quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:
Believe it or not, it's against the law in Arizona. Some Political genius years ago thought that someone might be living in that abandoned rust bucket.

So shooting it all to hell is back in the lead.

An article to give a little more insight as to where the bus is, the difficulty getting to it and why it's become a, "Pilgrimage".

There seems to be two sides to the Into the Wild story. One side idolizes him for independence and, "Throwing off the shackles of society." I tend to agree with the other side that sees him as a spoiled idiotic product of white bread suburbia that was in way over his head and had no clue of how to survive in the Alaskan backcountry.

https://www.thevintagenews.com...7/into-the-wild-bus/

People Seeking the Abandoned ‘Into the Wild’ Bus Don’t Always Return


Aug 7, 2019 Ian Harvey

It is a treacherous journey to reach the ‘Into the Wild’ bus. But for some brave souls, it’s worth it. In May 1990, a young man named Cristopher McCandless graduated from college, donated his savings to charity, and set out hitchhiking across the American West and into Canada. Two years later, early in September, two hunters found his body in a rusted-out bus in Alaska, 30 miles from the nearest town. McCandless had been in Alaska for about four months before he met his end of starvation. When his body was discovered, nearly three weeks after his estimated date of passing, it only weighed 67 lbs. and had no discernible fat.

He left behind a sketchy journal, documenting the 114 days he spent living in the bus, which was marked as Fairbanks 142, and his story generated both a widely-read book and film starring Emile Hirsch directed by Sean Penn. Those, in turn, led to the bus where he spent his final days in the Alaskan wilderness becoming an unorthodox, and even somewhat macabre, tourist attraction.

Of course, all the same challenges that McCandless was faced with still exist in that location – mostly related to the terrain and the weather – making the pilgrimage there equally hazardous to the tourists who want to travel in his footsteps. A certain number of those tourists don’t make it in their attempts to reach the site.

The most recent fatality was reported by Outside Online, and just recently occurred on July 25th 2019. Veranika Nikanava, a 24-year-old woman from Belarus, and her husband, were making the trek, when she lost her footing while crossing the Teklanika River, and was carried away. Her husband, Piotr Markielau, was able to get to shore and retrieve his wife’s body further downstream, then contact the Alaska State Troopers to come and get them. The couple had only been married a month.

The Taklanika River runs fast and cold, and crossing it is one of the most dangerous parts of making the pilgrimage. Even though there is sometimes a rope strung across it to help hikers make the crossing, it’s easy to lose one’s footing and, like Nikanava, fall victim to the swift currents. A Swiss hiker, Claire Ackermann, drowned in 2010, in a similar manner.

In the winter, when McCandless made his crossing of the river, the water is lower. In the warmer seasons, however, melting snow causes the water to rise and the current increases as a result. It was that very phenomenon that trapped McCandless and indirectly led to his untimely end. He couldn’t get back across to return to more inhabitable land. Most hikers who undertake the same trip do it in the summer.

Aside from the two unfortunate people mentioned here, there have been scores of hikers who have come to make the trip and subsequently come to grief, if of a less-lethal variety. Local law enforcement is forced to come and rescue a number of them every summer season. Some come away from the experience with bruises and scrapes, but others sustain more severe injuries.

What is it about McCandless’s story that strikes such a deep chord with so many people from around the globe? According to the Guardian, some of those who make trip seem to view it in terms of a quasi-religious experience. It’s believed that some of those who make the trip to the “magic bus” also camp there and even deprive themselves of food.

Jon Krakauer’s book, Into the Wild, and Sean Penn’s subsequent film are largely responsible for the interest in McCandless’s experience. The book was written using only the scant and rather cryptic journal entries McCandless left behind and the various rolls of pictures that were also discovered. The end result is a rather romantically tragic work that speaks to many people’s occasional desire to break free from their social constraints and experience life at its most basic. They feel that McCandless’s striking out into the unknown with only nine pounds of rice and minimal other supplies exemplifies the quest for essential experience and self-knowledge.

Others are not fans. Craig Medred, a writer for the Anchorage Daily News, sees McCandless in a shockingly different light, calling him, among other things, a scofflaw, a poacher, and a thief. Medred notes that long before McCandless made it to Alaska, he was already living as a street person, choosing to survive through panhandling and even less-legal means. In Medred’s view, he was little more than a thoughtless, entitled, and woefully unprepared young man who was also, very possibly, severely mentally ill.

He’s not the only one who looks on Into the Wild with a jaundiced eye. There are folks in Alaska who think the bus should be destroyed, or at least removed, to stem the tide of hikers who want to follow in his footsteps. The question is whether that would actually make a difference, given that for many of those hikers it’s the journey, itself, that is the real point.

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:

quote:

Originally posted by Skull Leader:
How about they just remove the bus?

^^^ This.

Get a proper helicopter, lift the bus out and place it across the highway by the entrance to Denali National Park.

Fuck it...blow it in place.

quote:

Originally posted by 2000Z-71:
An article to give a little more insight as to where the bus is, the difficulty getting to it and why it's become a, "Pilgrimage".

