weak. I wish i could link the study and information, even the new york times did a piece on these findings. But youtube will delete the comment of and put on a 24 hour comment ban anyone who links any outside sources of any kind. But if you find this interesting, there is tons of information out there on how he likely died. Chris was no stranger to hiking and survival situations. Indeed, it was his one true passion in life. He was unlikely to have just starved to death, without another unknown factor. I'm not glorifying what chris did. But as a fellow idealist, i understand his deep desire to break away from society, his dissatisfaction with life in general, and his desire to test himself, untethered, against the elements of nature. His biggest flaw, though purposeful, was not bringing a map or more useful tools and gear. He knew something that most of us have forgetten. Nature can and will provide all one needs, if you're willing to forgo simple wants. It feels tainted, somehow, to "explore" with a map someone else has made, gear that you didn't somehow provide by the sweat of your brow, and food you didn't make. I understand his reasoning. He was also so very young, and had he made it out of alaska that fateful trip, i believe he would have gone on to be one of the best survivalists out there. Unfortunately, his youth and idealism got the better of him. Look into his story if you don't know anything about him. He truly was a stunningly beautiful soul. There's always something new to discover by pouring over everything available on the subject of Christopher, and i think he would love the thought that others could learn from his experiences.

Nice to see Kyles channel blowng up! One of the best story tellers on youtube!

Mccandless was only about a mile from one of those …. Cable gondolas that would have got him across the river ….. Breaks my heart

Thomas did not injure his leg in the Boundary Waters. There were 3 of us there, Daniel did and Thomas and I could not carry Daniel, so we brought a rescue crew. It was accurately reported in the Ely newspaper back then.

I'm starting to feel like if you go alone into the Alaskan wilderness, your disappearance isn't really mysterious. Everyone knows roughly what happened in a very broad sense.

He’s such a natural story teller doesn’t pad video with unnecessary baloney always a good listen

Thank you for covering this heartbreaking story of the disappearance of Tomas Siebold.😔 Poor guy.🙏

He is a hero and inspeation. I met him in southern Oregon in 2011 .he is a great loss .

Two things. If you cut yourself with your own axe you're in the bottom 1% of survivalist, qualified for the "Treadwell Award." And second, you could be in the top 1% of survivalists and you're still on the menu. Did they examine all the bear scat in the park???

It can be hard enough for search and rescue to find people in the remote parts of colorado, alaska has less resources for larger areas.

Good for you on your ability to recount events. Love your channel name, I must admit I was super curious to hear from someone who hates hiking amongst all the die-hard lovers of the sport..you got me..Bravo on close to 300k !! On track to that million..(ps..I'm the one who lives in Granby Québec where you played in a tournament when you were young..)

Thanks Kyle! I had never heard of this story. Experience is essential and almost paramount in these situations. Judgement is paramount. As an avid outdoor recreationist living in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado I regularly encounter tourists and other newcomers who have a goal of going somewhere they probably shouldn’t. My blunt advice is that you can always come back to this spot, but you can’t come back from the dead.

Dying is all part of the risks we take when doing something like this. It doesn’t happen all of the time, but it does happen.

In this kind of terrain, it would be very easy to run into problems, especially at that time of year. A bit of snow covered river to fall into, slogging through muskeg, a trip and fall into water resulting in hypothermia, animal predation particularly if a person is hurt, are certainly all possibilities.

Totally different stories. It's like comparing a guy that drowned on the titanic to a drunk that drowned in his bathtub.

Great series of death or endangered hikers. Keep them up! Also, can you do a video for all the hikers that died looking for Supertramp' bus? That would be awesome. Greetings from Chile.

When I was a toddler in the 50s, my old man was in the military and did sea and air rescue at Point Barrow (now Nuvuk), and we stayed in Barrow (now Utqiagvik), Alaska. Even as small as I was, I have memories of the danger of the place. Only memory pictures of the place itself, but a real, palpable gut sense of the danger of the place.

This story is amazing. its so sad he was never found.

