The broken-down bus made famous by John Krakauer‘s book Into The Wild and the subsequent film has been airlifted out of the Alaskan wilderness, as too many people put themselves in peril trying to get to it.
Hiker Christopher McCandless took shelter in the bus during a cross-country trip in 1992, and attempted to live off the land for several months before dying there at the age of 24.
Into The Wild immortalised his story, and in the years since, many attempted to reach the bus, to the point where it became a public safety concern, and the decision was made to remove it.
According to the US Army, there were 15 bus-related search and rescue operations between 2009 and 2017, and two travellers drowned while attempting to reach it.
The decision was eventually made to airlift it out, with Corri A. Feige of Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources saying:
“We encourage people to enjoy Alaska’s wild areas safely, and we understand the hold this bus has had on the popular imagination. 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.”
Krakauer told The Washington Post that news of people dying trying to reach the bus is “tragic”, and that he takes some degree of responsibility. “I wrote the book that ruined it,” he said.
There are reportedly talks about displaying the bus in a safe location where the public can visit it. For now, you can see a video of the airlift operation below:
