In Chapter 4 of "Into the Wild," Krakauer writes: "The very basic core of a man's living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." This quote suggests that Krakauer sees adventure and new experiences as fundamental to a person's spirit and life's purpose.
Furthermore, in the same chapter, Krakauer writes: "McCandless was stirred by the literature of self-reliance. 'Wealth is of the heart and mind, not the pocket,' Thoreau wrote. These words had great meaning for Chris McCandless. He was living proof that transcendentalism could lift a person to new heights." This quote suggests that Krakauer believes that McCandless found meaning and purpose through the literature of self-reliance, which inspired him to reject the materialistic values of mainstream society and seek a more authentic and meaningful existence.