May 2014 Trip to Bus 142 with Carine McCandless

Here you can write about the bus, trips to the bus etc etc...
erikhalfacre
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Location: Palmer, AK
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May 2014 Trip to Bus 142 with Carine McCandless

Postby erikhalfacre » Tue Jun 03, 2014 5:44 am

View the Trip Video Here: http://youtu.be/jMN52iJV3qY

IMG_4951-2.jpg
IMG_4951-2.jpg (243.76 KiB) Viewed 6476 times


On May 24, 2014, myself and twelve other adventurers set out from Anchorage in my big green bus. The bus was purchased in February of this year, and is slowly being converted into a tiny home on wheels for my wife Jenna, son Ryan, myself, and our second child who is currently on their way. My bus was very much inspired by Chris' bus, and there was something very fulfilling about driving it to eight mile lake to begin our trek to the Magic Bus.

Our group consisted of friends both old and new. Friends I've known since elementary and high school, as well as people from the other side of the continent. The most notable member of our group though, was Carine McCandless, sister of Christopher McCandless. The trip would be her first time trekking to the bus on foot, and crossing the Teklanika River. Half of our group had been to the bus before, either by foot or helicopter, some of us multiple times. For the other half this would be their first glimpse of 142.

The trek out was relatively straight forward. Conditions were great and the rivers were very low. We had planned for two ten mile days to bring us to the bus, and in practice the pace felt comfortable. The weather was decent, and we were without our rain coats more often than not. Soon we found ourselves rounding the last corner and encountering the empty stare of 142's shattered headlights.

It saddened me greatly to think that the people experiencing the bus for the first time had to see it in its current dilapidated condition, no longer a livable structure but rather the skeleton of what it once was. To me the bullet wounds and gaping holes once filled with panes of glass made it feel more ghostly than I remembered.

The experience was moving for each of us for our own reasons. With the trip video (url at the top of this page) I tried my best to capture the feeling of what it was like to travel with this group. I want to extend my personal thanks to all who made the trek with me. Your company made the trip what it was for all of us.

For anyone else considering the trek. Please be safe! We were lucky enough to experience the best conditions I have ever personally seen on the trail but most times it is not that good. Be careful.
Erik Halfacre - Moderator
info@pathfinderalaska.com
http://www.stampedetrail.info

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