Alert, Brave Males: Maybe Don't Try to Visit the Into the Wild Bus 

By Ellie Shechet  |  June 28, 2016 | 10:00pm
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Two hikers had to be rescued from the Alaskan wilderness by Denali National Park rangers this weekend after attempting to visit the secluded bus where Christopher McCandless died of starvation, Alaska Dispatch News reports. Apparently this happens a lot.

Michael Trigg, 25, and Ted Aslund, 27, who described themselves as “experienced backcountry hikers” to the National Park Service, had planned to trek alongside the Teklanika River, reportedly aiming to find the bus elevated to mythical status by John Krakauer’s 1996 book Into the Wild and the 2007 film of the same name. They nearly got swept downstream on the way back after an attempted river crossing; friends contacted the authorities when Trigg and Aslund were late to return. They also left a note on the bus.

According to officials, after a ground and aerial search, the pair was found uninjured and in “good condition.” The NPS noted that while they had extra supplies, they were not carrying a satellite phone or location device.

But what’s a little inconvenience and taxpayer expense when you’re looking at the best prof pic of your entire life?


“Each year, multiple people who attempt to visit the bus under-prepared are rescued by professional search and rescue personnel,” the NPS said, according to KTUU. Despite this frosty quote, Aslund commented under the above photo that the park rangers were “almost creepily chill,” and “pretty awesome all around.”

All’s well that ends well, I guess. But next time you follow the trail of a 24-year-old who died alone in the wilderness, perhaps consider bringing a GPS.

Image via screenshot/YouTube.

 
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