Thanks for this.. the b-roll is like intuitive or something.. with you explaining and seeing real photos and videos these really pull you in.

Very interesting story. Thanks, Kyle. I recommend that people not do dangerous things alone.

I love you, and your videos and content ! You really bring it ! Hope you have a very Merry Christmas and the very best of the new year !!!

4:10 for the blathering to stop and the story to begin

Many people don't realize that the most dangerous animal in the fall is a male moose in the rut. They become absolutely insane and will charge anything & anybody.

Another fascinating story I’d never heard before!❤ This might be evidence that regardless of skill level or experience, things can go terribly wrong. Accidental injury, wildlife encounters, who knows. It seems that the region he was in was not what he was familiar with. He may have miscalculated how the weather would impact him, or he could have had some kind of accident. I hope his remains are recovered and answers are found. I understand that the not knowing is very painful for family and friends.

I always love your videos! Very unbiased view of bad situations. You discuss many possible theories.

He likely was crossing a snow covered Creek. Broke through the snow/ ice and fell 6-8’ into deep frigid water. Hypothermia set in within minutes and Thomas was buried under the Snow-so was not spotted by searchers. Just one of several possible situations He would have faced.

A million subscribers is just around the corner love your videos 🎉

when i lived in Vermont a few years ago.....temps dropped to minus 35 degrees...piled more wood to the stove....put a plugged in light bulb next to the car engine...the heat let the car be started right up......those temps are nothing to fool around with....be prepared, house and car..........Thanks Kyle.....be safe yourself up there............☃☃

Really compelling story and I think you summed things up well. It's a double edged sword to be highly skilled at something, especially in a circumstance like this one. I would imagine that Thomas was challenging himself and his abilities, and unfortunately pushed the bounds just beyond breaking point.

Ya killin' it kyle, really enjoyed your telling of this story! p.s. missed opportunity for the sponsor plug lol - "just make sure you take a lot of the events in this story with a grain of salt...speaking of salt, this video is sponsored by drink LMNT"

He didn’t bring a gun, he wasn’t going to travel far from the cabin.

I spent a lot of time out in the wilds, back in the day, and I can say with much certainty that nature is equal parts beauty and utter emotionless brutality. It just does not give one fat hairy rats rear about your experience, physical condition or ego. We are all just one careless human mistake away from discovering what’s on the other side.

I read Into the Wild back in 98-99 when my High School English teacher recommended it. McCandless’s story is more “popular” because he left an extensive diary behind, he was mere miles from the highway, and he left a life of relative privilege to go roughing it. He also didn’t just start in Alaska. He went across the US, and he tried to traverse Baja California by canoe but got hopelessly lost. Following the entire journey is so intriguing, reading his thoughts, being along for his failures and successes.

See a lot of crazy things happen with grizzlies in the fall. My gut is telling me that's what took him out. You can't out run them and your chances of scaring them off (even with a firearm) are highly unlikely if the bear is hungry enough. RIP Thomas.

Your channel is blowing up - love to see it!! These types of episodes are amazing! Very well done. 1M coming up soon!

I'll be right back.

Former resident of Three Lakes, Wisconsin. The Nicollet National Forest that surrounds Three Lakes is no joke. During my residence there, at least one hunter from the southern part of the state had to be found each year, and the snowmobiling can be as dangerous, too. It's so sad that this person disappeared in the Arctic.

Let’s see. He was fully prepared for survival in the harsh, arctic environment and the unforgiving subfreezing temperatures; so it’s less likely that he succumbed to exposure. But, and that’s a BIG BUT; but he walked off into the Alaskan wilderness without so much as even a sidearm with him. I’ll give you 3 guesses as to what happened to him. If this was a question on the SAT, I think if you got it wrong, no matter how well you did on the rest of the test, it should mean an instant zeroing out of your entire number. In no uncertain terms, I would *NEVER* trek into that wild, untamed backcountry without some kind of firearm on my person. Hell, I’d even probably want to be carrying while on the edges of some of the smaller towns and villages as well. It’s utterly foolish to journey out into the habitat of numerous apex predators, without having the ability, if necessary, to protect yourself by resorting to deadly force.

Well done. "A man's got to know his limitations".

Great story. I live 2 hours from Three Lakes and never heard of Teaching Drum. Definitely want to check it out😊

I lived in Kotzebue Alaska for three years which is just inside the arctic circle on the Chukchi Sea. It is a village (roughly 3,000 people) that serves as a hub to the surrounding very tiny villages, Kobuk and Ambler included. It too is only accessible by plane. It was amazing but incredibly dangerous in the winter. I miss it every day. It's amazing how fast your body acclimates to sub zero temperatures. When temps started rising to 30 degrees F I was comfortably wearing shorts and a tank top outside. I moved to California after leaving Kotz and the heat KILLS me.

To many things can happen that you would never expect, and that are impossible to prepare for. Sad story.

Kyle should do a segment on Everett Reuss if he hasn’t yet

I don’t know, most of the National parks I’ve been to are remote. Like Saguaro, Death Valley, Painted Valley, and Joshua Tree. And I’ve never seen a cafeteria. Maybe I go to the wrong parts? Even the Grand Canyon can be pretty austere in most parts aside from the main viewing area. The only National Parks I went to that were busy were the Smokey Mountains and Washington DC.

Absolutely wonderful channel. Thank you.

I always called Alaska “The land of one dumb mistake”

Makes you wonder if the lady that he was staying with had something to do with it

This is heartbreaking. I hope that he's found so that his loved ones have some answers and can lay him to rest near home or wherever they believe he should be.

fun trivia fact - 40° C is also 40° F. It's the only place that the temperatures are the same.

Dude, its Alaskan Bush in winter . . . The first thing to understand is it doesn't have to go horribly wrong to kill you! Camping in Norway is like Camping in a Walmart parking lot compared to where he was at, just not even simulator. Alaska almost killed me in my own driveway because I made a TINY mistake, then completely under estimated the danger I was in till it was almost too late! It was -21f out and I needed to go get my wife from town soon. I grabbed the truck keys and went out in the driveway to start the truck so it would warm up. I opened the door, started the motor and headed back inside. Now I was literally 15 feet from my cozy living room so I was in shorts, T-shirt and flip flops. Upon getting back to the front door already getting pretty cold from the cold wind and the drifting snow its kicking up. The house door was locked! No matter, the keys are right there in the truck. Well the stupid automatic locking feature had locked le out of the truck now too. Well, I'll just go around back to the window I know how to Jimmie open. By the time I got through the snow drifts my hands aren't working enough to open the window. Now I start to realize this is an actual emergency, just a few minutes outside and I'm already shutting down from the exposure. I need to break a window now, before loose that ability too! I used a chair to brake in but in maybe 5 more minutes I wouldn't have been able to hold the chair at all. I cold have died in my own damn Alaskan driveway from the simple habitat of locking my door when I go out! Don't underestimate cold, a tiny problem is compounded greatly by negative temperatures!

Thx Kyle- finally decided to order LMNT pack.

Have you ever talked about the Grizzly man! He was I man from Washington who lived with Grizzlies in Alaska. I'll let you learn the end of the tale.

Hi, Kyle thanks for your hard work, winter has taken a bite out of my outdoor activities the past two months. My RU-vid channel was growing too. Im hoping to get inspired to get out again Now that the weather is warming up.

So many things can go wrong on a hike. Even the most experienced person can be taken by surprise sometimes.

For somebody who hates hiking you sure talk about it a lot

"Man's got to know his limitations" (Dirty Harry)

I like this young man's channel and the fellow hikers who comment. There's no way this guy went UP river 30 miles in a kayak, not in Alaska. However, he may have hiked to the cabin..

Few people realize just how desolate and unpopulated the North Slope is. Wisconsin would not prepare you. There are no roads. No one lives there. It is starvation territory. In order to be a survivalist, there has to be something to survive off of.