There seems to be two sides to the Into the Wild story. One side idolizes him for independence and, "Throwing off the shackles of society." I tend to agree with the other side that sees him as a spoiled idiotic product of white bread suburbia that was in way over his head and had no clue of how to survive in the Alaskan backcountry.

Good article that provided additional insight. Thanks for posting.

All of these stranded dilettantes remind me of a JAllenism - nothing beats knowing what you're doing.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tatortodd,

Photos only:

https://www.dvidshub.net/image...d-bus-stampede-trail

Article:

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/...d-bus-stampede-trail

Alaska National Guard CH-47 airlifts “Into the Wild” bus from Stampede Trail

AK, UNITED STATES
06.18.2020
Story by Sgt. Seth LaCount
Alaska National Guard Public Affairs

In a coordinated effort with the Department of Natural Resources, 12 Alaska Army National Guardsmen assigned to 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment accomplished the successful extraction of a 1940s era bus located west of the Teklanika River near Healy June 18, 2020.

“After studying the issue closely, weighing many factors and considering a variety of alternatives, we decided it was best to remove the bus from its location on the Stampede Trail,” said Commissioner for the Department of Natural Resources Corri A. Feige. “We’re fortunate the Alaska Army National Guard could do the job as a training mission to practice airlifting vehicles, at no cost to the public or additional cost to the state.”

The abandoned vehicle that sat 25 miles west of the Parks Highway on Stampede Trail, known as “Bus 142,” or the “Magic Bus,” was popularized by John Krakauer’s 1996 book “Into the Wild,” and Sean Penn’s film adaptation in 2007 that chronicles the story of 24-year-old adventurer Chris McCandless, who spent the summer in the bus in 1992 and died of starvation after 114-days.

Numerous travelers have sought to reach the bus by retracing McCandless’ steps, and many have come to harm or required search-and-rescue services while hiking in harsh weather or crossing the rain- and meltwater-swollen Teklanika or Savage rivers.

There were 15 bus-related search and rescue operations by the state between 2009 and 2017 according to DNR reports. As recently as this February, Alaska State Troopers rescued five Italian hikers, one of which suffered severe frostbite. Individual travelers from Switzerland and Belarus drowned in 2010 and 2019, prompting public outcry, particularly among local Alaskans to reduce or eliminate the hazard.

“We encourage people to enjoy Alaska’s wild areas safely, and we understand the hold this bus has had on the popular imagination,” said Feige. “However, this is an abandoned and deteriorating vehicle that was requiring dangerous and costly rescue efforts, but more importantly, was costing some visitors their lives. I’m glad we found a safe, respectful and economical solution to this situation.”

Under the oversight of the DNR, the 1-207th AVN Soldiers comprised of pilots, flight engineers, crew chiefs and mechanics, arrived on location via a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter in order to clear vegetation and obstacles and ensure a safe rigging operation. Holes were cut in both the roof and floor of the vehicle so that the dual point chain kits could be secured properly to the bus’s frame.

The DNR is responsible for protecting and preserving state land in Alaska. Employees from the DNR and the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities removed boulders that had blocked the surface entrance from Stampede road to the materials site, which served as an interim staging point where the bus would later be loaded onto for transportation.

“This was a tremendous training opportunity for our heavy lift unit and a great way to lend a helping hand to our partners in the DNR and Alaskans everywhere,” said Maj. Zachary Miller, a military pilot of 12 years, an executive officer with 1-207th AVN, and primary pilot for the extraction portion of the operation.

“The department initially reached out to us with the goal of reducing the number of search and rescue cases that that resulted from folks trying to reach the bus who may not necessarily be fully prepared for the trip,” Miller said. “Certainly, Alaska’s landscape can be treacherous in many areas of the state, but the bus’s proximity to these rivers is what makes it particularly dangerous.”

Under Miller’s leadership, the Army National Guard employed a CH-47 Chinook, an American twin-engine, tandem rotor, heavy lift helicopter, to execute what was deemed as “Operation Yutan” and extracted the bus successfully. The aircrew also ensured the safekeeping and safe transportation of a suitcase that holds sentimental value to the McCandless family.

Feige said the bus will be stored at a secure site while the DNR considers all options and alternatives for its permanent disposition. The department is discussing possible plans to display the bus for the public to view at a safe location.

“Conducting this sling load was definitely non-standard,” Miller said. “We took our enlisted Soldiers with the most experience and expertise in this area to develop the best and safest solution. Like any mission, we were prepared to adjust along the way and I was confident that our crews were up for the challenge.”

Crush the bus and sell it for the scrap and bulldoze the acre surrounding the site where the bus sat. Make it so that that acre is nothing but bare soil. If they don't do this, the unicorn-loving granola crowd will be out there again, dry-humping the trees and bushes. Leave nothing for these fantasy-ridden children to worship.

