‘Magic Bus’ airlifted out of wilderness
The pilgrims never stopped coming for the bus, even as some of them died along the way.
Adventure seekers have for years retraced the steps of Chris McCandless, who detailed in a journal the tragic final moments of starvation in 1992 after he was trapped by the swollen, icy waters of the Teklanika River in Alaska. McCandless took shelter in an abandoned city bus for 114 days. His remains were later found there.
And since the publication of the book Into the Wild four years later, followed by a feature film, numerous people worldwide have ventured into the fringes of Denali National Park to visit what has become known as the ‘‘Magic Bus’’. Many had to be rescued, and at least two people have died on the unforgiving terrain.
Perhaps the last chapter of Into the Wild was written on Friday, when the Alaska National Guard airlifted the steel tomb to a ‘‘secure’’ undisclosed location, state officials said.
Jon Krakauer, the author of Into the Wild, said McCandless’ sister Carine McCandless was distraught and blindsided by the removal. The family was in talks on what to do about the bus, he said, after years of calls to have it removed.
‘‘It really gobsmacked me,’’ he said, describing his mixed emotions. ‘‘This place has been desecrated and now it’s been obliterated. But it’s really tragic people keep dying doing stupid stuff.’’
State officials and locals have long warned adventurers of the perilous journey to visit Fairbanks City Transit System Bus number 142 following numerous rescues and two deaths in the last decade.
Many Alaskans decry McCandless as naive and suicidal, Krakauer said, and some have even vandalised the