Woman dies in Alaska trying to visit Into the Wild bus
Into the Wild remains a cautionary tale. According to The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, a newlywed woman from Belarus was swept away by a river in Alaska while attempting to visit the bus made famous by both the 1996 book and the 2007 film.
On Thursday, Veramika Maikamava and her husband Piotr were attempting to cross the Teklanika River along the Stampede Trail. However, Veramika was swept away by waters flowing high and fast from recent rains. While Piotr managed to pull his wife out downriver, she had already died, according to troopers.
This isn’t the first time troopers have had to come to the rescue near the bus. As The Hollywood Reporter points out, three hikers were rescued in May 2013 after trying to visit the bus. The following month, three others were saved by a passing military helicopter.
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The bus has become a natural monument of sorts in the wake of Christopher McCandless’ tragic death in 1992. At the time, McCandless had hiked into the Alaskan wilderness with little food, eventually perishing that summer in the bus.
Author Jon Krakauer chronicled McCandless’ journey in his aforementioned book, to which director Sean Penn brought to screen with star Emile Hirsch. The soundtrack served as the debut solo album for Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.
Revisit the video for “Society” below.
Woman dies in Alaska trying to visit Into the Wild bus
Michael Roffman
