Chris McCandless’ Bus an unlikely tourist attraction

by Martha Edwards on

Chris McCandless, the famous vagabond and subject of Sean Penn’s new film, Into the Wild, is perhaps best known for living out of an abandoned bus in the Alaskan Wilderness in the early 90s. He hiked to the middle of nowhere of his own accord, despite warnings from concerned locals, and lived off the land for a number of months. On September 6, 1992, two hikers found the bus, and on the outside, a note that read:

SOS. I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone, this is no joke. In the name of God, please remain to save me. I am out collecting berries close by and shall return this evening. Thank you, Chris McCandless. August?

Unfortunately they were too late. McCandless had been dead for two weeks.

The bus was strategically placed on the Stampede Trail to provide refuge for hunters better equipped for the Alaskan wilderness than McCandless. But since the publication of the book the movie was based on, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, wayward travellers, mostly young men, have been romanticizing McCandless’ story and re-enacting his journey. And now, amidst worries that even more fans will flock to the site, located about 25 miles from the town of Healy, locals are considering moving it.

Moving it is a problem of it’s own, since they can’t just drive it out of there. And it’s a shame to take away a refuge for legitimate hunters who are equipped for the wilderness, just because some lost souls have a morbid curiosity to see the deathbed of their ill-placed hero. Thoughts?

Denali Wildlife

by Catherine Bodry on


Some friends of mine were camping in Denali National Park and Preserve in August, and woke up to a herd of Dall sheep right outside their tent. They spent a good hour photographing and filming the animals, and even captured two rams butting heads. But I love this photo best — as Lane and Jeanie focus on what’s happening in front of them, they miss the little guy in the background. Not only does he appear to be posing for the photo, he also looks pretty friendly, like you might want to invite him in to the tent to play cards.

Thanks to Steve Rafuse for the photo.

Rat Spills Worse than Oil Spills?

by Catherine Bodry on

There are no trees on Rat Island, a tiny outcrop on the Western end of Alaska’s Aleutian chain. There’s also not too much wildlife, due in part to the thousands of rats that inhabit this small rock. Wildlife managers are hoping to give the island’s namesake the proverbial boot in order to restore seabird populations, which have no natural defenses against land predators.

A shipwreck in 1780 spilled its rodent load, and since then the rats have been in charge. This problem isn’t unique to Rat Island; remote islands around the world deal with infestations of the non-native species. Rat-removal programs have been popping up in Canada and New Zealand, as rats are blamed for half of all extinctions since the 1600s. I’ll repeat that: rats are blamed for half of all extinctions since the 1600s!

The results of a rat invasion are so devastating that wildlife refuge managers have maintained “rat-spill” emergency responses at Alaska’s ports similar to oil-spill contingency plans. In fact, Art Sowls, a biologist with the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge argues that “it’s entirely possible that in a shipwreck situation, the environmental damage created by the introduction of rats into the environment would be even worse than that of a major oil spill.” I remember a couple of years ago that some rats were spotted around the airport in Anchorage, and a massive effort was unleashed to exterminate the rodents and find the cause of the “leak.”

So far as I know, there hasn’t been an infestation on Alaska’s mainland. But I think I’ll be steering clear of the islands for a while.

[via Reuters]

Native American Day: Some Ideas to Celebrate

by Jamie Rhein on

The 4th Friday of September is Native American Day. This year September 28 is a day to honor the first Americans of the United States. Here are some suggestions for how to commemorate the occassion. Stay tuned for more. I keep getting ideas, but this will get you started.

Read Catherine’s post “Native Alaskan Languages Not Endangered” for an interesting read about how languages are being preserved where she lives. There is a similar traditions of preserve languages by Native Americans in the Southwest. Here is a Web site dedicated to preserving Native American languages and culture.

Attend the San Geronimo Day at Taos Pueblo in Taos, New Mexico. It’s on September 30, just a couple days after the official Native American Day, but Taos Pueblo is worth a visit anytime. There are festivals throughout the year at one of New Mexico’s 18 pueblos. Visitors are often welcome.

Visit the Heard Museum in Phoenix, Arizona. There are three locations. The Heard Downtown has an on-going exhibit about Native Americans in the Southwest. The Heard North has an exhibit on textiles and Heard West has an exhibit on Native American art and culture in Arizona. October 12-14, there is a film festival with films about and by Native Americans. By the way, for two wonderful films in this genre, check out Pow Wow Highway and Smoke Signals. For Native American Day, you could watch those.

For an alternative outing, plan to visit a Pow Wow where Native Americans from across the U.S. gather for dancing, celebration and competitions. The link has an map with the various locations. The photo by rromin1 on stock.xchange is from a Choctaw Pow Wow.

Journey to Alaska for the Mystery Writers Conference

by Neil Woodburn on

The cold, snowy lands of Alaska are the perfect place for a crime.

Perhaps that’s why Bouchercon, the annual mystery writers conference, is being held in Anchorage this year.

The event, which kicks off September 27, brings together more than 225 mystery writers as well as actual professionals routinely spotlighted in their work–such as Dr. Abby Chidambaram who will be lecturing on the use of DNA technology in crime solving. There will be symposiums, signings, work shops, children’s events, and even a local version of CSI Alaska.

I’m no big fan of the mystery genre, but what other arm of literature so actively encourages its writers and readers to interact in such a cool way? Agatha Christie would be so proud!