erikhalfacre wrote:to designate a small area around the bus (like an acre at most) to be some kind of park, or designate the bus as a monument.
A park or monument for what reason? Because a human being that happened to become known to the public by a book and a film died there? Or because he spent the last weeks of his life there? If it's for Chris's sake, I am convinced that that's exactly what should NOT be done to that place. Because it would be exactly the opposite of what Chris was searching for!
erikhalfacre wrote:"leave the bus there as it is"
That's probably the best thing to do. I mean, if they pull it, they pull it. That's life. Other things Chris McCandless touched during his life, have been removed in the meantime. Other places where other people died in, do no longer exist, so what. Leave the bus there for the pilgrims? That's certainly not a reason. After all, it's just a bus. A part of this man's journey that has inspired us so much, but a quite material part. Has anyone of the pilgrims walked on further on the Stampede Trail to the Toklat river, as far as Chris had walked - the westernmost point of his journey? Has anyone climbed to the top of that mountain near the bus? Has anyone been to all the other places he traveled through? (ok, maybe some have been to some of them). Why is that bus the most important thing of it all? Because he lived there or because he died there? What if he had found one of these cabins towards the end, let's say 2 weeks before dying, and had died there? What would be more important then: the bus or the cabin? (just an example)
Honestly, the only reason why I think that the bus should stay where it is for as long as possible is - and I suspect that Chris would have had a similar opinion - the possibility to offer shelter to people in the wilderness, as it has given shelter to Chris and to people before his time and after his time. And the brainless pilgrims (attention, I don't mean everyone who ever walks to the bus, only these sick and badly prepared fanatics, some of them even leaving their garbage at the bus) seem to be the only ones who really threaten this shelter to stay there for a long time.