1940's Bus made famous 'Into The Wild' movie is airlifted by US Army Helicopter from Alaskan wilderness

[Mark Gregory]

Abandoned bus made famous by 'Into The Wild' movie is airlifted from the Alaskan wilderness after increasing numbers of tourists had to be rescued and two drowned trying to reach it

• 1940s-era bus was made famous by 24-year-old adventurer Chris McCandless who died in summer 1992
• It was abandoned by construction workers just west of Teklanika River in Alaska at some point since 1946
• McCandless lived in the rusted bus for 113 days over the summer of 1992 eating only foraged plants and game
• His decomposed body was found 19 days after his death inside his sleeping bag by two moose hunters 

A 1940s-era bus where a 24-year-old adventurer starved to death in the Alaskan wilderness has been removed after tourists died while trying to reach it.  

A US Army helicopter airlifted the vehicle from the spot just west of the Teklanika River, where it had been left to rust for more than half a century.

The bus was made famous by Into The Wild, a book and film that told the story of Chris McCandless' death after he lived inside it for 114 days during the summer of 1992. 

It came after the state was called to 15 bus-related search and rescue operations between 2009 and 2017, according to the Department of Natural Resources. The bus was blamed on encouraging risky hikes as adventurers crossed dangerous terrain trying to find it. 

Two travelers died after drowning while on their way to the vehicle in separate incidents in 2010 and 2019, officials said. 

Author Jon Krakauer told Mr McCandless' story in the 1996 book Into The Wild, which was adapted into a 2007 film directed by Sean Penn.

The book and film tell the story of a young idealist who wanted to remove himself from society by hitchhiking to Alaska to live in the wild with very few supplies.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Lebowski]

This bus has a very interesting history. Too bad two people drowned trying to find it. I can understand why they would want to remove it. If anyone wants more info on its history check out the two links below....

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_McCandless

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)

[Lebowski]

Here's some specific info on the bus itself from Wikipedia....

 

The converted blue bus where McCandless lived and died since became a well-known destination for hikers. Known as "The Magic Bus", the 1946 International Harvester was abandoned by road workers in 1961 on the Stampede Trail. A plaque in McCandless' memory was affixed to the interior by his father, Walt McCandless. The bus was removed by the Alaska National Guard on June 18, 2020 following numerous rescues and deaths of individuals attempting to reach it. Officials declined to specify where it would be stored or their plans for its disposition.

[Lebowski]

10 hours ago, Lebowski said:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(film)

 

I just finished watching the movie ($2.99 on YouTube) and thought it was very good but the ending sure was sad. Hal Holbrook was nominated for an Academy Award for his part in it. I emailed my brother-in-law in Fairbanks and asked him about the bus and he said it's been in the news many times over the last several decades and he's glad that it was finally removed. Thanks to Mark for posting this....

Edited June 20, 2020 by Lebowski (see edit history)

[Studemax]

Maybe they'll drop it in the Pacific.

[8E45E]

22 hours ago, Lebowski said:

This bus has a very interesting history. Too bad two people drowned trying to find it. I can understand why they would want to remove it.

There is an 'erratic' glacial rock that was on land once owned by a farmer who was unsuccessful at keeping spectators away for years for fear of lawsuits of trespassers falling off while climbing it and causing damage to his crop in that particular area of the rock.  In the end, the provincial government bought the land and made it into a 'Point of Interest' stop. Unlike that bus, this one is a little big to move, and would take away from its historical significance. 

 

https://www.alberta.ca/okotoks-erratic-big-rock.aspx

 

Craig

Edited June 20, 2020 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[Billy Kingsley]

If they want to stop people going to where it used to be they should put it in a museum, so people can actually go see it instead.

[8E45E]

4 hours ago, Billy Kingsley said:

If they want to stop people going to where it used to be they should put it in a museum, so people can actually go see it instead.

Hopefully out of respect for the parents of the young man who passed away inside it, they will make it an easily accessible monument for all to view safely.

 

Craig

Edited June 20, 2020 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[JamesR]

I didn't realize there was a movie made of this story. I read the book several years ago, and it was very good. One of the locals who gave Mr. McCandless a ride knew he wasn't going to survive because he'd only brought a .22 caliber rifle with him for game and protection. Not real adequate in Alaska, though he did bring down some large animal with it. It was a sad story, mostly because Chris seemed like such a lonely young man.

[Bhigdog]

I read the book. He certainly marched to a different drummer but not  one that's worthy of emulation or celebration. He was a troubled young man and it's just a rusted hulk of a bus.......Bob

 

[Lebowski]

https://www.hemmings.com/stories/2020/07/31/into-the-wild-bus-may-soon-find-a-new-home-at-the-university-of-alaskas-museum-of-the-north?refer=news&utm_source=edaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2020-08-07

[Brill_C-37M_Bus]

Sounds like this proposal is a good balance.  Everyone talks about the young hiker, but what about preserving the actual history of the bus, not the sad story that co-opted this fine machine long after its retirement?  It sounds like there is room for the museum to talk about who built it, who drove it, and what road or public works projects it served on.  Telling the entire story makes it well worth the effort to retrieve this rare old piece of history.

[jeff_a]

I've ridden out to the Teklanika River, forded it, and gone right by the bus. I was on a 110 mile horsepacking trip and did the whole Stampede Trail out to Kantishna and Wonder Lake. None of us bothered to stop and check out the abandoned bus. It was only twenty-some miles in from the biggest highway in the state, though still out in the bush. It was over 30 years before the movie came out, so it was just an old bus that hunters, dog mushers and miners would use. I used to work in the Healy area and still have friends who live there and they talk about how since 2007 search & rescue has to go out there continually to deal with tourists who get in trouble where the bus was.

Edited August 9, 2020 by jeff_a (see edit history)

[padgett]

Used to summer in New Hampshire and Maine (was based in Holderness) and on treks would often come across seemingly abandoned vehicles, mostly from the '30s. I would always stop and examine until yelled at.