Two Journeys That Ended in the Wilderness

Two GIS-ready waypoint tables follow each story. Coordinates are WGS 84 (EPSG:4326); use longitude as X and latitude as Y.

Part 1 — Christopher McCandless: Into the Wild

Christopher McCandless, a 24-year-old college graduate, gave away his savings after leaving Emory University in 1990 and travelled widely across North America under the name Alexander Supertramp. His route included the American Southwest, a canoe journey down the Colorado River into Mexico, the Salton Sea, California, South Dakota, and the Alaska Highway.

In April 1992, Jim Gallien dropped him near the Stampede Trail outside Healy, Alaska. McCandless crossed the Teklanika River and lived in an abandoned municipal bus, Fairbanks Bus 142—later known as the “Magic Bus”—beside the trail near Denali National Park.

He remained there through the summer. When he tried to return, the Teklanika River had become impassable. McCandless died of starvation at the bus in August 1992. The bus was removed from the site in 2020, but its former location remains a major historical waypoint.

GIS-ready CSV — McCandless journey

seq,name,description,latitude,longitude,type,region,notes
1,"Annandale, Virginia",Childhood home / departure area,38.8304,-77.1037,home,"Virginia, USA",McCandless grew up in Annandale; early journey reference point
2,"Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia",Graduated May 1990; departure point for the road journey,33.7905,-84.3230,education,"Georgia, USA",Left after graduating from Emory in 1990
3,"Lake Mead National Recreation Area, Arizona/Nevada",Abandoned Datsun after flash flood; Detrital Wash area,36.1500,-114.4000,route_node,"Arizona/Nevada, USA",Car abandoned in Detrital Wash in late 1990
4,Needles California,Hitchhiking stop before canoe journey on the Colorado River,34.8481,-114.6141,town,"California, USA",Reached by truck ride in October 1990
5,Topock Arizona,Walked from Needles; acquired canoe,34.7130,-114.4830,route_node,"Arizona, USA",Started paddling the Colorado River southward
6,"Morelos Dam / Colorado River, Mexico border",Crossed into Mexico by canoe,32.7214,-114.7222,border_crossing,"Baja California/Sonora, Mexico",Paddled through the dam spillway into Mexico
7,"Gulf of California, Mexico",Canoe journey terminus area,31.0000,-114.5000,route_node,Mexico,Approximate Gulf of California corridor; exact landfall not fixed here
8,"Salton City / Salton Sea, California",Met Ronald Franz,33.2980,-115.9560,town,"California, USA",Franz later drove him toward Grand Junction
9,"San Diego, California",Coastal stop before moving inland,32.7157,-117.1611,city,"California, USA",Visited in early 1992
10,"Grand Junction, Colorado",Franz drove him here before return to Carthage,39.0639,-108.5506,city,"Colorado, USA",Spring 1992 stop
11,"Carthage, South Dakota",Worked for Wayne Westerberg; final major lower-48 stop,44.6314,-97.2087,town,"South Dakota, USA",Worked at Westerberg's grain elevator before heading north
12,"Liard River / Liard Hot Springs, British Columbia",Waited out blizzard en route north,59.4250,-126.1000,route_node,"British Columbia, Canada",Alaska Highway corridor; approximate
13,"Fairbanks, Alaska",Prepared for Alaska trip; University of Alaska library; met Jim Gallien,64.8378,-147.7164,city,"Alaska, USA",Bought supplies and studied edible plants; Gallien drove him to the Stampede Trail
14,"Stampede Trail trailhead, near Healy",Gallien dropped McCandless off on 28 April 1992,63.8667,-149.6000,trailhead,"Alaska, USA",Approximate trailhead; about 10 miles from the Parks Highway
15,Teklanika River crossing,River crossed on arrival; later impassable on return attempt,63.8690,-149.7450,river_crossing,"Alaska, USA",Approximate crossing near Bus 142
16,"Fairbanks Bus 142 ('Magic Bus')",Lived here from late April to August 1992; died of starvation,63.8680,-149.7680,shelter,"Denali Borough, Alaska, USA",Abandoned bus beside the Stampede Trail; site coordinates from georeferenced source
17,"Anchorage, Alaska",Body transported for autopsy after recovery,61.2181,-149.9003,city,"Alaska, USA","Administrative/post-recovery location, not a trek waypoint"

