For Alaskans, the verdict is in on Christopher McCandless, aka Alexander Supertramp, the protagonist of Into The Wild. He was under-prepared and thus reckless in his decision to head into the Alaskan wilderness.
Many others give McCandless a pass and gravitate to his spirit of adventure.
I’m a little split on the subject, as I think it was very possible for McCandless to experience Alaska the way he intended, but be properly prepared. I applaud his attitude, but not his aptitude.
If you know Into the Wild, you know the “Magic Bus” he used a shelter – and ultimately his place of death. Many visitors try to reach the actual Magic Bus location within Denali National Park with mixed success (death and rescues have been a reoccurring event over the years for other poorly prepared hikers).
Of course, I’m more of a movie buff than a hiker, so I was excited to snap the photo above at the movie prop Magic Bus now located at the 49th State Brewing Company in Healy, Alaska.
Warming up and chilling out.
The beer was cold and the fire was warm. Being a solo traveler, I could walk right in with now wait, which is always nice. I ordered the steak salad since I needed some greens in my life. The salad was huge, but the steak was boring and completely unseasoned. For that reason, I wouldn’t recommend it. If I went again, I’d go with something simple like a burger and fries. The beer was great, though – which is why I came here in the first place.
Stop in, get your name on the list and come back out to take a few photos with the bus. It’s much easier knowing that food and great beer are just a few footsteps away.
