Snow in Alaska like White on Rice

"Alex admitted that the only food in his pack was a ten-pound bag of rice. His gear seemed exceedingly minimal for the harsh conditions of the interior, which in April still lay buried under the winter snowpack. Alex’s cheap leather hiking boots were neither waterproof nor well insulated. His rifle was only .22 caliber, a bore too small to rely on if he expected to kill large animals like moose and caribou, which he would have to eat if he hoped to remain very long in the country. He had no ax, no bug dope, no snowshoes, no compass. The only navigational aid in his possession was a tattered state road map he’d scrounged at a gas station" (Krakauer 5).

Fool:
At this point in the book I am not totally sure about how Alex Supertramp thinks. Does this man not know what he is getting himself into by setting himself up with minimal supply's? As much as I believe his adventure is inspiration, he needs to think a little harder. The Alaskan wilderness is mother-natures fierce personality. The winters in Alaska will kill the weak and unprepared. Without the basic supply's such as an ax or navigation, surviving this wilderness will be a hard task to finish. His rifle is too small to kill large game, so does he expect to eat squirrels and rabbits the whole time? I wonder if he knows that this is below the minimum amount of materials needed to survive? A part of me feels like he is coming unprepared, to almost showoff, to his peers. His lack of supply's will lead to nothing but his demise. For this reason, I am calling him a fool.