Alaska officials remove famed ‘Into the Wild’ bus

Move prompted by deaths of tourists on a pilgrimage

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — An abandoned bus in the Alaska wilderness where a young man documented his demise over 114 days in 1992 has been removed by officials, frustrated that the bus has become a lure for dangerous, sometimes deadly, pilgrimages into treacherous backcountry.

An Alaska National Guard Chinook helicopter flew the bus out of the woods north of Denali National Park and Preserve on Thursday.

Christopher McCandless hiked to the bus about 250 miles north of Anchorage nearly three decades ago, and the 24-year-old Virginian died from starvation when he couldn’t hike back out because of the swollen Teklanika River. He kept a journal of his plight, discovered when his body was found. McCandless’ story was first documented in Jon Krakauer’s 1996 book “Into the Wild,” followed by Sean Penn’s movie of the same name in 2007.

Over the years, the bus became a magnet for those wishing to retrace McCandless’ steps to the bus to pay homage. But the Teklanika River that prevented McCandless from hiking out also caused problems for people who came later on later pilgrimages. Two women, one from Switzerland in 2010 and one from

Belarus in 2019, drowned on such pilgrimages.

State officials said there have been 15 other searchand-rescue operations since 2009, including one last winter involving five Italian tourists, one with severe frostbite.

“We encourage people to enjoy Alaska’s wild areas safely and we understand the hold this bus has had on the popular imagination,” Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Corri A. Feige said in a statement.