During my trip to Alaska, I also hiked the Stampede Trail to see the Magic Bus. Like so many others, I became fascinated with the idea of settign off into the Alaskan wilderness to find the Magic Bus.
The Story of Christoper McCandless
The Magic Bus is Fairbanks City Transit System Bus 142, which was left abandonded in 1961 by the crew of the Yutan Construction Company. It became famous with Jon Krakauer's story Into The Wild, which is based on true events. It became even more famous when the book was made into a movie in 2007, directed by Sean Penn and with an amazing soundtrack of Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder.
Christopher McCandless (1968 - 1992), aka. Alexander Supertramp, was an American adventurer, whose goal it was to live simply off the Alaskan wilderness. In 1990 he traveled across the US, after having donated all his money to charity. He first made his way to Arizona, then South Dakota, Mexico, Canada and finally, Alaska. In Alaska, he came accross Bus 142, which he used as a makeshift shelter until his death. His body was later found by a hunter - having died from starvation or poison, the exact circumstances remaining the subject of debates.
The postcard that Chris mailed to a friend in April 1992, foru months before his death, reads:
“Greetings from Fairbanks! This is the last you shall hear from me, Wayne. Arrived here 2 days ago. It was very difficult to catch rides in the Yukon Territory. But I finally got here. Please return all mail I receive to the sender. It might be a very long time before I return South. If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again, I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.” Christoper McCandless
The Magic Bus
McCandless stumbeled upon the Magic Bus when hiking the Stampede Trail. His ultimate goal was to live in the Alaskan wilderness. When he found the abandoned bus, he used it as a makeshift shelter form which he set out to collect food and hunt animals. When he realized, that living alonge in the wild is in fact much more difficult and solitary than he thought, he attempted to hike back into civilization. His attempt failed, after which he returned to the Magic Bus, where he eventually died.
McCandless has been a polarizing figure since his story spread. While some consider him a romantic and free-spirited adventurer, others feel like his adventure was mainly reckless, tragic and inconsiderate. McCandless arrived in Alaska without much training or gear. Many people think that even a map would have been enough to get him out of his predicament.
The bus became a well-known destination for adventurers and admirers of Chris McCandless' mission. The bus became a memorial, with a plaque remembering Chris McCandless and many travelers pilgrimaging to the location of the bus. Many of them experienced their own difficulties when attempting to reach the bus, which is located along the Stampede Trail in Alaska near Healy, AK just outside of Denali National Park & Preserve.
The Stampede Trail
The trail to the Magic Bus is rougly 18.6 miles long from the point where you can no longer drive at Eightmile Lake. There is technically the possibility to drive offroad vehicles all the way, provided the can cross Teklanika River, which is the most difficult part of the trail. In order to reach the bus, you had to cross two rivers - Teklanika river and Savage river. Although the trail is mostly flat, it is extremely wet and muddy.
The rivers can fluctuate greatly, and sometimes the water is too high. Tek River is the more dangerous one to cross, since the river is wide and its currents swift. At least 15 people had to be rescued and at least two people died while attempting to cross the Teklanika River.
My Magic Bus Experience
As a 20-year old, I felt a compelling attachment to McCandless' story and visiting the Magic Bus was one of the top things I wanted to check off my Bucket List. Almost a decade after learning about the story, I made the trip which was a romanticized version of McCandless' story. Here's the story of that trip.
Why the bus has been removed and why that probably was a good idea.
In June 2020, varius government agencies finally removed the bus, deeming it a public safety issue. A helicopter flew the bus to Healy and then to an undisclosed location. In September 2020, the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks anounced they would restore the bus and display it at a permanent outdoor exhibition. You can also visit the movie replica at 49th State Brewing near Healy. This is the bus they used to film the movie.
Kate recommends: A copy of Jon Krakauer's Into the Wild - what else?