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.