Last Frontier Adventure Club

12/29/2020

Hey adventurers! Photonak just dropped a cool music video teaser with Bus 142 footage taken last May before it got airlifted. Their lead singer and a fellow admin on this page, Jeremy James Egger, is a big Into the Wild fan. Pretty cool. They've got a link to their bandcamp in the video description if you want to check out their music. With their new album Tempered on bandcamp, they include lyrical band art for their song "On My Own" that features a pic of the bus when Carine was there with a bunch of us from Last Frontier Adventure Club in 2014.

09/24/2020

Bus 142 has a new home!

https://bit.ly/3hTJcqh

We are honored to announce today our fundraising partnership with the UA Museum of the North for the preservation and exhibition of Bus 142. The faster we can meet the financial needs of this project, the sooner the bus can have visitors again.

No donation is too small. As a community, we will rise to the challenge and prepare the bus a new home.

Click the link to read more or donate: https://bit.ly/3hTJcqh

08/02/2020

Have you been to Bus 142 on the Stampede Trail? Send your pic with the date of your visit and name(s) of the people in your group to [email protected] to be added to the community gallery!
Alternatively, go give Friends of Bus 142's page a like and message them with your submission.

Have you been to the bus when it was on the Stampede Trail? Have you created any bus themed artwork, or been inspired to go on an adventure of your own?

As we grow our website, we want to include all of you! We are looking for submissions such as:

Bus 142 and Into the Wild related artwork you have created.

Photos of you and your hiking buds at the bus.

Stories about your trip to see the bus OR other great hiking adventures inspired by Chris and Into the Wild.

Please message us with your submissions or email them directly to [email protected]

07/17/2020

Follow us to follow the bus!

I’ve joined up with some friends that are ready to help with the next phase in the journey of Bus 142. Many of them you already know through the Into the Wild projects, and some are new to this effort. We at Friends Of Bus 142 would love for you to join us. We are in direct communication with the officials in Alaska, and as soon as they notify us of their decisions moving forward, we will share the information with you. Thank you all for your kind and inspirational messages about my brother over the years. Through you, his story continues.

- Carine McCandless

06/19/2020

For all Bus 142 adventure seekers, big news - today the bus has been removed from state land. Today we just got informed by someone who has been in contact with the DNR regarding a potential bridge project over the Tek River. The bus was flown out by the Alaska National Guard via helicopter. A press release from Anchorage Daily News has recently been issued. It was decided to be moved for safety reasons; this action was not taken lightly. People continued to travel to the bus despite the dangers, so it was decided that it should be moved. It is being stored in a secure undisclosed location until a decision is made about where it should eventually go.

We have mixed emotions about this. LFAC has gotten lots of requests and questions about hikes out to the bus. Which honestly, there is now some relief knowing that this news will result in less of that - there are so many better hikes to do in the beautiful state of Alaska that don’t involve a dangerous river crossing. But we understand the obsession people have with Bus 142 given how much Chris McCandless’ story has inspired and moved so many people, including ourselves.

2020 has been full of a lot of emotional events for sure. This one is no exception for the outdoor adventure community.

Please spread the word about this for anyone you know who may have been planning a trip out to the bus. They need to know it is no longer at the end of Stampede Trail.

On a somewhat related side note, there is a band here in Alaska called Photonak that is releasing an Into The Wild inspired song called "On My Own" on their debut album, Tempered. It is scheduled for release later this year. It should be a good ode to all hikers seeking connection in the depths of the wilderness. Totally something to check out as this wild ride of 2020 continues on.

We know many people will be sad to hear that the bus is gone. Others will probably be glad it is. It has been a very controversial point of attraction due to rescues and deaths that have occurred from people mainly at the Teklanika River crossing. Perhaps this will deter enough people now to mark the end of that.

We hope everyone continues to stay safe out there during these crazy times in 2020.

Live long, stay adventurous.

10/28/2019

Big announcement related to fans of Into the Wild! The documentary that our LFAC member, Jeremy James Egger, was interviewed for related to the Magic Bus and the mystique of Alaska is being aired on television on the station ARTE in both France and Germany tomorrow (Tuesday October 29th). It will air in France at 4:30pm, and in Germany at 1:30pm. That is local time for each country. The video is available for viewing in Europe on ARTE's website in the link below. Unfortunately, none of us can view it here in the United States. But Jeremy will be getting access to a digital copy of the video after the program airs on TV for him to share with friends in the United States as he wishes through a youtube or facebook upload. Will update you again with a US accessible video link later this week!

Linda Lorin nous emmène à la découverte de notre patrimoine artistique, culturel et naturel. Dans ce numéro : L’Alaska sauvage d’"Into the Wild" de Jon Krakauer - Rothenburg, un idéal allemand - À Riga, une invention de taille.

05/21/2019

So a random but cool thing happened recently. A couple months ago, we were contacted through this Last Frontier Adventure Club page by a journalist from a TV station in France that puts together cultural documentaries that they air to French and German audiences. They wanted to interview a local Alaskan who is familiar with the story of Chris McCandless and get their perspective on his legacy and the following of people who continue to make pilgrimages out to the Magic Bus.

Originally Erik Halfacre got contacted, but since he no longer lives here in Alaska, Jeremy James Egger ended up getting a followup call. Fast forward to this past Saturday: Egger found himself on a helicopter going “Into the Wild” with a French camera crew. On top of that, as a musician, Egger was also asked to be filmed playing a cover of Eddie Vedder’s song, Society, and to also perform an original work. So Egger wrote a song called “On My Own” and was filmed playing his song while seated in front of the Magic Bus.

This Into the Wild based documentary will be aired to French and German audiences at some point in September. When the time comes, we’ll post a link to a version that North American audiences can hopefully watch. Though the audio in the interview might be dubbed over in either French or German.

