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More Young Men Go Into the Wild in Alaska

Residents wary as visitors trek to bus where

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 30, 2008 7:18 PM CDT

(Newser) – Just as residents of Healy, Alaska feared, more men have come looking for the bus—the old jalopy where Christopher McCandless died on his famous quest, the AP reports. Portrayed in the book and film, Into the Wild, his trip to Alaska has inspired dozens to trek through dicey weather and mosquito clouds to the bus. "I don't want people to go out there and die," a former official said. "It's that simple."

"I don't look at them as nut jobs," said a lodge owner who sees visitors, mostly men, take the 22-mile trek to the bus almost daily. "I can easily see where they're coming from. But I think they're sort of idealizing an idea rather than a person."

The abandoned bus where Christopher McCandless starved to death in 1992 is seen in this March 21, 2006 photo.
The abandoned bus where Christopher McCandless starved to death in 1992 is seen in this March 21, 2006 photo.   (AP Photo/ Jillian Rogers )
Backpackers looking to walk into the site where Chris McCandless died often stop to ask advice from locals Jon and Karin Nierenberg, seen in this June 20, 2008 photo.
Backpackers looking to walk into the site where Chris McCandless died often stop to ask advice from locals Jon and Karin Nierenberg, seen in this June 20, 2008 photo.   (AP Photo)
This undated photo provided by the Villard-McCandless family shows Chris McCandless, 24, posing for a self-portrait with a porcupine.
This undated photo provided by the Villard-McCandless family shows Chris McCandless, 24, posing for a self-portrait with a porcupine.   (AP Photo)
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