Jan Burres & Bob

Summer of 1990, Jan Burres and her husband, Bob, cross paths with Chris McCandless alongside of the U.S. Highway 101 when Chris is searching for berries that he can eat. Jan and Bob offer to give him a ride in their van, believing he looked pitiful, and to buy him a meal, believing he looked hungry as well. Jan and Bob drove from one town to the next selling knick knacks at flea markets and swap meets for a living. The fact that they were rubber tramps, as was Chris, gave him a closer and easier relationship with both of them. Losing connection and affection with her own son, Jan cared for McCandless as if he were her own.

After camping for a week once they reached Orick beach, McCandless drifted off. Jan Burres and Bob didn't believe they'd ever contact McCandless after their disperse, but to their surprise, McCandless sent a postcard every month or so for the next two years, showing his appreciation and interest towards the two. McCandless developed a deep connection with the two, leaving them devastated when the news of his death arrived.