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| "Magic Bus" rides off into the sunset |
Thanks to Jon Krakauer's book, Into the Wild, which was later made into a movie directed by Sean Penn, the mentally ill homeless man was turned into some kind of icon rather than the tragedy his life truly was. Dozens if not hundreds of hikers and "adventurers" over the years would travel through the Alaskan wilderness and risk their lives trying to find the rotting bus and "relive" what McCandless attempted to do. For at least two of them, it didn't work. They died during their trips.
The bus was nicknamed "The Magic Bus." It was an old bus dating back from the 1940s. After removal by helicopter, it was put into storage. At some date it will come back so more idiots can gawk at what turned out to be a tomb of sorts.
Alaskan officials were tired of the cost of rescue and recovery of idiots who trekked to the "sacred site." McCandless was not an admired figure in Alaska, for the most part, since residents have their heads in reality.
The bus was airlifted out and placed onto the back of an Alaska Department of Transportation flatbed truck, Walker said. Its removal was a coordinated effort between the Alaska Department of Natural Resources and the Alaska Army National Guard, which took on the job as a vehicle airlift training mission at no expense to the state, Natural Resources Commissioner Corri Feige said in a statement.
The bus will remain in storage at a secure location, and the state is considering options for its permanent placement, Feige said.
The removal of the bus comes in response to the public safety hazards caused by its presence and location, Department of Natural Resources spokesman Dan Saddler said.
It belongs in a wrecking yard.
In this earlier article, it appears local residents wanted the bus gone. There is, however, a marker to note McCandless was there.
Former ADN writer Craig Medred gives his thoughts about the "recovery" here.
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