I hate to say this but " Mr. Into the Wild" went to my high school, class right behind me, and my brother Stephen knew him (not well). He told me he seemed completely normal in HS.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
Crush the bus and sell it for the scrap and bulldoze the acre surrounding the site where the bus sat. Make it so that that acre is nothing but bare soil. If they don't do this, the unicorn-loving granola crowd will be out there again, dry-humping the trees and bushes. Leave nothing for these fantasy-ridden children to worship.

The site has been so well documented that I'm sure, "Pilgrimages" will continue. I'm mixed on the removal, I understand the reasoning. On the other hand it was kind of like a bug zapper for idiots.

Place it in a park somewhere in Fairbanks and let the city get the tourism benefit from it.

quote:

Originally posted by 2000Z-71:
The site has been so well documented that I'm sure, "Pilgrimages" will continue. I'm mixed on the removal, I understand the reasoning. On the other hand it was kind of like a bug zapper for idiots.

In that case, they should have left it be with a 5 mile zone around it saying "If you enter, we won't come and get you". Then turn that zone into a test ground for IEDs, mines, and let SF Groups go graduation exercises there to test snipers / stealth kills, etc. Hang cameras all over and stream that shit 24/7 for profit.

It looks like an average of 2 rescues per year according to articles I read. I suspect that’s not out of line compared to any other wilderness related tourism area.

I think putting it on display somewhere is the right thing to do. For whatever reason people attach themselves to this, they do. I don’t want that side destroying symbolism/history I feel is important, and by the same token, don’t want to see theirs destroyed.

You guys wanna see a dead body?.....

quote:

Originally posted by 229DAK:
Place it in a park somewhere in Fairbanks and let the city get the tourism benefit from it.

As what? A monument to idiocy? This guy is famous for tramping into the middle of nowhere without the skills required to survive. Ooooooh, a book was written about his slow suicide and oooooooh, a movie!! Just look at all the pinheads genuflecting at the altar of dipshit.

"Yes, ladies and gentlemen, the Death Bus! Here it is ladies and gents, the Death Bus! You can see it, you can touch it, you can sniff it! Only twenty-five cents- that's a mere quarter, ladies and gents- twenty five pennies. Two dimes and a nickel! Why, you've got more change than that in the seat cushions of your couch. Children under twelve can touch the bus for free! Steprightup steprightup don't be shy! Take your selfies, your group photos, what have you. Lie down in the bus and imagine the nobility of starving to death in the middle of noooowharrrrr...."

Finally! Many people are looking in vain for a weight loss solution that really works!

Hopefully that bus was destroyed or, fell apart during the sling-load effort.

If the DNR sets it up for display, it'll get turned into a trash memorial like you see at celebrity graves...Jim Morrison, John Lennon, Bob Marley, John Belushi, etc...

quote:

Originally posted by RogueJSK:
Great idea! Let's all go get stranded and die from exposure/starvation by going on a pilgrimage to that place where that other guy got stranded and died from exposure/starvation that other time.

. Sounds like a good plan, when do we start?

Now, how long until some needs rescue/dies because they didn't the word and are just walking around in circles looking for the bus or; are still going to hike to the place where the "was"?

Why don't they sling it back to where it was. Then spend a little on signage. About it being now accessable by Prius. Pave a nice ramp on both sides of the river, preferably at the deepest point. Suggest or place a recharge station on "the other side" of the river, but in plain view of those attempting to cross/ford. How about even a visible cell phone tower, but like the recharge station, not connected to anything. It too could have been fake.

Makes an attractive nuisance so junk yard owners can come in by bulldozer every so often and collect the now dead Priui and take them to the salvage yard. (anyone know the plural of Prius?)

Maybe for fun, they could enlist a private helicopter service to help rid the local roads of roadkill. Attach any dead critters to the willing helper and fly/drop them at or near the side the bus made famous. Roadkill attracts Yogi and his friends. Just explain no one knows bears tend to adopt any carcass they find, surely they'd be willing to share with really hungry adventurers.

See, they may have made a mistake by hauling it out. Should have been bait.

I've seen similar idiocy with unprepared "hikers" out here, when I was on the cop job.
Totally unprepared, but take off anyway. Then folks are out at all hours, trying to find them.

Same for kayakers/rafters on a few of the Rivers that get high water in the Spring. Several years back had a few rafts full of folks get stranded so they sent out the National Guard rescue helicopters. They found the people , then damaged rotor blades by a tree strike ,trying to rescue them in winds and darkness. Luckily the UH-60 didn't crash, no injuries to the rescuers.

This past weekend we had a high wind warning predicted for 36 to 48 hours. Specifically mentioning NOT to go out on LAKES or waterways. Of course some folks went out on a small boat, got in trouble, had to be rescued. Thankfully no injuries to the rescuers.

quote:

Originally posted by FN in MT:
This past weekend we had a high wind warning predicted for 36 to 48 hours. Specifically mentioning NOT to go out on LAKES or waterways. Of course some folks went out on a small boat, got in trouble, had to be rescued. Thankfully no injuries to the rescuers.

Where's their bus? I'd like to visit it.