> The obvious answer is - John Muir didn't die doing what Chriss did .

And that is the only pertinent part of your comments. Had Muir died in his often ill-advised adventures, you'd view him much as you now do Chris (if you knew of him at all). If Chris had lived a long life and written about his adventures and close-calls, you might venerate him as some sort of Muir-like guru someday (whether both or either were crazy or not).