A hiker is dead after being swept away trying to cross the Teklanika River on her way to the abandoned bus made infamous in John Krakauer’s book “Into the Wild.”
Veramika Maikamava, 24, was hiking with her husband, Piotr Markielau, when the two tried to cross the river, which also plays prominently in the book. As they were wading through waist-high water, holding on to a rope that spans the length of the crossing, Nikanava apparently lost her footing and her grip on the rope. Piotr was able to reach shore safely. By the time he was able to locate his wife 75 to 100 feet downriver, she was dead. They were less than a mile from the bus.
The two had been married for less than a month.
Every year, rangers rescue hikers on the Stampede Trail heading for the “Magic Bus,” where 24-year-old Chris McCandless died in 1992.
The bus sits on the edge of Denali National Park in the Alaskan wilderness.