Shout out to journalist Tâm Melacca and cameraman Robert Iseni for giving Egger this incredible opportunity and experience.

07/02/2017

Hey folks, sorry we've been pretty quiet the past few months. Lot's going on in the personal lives of founding members of this club. We'd like to do a hike on the 22nd and 23rd (Sat-Sun) of this month. We'll have a guest from Switzerland joining us, someone who invited me into their home to stay for a week and brought me on some awesome hikes near his home town during some of my European travels back in 2010. I'm returning the favor by doing an over night trip to show off some of the sights near my own home town. Feel free to post suggestions. Anything within 100 miles of Anchorage!

10/23/2016

https://youtu.be/DhaPXmGo-SM In case you didn't make it out there with us, here's our video from our Caine's Head hike this spring.

The Last Frontier Adventure Club heads to Seward to do the Caine's Head hike and visit Fort McGilvray.

10/16/2016

In this video we take a look at the Alpacka Packtach system for lashing a backpack on the front of your packraft, as well as a cheaper and more readily avail...

09/06/2016

09/06/2016

LFAC finds the wreckage of a B-29 Bomber plane on Bomber Glacier.

06/27/2016

06/27/2016

Tonsina Creek

05/09/2016

Last Frontier Adventure Club explores a new trail at the end of Maud Road in the Butte. This trail was made for fourwheelers, but plenty of bikers and hikers take this path as well. There's even a rock climbing wall with bolted routes at the end! Stellar trail with stellar views. However... don't bring your kids in a Bob trailor. This trail was not suitable for this. Trevor championed the trailer about four miles in before Jenna decided to take over and turn around with the kids.

05/05/2016

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/eklutna-ak/99567/weekend-weather/2625574 The weekend weather is looking pretty fair. If you're coming on the Eklutna trip bring a warm bag though. It's still getting chilly up there and I think this forecast is for Eklutna by the highway, not Eklutna lake up in the mountains, so expect it to be a little cooler up there.

Get the Eklutna weekend weather forecast for this and next weekend including temperature, RealFeel and chance of precipitation for Eklutna, AK 99567 from AccuWeather.com

04/25/2016

Bat encounter!!! We stumbled into this batty bat at the far side of what Erik and I (Jeremy) now call "Batman Lake". It dove on Erik a couple times. Maybe Batman's lair was nearby? I don't think I've ever seen a bat so clearly like this during the day time. Pretty cool!

04/25/2016

Erik and Jeremy bike the Pioneer Peak side of the Knik River Valley. Eventually, they ditch their bikes and climb up a hill side. There, they stumble across a sweet lake, with swans, freshwater otters, and bats! A nice little exploration expedition; hoping to return next time with camping equipment.

03/17/2016

Erik and Jenna Halfacre are coming back to Alaska this summer to run a new business, guiding packrafters on to and from the Knik Glacier:

http://www.alaskahikingandpackrafting.com/knik-glacier-packrafting-adventure/

See the Knik River Valley on a nine mile hike to the Knik Glacier. Explore the glacier’s terminal moraine, lake and surrounding area before a scenic packraft float trip out to your car. The trip begins at the Knik Glacier Tours office near the confluence of Hunter Creek and the Knik River. As we cr…

11/30/2015

https://youtu.be/jm8S7DPL3u0 and now we're in Phoenix!

We for Black Friday by hiking the Cholla Trail up Camelback Mountain in Phoenix, Arizona.

11/25/2015

https://youtu.be/DJyv8vTdtcE

We didn't pick the name, but we did hike Negro Bill Canyon to Morning Glory Bridge. If you are looking for a quick canyon day hike in the Moab, Utah area, we...

11/25/2015

https://youtu.be/1o379zY2MfY

LFAC does Utah! Meranda and Brandon of the Wild Bones Project, join the Bus House family to explore the area around Moab, starting with Arches National Park ...

11/24/2015

As we moved 'bus house' from Washington to Arizona, we stopped off in Salt Lake City and picked up Meranda and Brandon of the Wild Bones Project, and took them to Moab, Utah with us to check out Arches and Canyonlands National Parks.

11/01/2015

https://youtu.be/_TVzBtLVelA
What's up with the bus house and where is it headed next?

It's been a while since we've done a bus conversion update on our 'bus house.' This summer we installed a light bar for better visibility, plumbed our freshw...

10/29/2015

Another volcanic adventure: https://youtu.be/DmZVW3GfOg8

Harry's Ridge offers excellent views into the crater of Mount St. Helens. It's an easy day-hike from the observatory and definitely worth checking out if you...

10/27/2015

More volcano-centric adventuring with the folks from The Wild Bones Project: https://youtu.be/dP9FYCeXKCw

Lava Canyon is an awesome, and sometimes trecherous, hike through a canyon filled with geological wonders, and fun trail features such as a suspension bridge...

10/27/2015

LFAC goes underground!... legally... and this time we can tell you where! https://youtu.be/sGQs3ikzSRY

Ape Cave is one of our favorite Washington Adventures! Despite the metal staircase descending into the lava tube, exploration is self guided and unlighted!.....

10/04/2015

Another Washington Trip, but this time with more Alaskans: https://youtu.be/pU2UpSlme-E

Marmot Pass is one of our favorite hikes on the Olympic Peninsula. We were glad to get the chance to do it with our friends: Jeremy, Meranda, & Brandon.

09/28/2015

Check out our latest trail video! Last weekend we hiked the Ozette triangle in Olympic National Park. https://youtu.be/8veiCgyezEM

We hike the Ozette Triangle, or 'Ozette Loop Trail,' in Olympic National Park. The trail is 9 miles, and contains a 3 mile boardwalk section through the wood...