Posted on 06/28/2016 11:40:38 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Two hikers who trekked their way to the abandoned bus made infamous by Chris McCandless, and then failed to make it back from their planned trip on time, were located safe and unhurt following air and ground searches, according to the National Park Service.
On Saturday, search efforts began to find Michael Trigg, 25, of Lexington, South Carolina, and Theodore "Ted" Aslund, 27, of Atlanta, Georgia. Based on Facebook posts, the men planned a dayslong trip along the west side of Teklanika River.
Their destination was an abandoned Fairbanks Transit bus. It's parked on a clearing along Stampede Trail, near Denali National Park and Preserve but located on state land. In 1993, McCandless, 24, ventured off the Parks Highway with meager supplies and never returned. He died at his makeshift shelter inside the bus.
The young man's death was popularized by the 1996 Jon Krakauer book "Into the Wild," and further catapulted to legendary status with a 2007 movie of the same name. As a result, multiple unprepared adventurers try to reach the bus every year, only to end up needing rescuing.
Trigg and Aslund were expected to return from the trip by Friday, and posts to Facebook asked friends to call in searchers if they weren't heard from by that day. As instructed, concerned friends contacted Park Service rangers.
The Park Service said the men described themselves as "experienced backcountry hikers."
The men's planned route took them along the west side of the Teklanika, as planned, in an effort to avoid crossing the waterway. That's how they reached the bus, but plans changed as they made their way away from the secluded landmark.
(Excerpt) Read more at adn.com ...
Wow, I just looked over my very messy desk a few minutes ago, and noticed Into the Wild on it.
Why should we bear the expense of these thrill seekers. If you are embarking on a mountain climb or dangerous venture— post a bond. I don’t want to pay for you snafu.
Almost four months later, McCandless’ decomposing body, weighing only 30 kilograms (66 lb), was found by hunters in a converted bus used as a backcountry shelter along the Stampede Trail, on the eastern bank of the Sushana River. His cause of death was officially ruled to be starvation,[2][3] although the exact cause remains the subject of some debate...SHOULD HAVE GIVEN THEM A clue..
“As a result, multiple unprepared adventurers try to reach the bus every year, only to end up needing rescuing.”
A little ironic.
Sure, real experienced hikers.
Never heard of the dead guy, his bus or the movie.
I remember going to see that movie. Spoiler alert! The kid had rich parents, they wanted to give him a car, but he wanted to divorce himself from their lifestyle. He got rid of all his stuff and bought something like a Pinto or a Gremlin and drove it til it died. Then he hitchhiked.
Right before he went “into the wild”, he burned all of his money. You know it isn’t worth watching a story about somebody who burns money and then expects you to empathize with him. At that point, I got up and walked out.
I went to the window and got my money back, and then went to see a different movie called 30 Days of Night, which was about vampires north of the Arctic Circle. A much better movie, even though it sucked pretty bad. But at least the little snot didn’t get any of my money for his lame loser story.
Dumb question: If this place is so remote, how did the bus get there?
It’s a good movie. Try to find it on Netflix or a PPV service.
I never read the book or saw the movie, but I read the car was a Datsun, and a local police department recovered the care and used it.
Right before he went “into the wild”, he burned all of his money.
I think they made that up. He supposedly gave his money to charity, not burned it.
“Into The Wild” really made me angry.
This kid had his life handed to him and the movie idolized him for living off handouts of others.
The kid was lucky he only starved to death
If I'm wrong about the guy, I am sorry. But the movie portrayed him as emo and I reacted to the story as it was in the movie. When he started burning his money, I figured he was too stupid to live. I don't want to waste my time on something so futile, even if it is to learn about the worst case scenario of what can happen if you eat poisonous roots. That, too, may have been added by Hollywood to make the story more interesting.
Also, the movie portrayed his family and parents, who paid mightily to put him through school, as dooshes.
It’s not a mystery. The bus can be found on Google Maps or Google Earth.
The bus is still there.
I don't see it. Most 25 yr olds nowadays are mere children, full of arrogance but with little life experience and a defiance againt learning from others, because to do so would be humbling.
It sounds like that bus should be a prime destination for potential Darwin contenders...
That’s what I am wondering. Supposedly it’s been there since at least 1982.
Didn’t his father have a secret other family?
Those guys were probably not all that experienced-even when hiking and camping in Big Bend-which isn’t exactly remote like Alaska-my 1st husband and I made sure we had not only adequate provisions, shelter and means of protection but each one of us carried a map and compass-all the food water and shelter you can carry doesn’t help if you have no idea where you are...
They know it all but can't function with minimal daily activities. They need their safe places and go freakazoid when someone dares disagree with their beliefs.
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