Unresolved Puzzles

Rating: 8/10 (20 November 2007)

"CHRISTOPHER REALIZED THIS WHEN HE WAS DYEING ..... HE REALIZED THAT THE HAPPIEST MOMENTS IN HIS LIFE WERE THE ONES HE SPENT WITH THOSE PEOPLE HE MET DURING HIS JOURNEY .... " The above comment was posted on this site, and seems to be the feeling of many. I'm curious how we know that this statement is true. How do we know that Chris definitely learned that happiness means more when it is shared. Do we know this simply because he underlined that passage in a book he was reading? If he really learned this, why did he not leave a special note to his parents or to his sister or to one of the people who befriended him on his journey as Alexander Supertramp?
Another question or thought - Chris packed up and was ready to leave the wild on July 8th. I wonder if the reason he was leaving was because he was and had been starving. Did he feel his physical strength slowly deteriorating due to lack of proper nutrition, cold nights zapping his energy, physical exertion higher than caloric intake and decide that he better head back to civilization. Otherwise, why would he leave at the very peak of good weather and long hours of sunshine, plus better food gathering? Why would he not have waited to leave for a few more weeks and really enjoyed this best of times in the wild unless he was not feeling up to it? Just wondering if Chris left it too late, at July 8th, to leave the wild with any hope of survival.
The story is extremely compelling, but has certainly left me with a lot of unresolved questions. Like, was it Chris who destroyed the contents of the cabins that were located several miles from the bus. Evidently the damage was done in April of that year. Who else was around there at the time? It has been ascertained that the damage was not done by bears. If it was Chris, what was his state of mind?