The quietly organized 'Operation Yutan' was executed on June 18th 2020, permanently removing Bus 142, affectionately known as the "Magic Bus," from what was supposed to be its final resting place.
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A joint operation between the Alaska National Guard and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources was conducted airlifting the 80 year old bus to an undisclosed location for safe storage. The operation was conducted in order to prevent future fatalities and search and rescue missions retrieving unexperienced hikers attempting to make it to the bus as a pilgrimage.
Fairbanks Transit System Bus 142 was redeployed and transformed from it's original purpose as a public transport vehicle to a remote housing unit at the Yutan Construction Company gold mine on the Stampede Trail. In 1961 on it's way back from the mine, it was abandoned and left as a backcountry emergency shelter.
In 1992, Christopher McCandless (Alex Supertramp)discovered the bus on his soul-searching adventure with the goal of living off the land in the Alaskan wilderness. Days into his solo trek, he stumbled upon the bus and made it his home for ~112 day until he became stranded and ended up dying there due to starvation and other complications. Hunters found him weeks later.
Known as "The Magic Bus", the 1946 International Harvester was abandoned by road workers in 1961 on the Stampede Trail where it remained until today.
Now, people all over the world know Chris's story from the journals he kept from his time at the bus. He became a romantic figure to some inspired by what they see as his free-spirited idealism, but to others a controversial misguided figure. "The Magic Bus" became a pilgrimage destination for trekkers who camp at the vehicle, some of whom have also gotten into difficulties or even died due to the Teklanika River.
Chris is the subject of 'Into the Wild', a nonfiction book by Jon Krakauer that was later made into a full-length feature film directed by Sean Penn. My personal interest in this seemingly un-reachable destination interested me from a young age as we studied the book in school and I have watched the movie plenty times over. Actually getting to be at the real bus in person was an experience I will never forget.