click to enlarge, A3 here

Part 2 — Steffen Skjottelvik: Across Northern Canada

In spring 2024, Norwegian adventurer Steffen Skjottelvik set out from Timmins, Ontario, intending to travel north by sled, foot, and canoe through the James Bay lowlands and along the western shore of Hudson Bay. He bought two young huskies in Moosonee and pressed north as the spring thaw advanced.

After passing through the Attawapiskat area, he reached the Winisk River and spent the winter near Peawanuck. In the following season he continued north along the Hudson Bay coast toward the Hayes River and the historic fur-trade post of York Factory, Manitoba.

He did not complete that final leg. His dog, Togo, was found near York Factory; Skjottelvik’s body was recovered about two miles downstream. The route below is therefore a reconstruction from the reported journey rather than a continuous GPS track.

GIS-ready CSV — Skjottelvik trek

seq,name,description,latitude,longitude,type,region,notes
1,"Timmins, Ontario",Start of first stage (spring 2024),48.4758,-81.3305,town,"Ontario, Canada",NYT: Steffen flew to Timmins to begin the first 200 miles
2,Cochrane / Abitibi route corridor,Overland sled route north from Timmins,49.0692,-81.7140,route_node,"Ontario, Canada",Approximate corridor between Timmins and the James Bay lowlands
3,Moose Factory / Moosonee,Dog purchase and James Bay staging area,51.2833,-80.6167,town,"Ontario, Canada",NYT: two young huskies bought in Moosonee
4,Southern James Bay coast,Frozen James Bay travel corridor,52.0000,-80.5000,route_node,"Ontario, Canada",Approximate coastal route; Sila and Togo mated along frozen James Bay
5,Fort Albany,Western James Bay coastal route,52.2000,-81.7000,community,"Ontario, Canada",Approximate waypoint on the west coast of James Bay
6,Attawapiskat,Coastal community passed before spring breakup,52.9333,-82.4167,community,"Ontario, Canada",NYT: Steffen narrated approaching Attawapiskat while racing breakup
7,Winisk River mouth / Peawanuck approach,River route toward Peawanuck,54.8500,-85.3000,route_node,"Ontario, Canada",Approximate lower Winisk River corridor
8,Peawanuck,Winter halt and camp on Winisk River island,54.9944,-85.4278,community,"Ontario, Canada",NYT: helicopter evacuation to Peawanuck; camped nearby on a river island
9,Upper Hudson Bay coast,Northward coastal trek from Peawanuck,55.5000,-85.8000,route_node,"Manitoba/Ontario boundary area",Approximate Hudson Bay coastline; article says they walked about 300 miles of coast
10,Severn River / Hudson Bay coast,Coastal route node,56.1000,-87.7000,route_node,"Manitoba/Ontario boundary area",Approximate coastal corridor between Peawanuck and York Factory
11,Churchill-area Hudson Bay coast,Southern Hudson Bay coastal corridor,56.8000,-91.5000,route_node,"Manitoba, Canada",Approximate coastal corridor; not a stated stop in the article
12,Hayes River estuary,Final approach to York Factory,56.9500,-92.2500,route_node,"Manitoba, Canada",Approximate Hayes River mouth near York Factory
13,York Factory National Historic Site,Intended end of this leg; Steffen died about two miles downstream,57.0000,-92.3000,destination,"Manitoba, Canada",NYT: Togo found near York Factory; Steffen's body found two miles downstream

Click to enlarge, A3 here
(map location & extent is in previous map)

Named communities and terminal points are more reliable than the generalized route_node entries. For cartographic display, connect waypoints with seq only as a schematic route; both journeys involved backtracking, seasonal travel, and non-continuous transport.

Sources: Christopher McCandless (Google) & Steffen Skjottelvik (New York Times)