High Sierra Topix

Austex wrote:
Never say never. I have a few "pups" here in TX that would like to try; distance to get
there and college are hurdles for them.

Distance, college, and then comes job, marriage, and family. Life is full of hurdles
for many, especially for those trying to get into the work force now.

The story isn't even about backpacking. If they spend as much time in flashbacks as they do in the book, you'll not even see much beyond shots of her suffering in random places.

Since she skips over the good part (the Sierra) due to high snow and not wanting to deal with it (because she is not a backpacker and the movie isn't about backpacking at all) - NO interest for me whatsoever. The only reason I read the book was because a friend/backpacker recommended it - he later confessed that he skipped the endless navel gazing parts and then the book was really, really brief for him, because all he was interested in was the backpacking.

AT wrote:
The story isn't even about backpacking.

So backpacking isn't even glamorized, forget it, back to the
original: none, zip, and nada!

When I read the book, I was impressed with all the suffering she endured while on the trail. It matched the suffering she wallowed in over the loss of her mother. If the movie is true to the book, not many people are going to be drawn to the trail because of it. She wasn't having very much fun during that phase of her life.

Another nice thing about the PCT is that it has a 700 mile stretch of desert to weed people out.

I think the documentary "Mile, Mile and a Half" will probably draw more people to the Sierra. It's on Netflix streaming now which is giving the JMT a lot of exposure.

schmalz wrote:I think the documentary "Mile, Mile and a Half" will probably draw more people to the Sierra. It's on Netflix streaming now which is giving the JMT a lot of exposure.

My wife read the book - I had never even heard of it until she mentioned it. My initial reaction was one of interest, as in "she hiked the PCT?" No, my wife replied, she only section hiked parts, and skipped the Sierra. Well, you can imagine my reaction: complete dismissal, and not another thought.

However, I've been following the blogs of two PCTers who are making great time (http://carrotquinn.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; http://stevenjshattuck.wordpress.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;), and they've mentioned the book & movie a few times, but it took me awhile to connect that what they were describing and the book my wife read were the same thing. Apparently, there's been some drama on the PCT this year due to the volume of hikers, and people are wondering if the book/movie impact will destroy the trail angel experience so many cherish.

As for Mile ..., we watched the movie last week. I had high expectations, because I wanted my wife to see parts of the Sierra she hasn't visited. Boy, was I disappointed - not in the filming/scenery, but the goofballs who shot the footage. Complete noobs with no knowledge of what they were getting themselves into, the kind of people who have limited respect for what it really takes.

Of course, they had ridiculous overweight gear (granted, they had to carry heavy cameras), and epitomized the kind of people you see red faced, huffing & puffing and wondering what the heck they're doing out there. Seriously, a couple looked like heart attack candidates.

Enough with the rant. But it would be nice to be able to show what it's really like, and demonstrate the preparation, training and energy required to put oneself into the kind of experiences we seek.

Edit: Rant not over. If you watch the film, you'll notice they have a campfire every night. Now, that means they're either camping below 10-10.4k, or they're ignoring the restrictions. Either case is poor, because if they are below 10k, that means they're not sleeping close enough to the passes in order to make them over first thing. I can go on, but the overall effect (to me) was a bunch of clowns bumbling down the trail.

If you want a good movie on the PCT, watch Tell It On the Mountain. There is stunning footage of the Sierra and the stories of the individual hikers are compelling. And it captures the agony and the ecstasy of backpacking. My wife, son, and I loved it.

http://tellitonthemountain.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I tend to agree with Almostthere and Troutdog, but the thought of neurotics heading to the Sierra to find a "cure" is disturbing and I suspect will occur. I much prefer to think that the vast majority of backpackers are squared away people, confident of their "selves" and who they are and look at the backcountry as a place they enjoy and that adds to their life. The people this movie will attract are not of the same stuff.

Mike

The only uptick in backpackers here lately is the surge across the border........

People have tried to commit suicide by wilderness for years - part of search and rescue is finding subjects who do not want to be found. I am reminded of the stockbroker who was laid off, flew to Yosemite, and jumped off the top of Yosemite Falls. Also of my first mutual aid search in the park looking for a man who told family he was going to jump off Half Dome.

"Finding yourself" or fixing yourself in the wilderness is not a new thing, either. I don't think the woman in Wild fixed a thing - she may have worked out a little angst, but she went on to being an advice columnist and continuing to act out her personal ills in the public eye, which is what a lot of people with a particular type of mental illness tend to do. I prefer to avoid association with people like that.