Alaska Army National Guard Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment execute an extraction mission via a CH-47 Chinook helicopter over Healy, Alaska, June 18, 2020. As part of a combined effort with the Department of Natural Resources, the Guardsmen rigged and airlifted “Bus 142”,, an historic icon from book and film, “Into the Wild”, out of its location on Stampede Road in light of public safety concerns. The bus will be stored at a secure site while the DNR considers all options and alternatives for its permanent disposition. Alaska National Guard courtesy photo
An iconic piece of hiking and film memorabilia has been removed from the Alaskan wilderness.
The Alaska National Guard reports that Fairbanks Bus 142 or as its more commonly known, the “Into the Wild” bus, was airlifted out of the bush on Thursday afternoon.
The 1940s era bus sat abandoned off the well-known Stampede Trail and was made popular by both the John Krakauer book and Sean Penn-directed film Into the Wild.
The so-called magic bus will be held while the department decides what to do with it.
A number of hikers have tried to reach the spot over the years, with several instances of people ending up injured or dead in the process.
