Back to the Wild
by Tonio Verzone
Sophomore, Environmental Science /
"Let's stay in a group so when we get there we can all share the moment," Roman Dial shouted from behind. Over two days we had hiked some twenty-five miles to see it. Our destination was getting closer. The landscape of the area gave us no forewarning of its approach. Then suddenly, beyond the tips of some scattered white spruce, was a bright white glow. There, Fairbanks bus #142 stood, as a sixty-year-old bus would, rusted, tattered, and run down. But this was no ordinary bus. It was ominous, eerie, and out of place. Fairbanks bus #142 had a story to tell.
Our journey to the bus was our last strip in the four-week wilderness skills class. The trip revolved around the book Into the Wild by John Krakauer, which retraces the steps of Christopher McCandless from his childhood to his ending days at Fairbanks bus #142. Eight students, two assistants, and two instructors made the pilgrimage to the bus where McCandless died.
It had been over five years since Christopher McCandless walked to the bus. McCandless, at the young age of 23, made the bus and its surroundings his home for over 100 days, subsisting off the land and a ten pound bag of rice. He went there for many reasons, seeking adventure, truth, purity, and happiness. McCandless experience these things, but unfortunately was not able to share it with anyone. Christopher McCandless was found dead in the back of the bus after an entire summer.
The bus is located near the end of the Stampede Trail, north of DenaliNational Park. The wide ATV trail we walked along was a big change to the brutal bushwhacking of the week before. The monotony of the wilderness highway put us into a trance, walking like zombies down the trail. Our trance, however, gave us time to think and reflect about the trip. Trailside discussions revolved around examining what went wrong, what he could have done different and other discerning questions.
The second day we came to the TeklinikaRiver. When McCandless reached the Teklanika it was uncrossable. During the summer months the river swells up and becomes a torrential swell of glacial water. This natural barricade eventually kept McCandless from reaching civilization and saving himself. When we came to the Teklanika, the river was more mellow. Working together in small groups, we managed to cross uneventfully. After the river crossing, the trail transforms into a series of beaver ponds that had to be crossed. Besides a few stumbles and close calls with pond swimming, we managed to wade on by.
We spent the nights huddled around the campfires, taking turns reading chapters from Into the Wild. Out there the words came to life. We were there, in the path of the story. As we read on, the anticipation to reach the bus grew. We finished the book on the morning we reached the bus.
When we got to the bus, it was overcast and the wind was howling. Some quickly inspected the bus while others stood back in reflection. The area surrounding the bus was littered with debris of all sorts: chairs, oil barrels, and bone fragments from game killed by McCandless. Inside the bus things were left almost as if McCandless was just there. Everything was exactly as the book described. His boots were placed neatly under the stove, his patched jeans on the bed, and his used chapstick on the table. Underneath his bed was a suitcase full of survival gear left by his parents when they came to visit the bus. In it was a cache of food, various articles of survival equipment, the Outside magazine article about Chris McCandless, and a logbook.
We all huddled in the bus to seek shelter from the howling wind. Roman read entries from the log book, including entries from McCandless's parents and John Krakauer. Other entries included local hunters and people making specific pilgrimages to the bus. McCandless's story deeply touched many people who left messages. They left heartfelt messages of understanding and insight. We too, would add our thoughts and feelings to the book explaining our relationship and understanding of Chris McCandless.
Then after about an hour of being at the bus everyone embarked on a journey into the wild of their own. The next twenty-four hours were going to be spent alone, with only trees and mountains to talk to. Some students opted to fast for their solo. The point of the solo was to take time to reflect on oneself, on Chris McCandless, and on our natural setting around us. Eight students embarked in eight directions to seek solitude and wilderness.
The instructors and assistants on the other hand spent their twenty-four hours in a different way. While the students were off in solitude, the instructors were snuggled around a campfire. In the background, however, lingered the bus, an ominous reminder of death. Once night came, the feeling intensified as the firelight illuminated the bus. Roman's poor taste, but light-hearted humor, helped to lift the eeriness from the area.
The following afternoon everyone returned with stories of the previous twenty-four hours. Some adventures included sleeping on top of a porcupine den, encountering fresh grizzly tracks, and discovering a twilight view of Denali atop a hill. Everyone had an opportunity to think about the many questions that arise about McCandless. Some found deep similarities between themselves and Chris, while others remained baffled by the circumstances surrounding him. Many also took time to reflect upon themselves and their lives. They found that in the wilderness solitude, everything made more sense.
After everyone returned form their solo the group split into two groups. One group hiked out back on the Stampede trail. The Night Bandits hiked nonstop throughout the night back the vans, twenty-five miles away. The remainder of the group hiked out the easiest way McCandless could have reached civilization without crossing the Teklinika.
The second group hiked down the SushanaRiver until they reached the National Park Boundary. Three hours away from the bus we located three cabins, two private and one part service cabin. From there we hiked up over a pass, a gentle 2000-foot climb. From the top of the pass we could see the Denali Park Road. After a steep bushwhack down, we crossed the mellow TeklinikaRiver where our van was waiting for us. We had possibly walked the route that could have saved Chris McCandless's life.
We all went to the bus for many different reasons. Some went for the simple fun and adventure of it. They went to cross rivers, wade beaver ponds, and to seek solace in the wilderness. Others went to seek a better understanding of themselves and their lives. They went to ask questions, to seek truth, and live out dreams. Although we all had different agendas for the trip, we accomplished them through our efforts to understand and learn from Chris McCandless and his life.
In his final message to the world Chris McCandless wrote,"I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL!" After spending some time at the bus we understood show one could happily die there, surrounded by flowing rivers, rolling hills, and beautiful wildness. May the spirit of Chris live on in all wild and true.

Verzone, Tonio. Back to the Wild. Alaska Pacific Univeristy. 12 Sept. 2004Available: