In the summer of 1930, what did Everett Ruess do in Into The Wild?

While narrating the story of Chris McCandless, Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, compares McCandless to other men who went off into the wilderness and were ultimately never seen again. The most important comparison is made with Everett Ruess who disappeared in the wilderness of southern Utah in 1934. Like McCandless, Reuss was overcome by the beauty of nature. Also like McCandless, Reuss came from a good family, was socially charming and...

While narrating the story of Chris McCandless, Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, compares McCandless to other men who went off into the wilderness and were ultimately never seen again. The most important comparison is made with Everett Ruess who disappeared in the wilderness of southern Utah in 1934. Like McCandless, Reuss was overcome by the beauty of nature. Also like McCandless, Reuss came from a good family, was socially charming and educated. Nevertheless, he yearned to explore the natural world, mostly by backpack with little or no money.

In the summer of 1930 Reuss hitchhiked around California, particularly in Yosemite and Big Sur. He was only sixteen. During that summer he met the famed photographer Edward Weston and spent time at Weston's Carmel studio. Weston was a contemporary of Ansel Adams and is most famous for his photographs of natural forms including landscapes. Krakauer reports that Weston encouraged Reuss's artistic talent. 

Krakauer draws several parallels between Reuss and McCandless. They were both reckless romantics and both adopted alternate names, McCandless, the moniker Alexander Supertramp, and Reuss several different names including Nemo, the character from the Jules Verne novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Like Nemo, Reuss attempted to break away from "organized society" and "worldly pleasures." The name and date, "NEMO 1934" were later found inscribed on a rock near Davis Gulch in Utah.