A few months ago I built the most iconic scene from the movie “Into the Wild”, directed by Sean Penn in 2007, with the Magic Bus standing in plain sight in the wild Alaskan woods. It was early spring.
With the cold season coming it was taken for granted I’d be tempted to build the snow capped Bus as it appears in some scenes of the movie.
The sand green/white Bus stands now on a big snowy base built with many weird parts to create the snow-covered foliage effect. White pines are placed behind it.
Chris McCandless’s story is well known and sadly it didn’t end well.
And the Bus itself, seen as a danger, has been recently airlifted from the Alaskan wild to a secure site after two hikers have died and at least 15 have had to be rescued while trying to reach the bus in the remote Alaskan wilderness.
Abandoned on the Stampede Trail near Denali National Park, the bus had become a pilgrimage site. It was revered by travelers around the world who had read the book or seen the movie. But it had also become a hazard, luring hikers into forbidding territory.

Click here to take a look at my first version of the “Into the Wild” diorama with more info about the story of Chris.