Movie Trailer For “Wild”

I’m about half way through the book and stumbled on to this trailer for the movie Wild. The movie seems to be following the book pretty closely and looks pretty solid – and intense.

Walk In The Woods Filming Begins

Passionate about the Appalachain Trail?  Live in the Southeast (particularly in Atlanta or North Georgia)?  Then this is your big chance to hang with Rob and Nick – they just started filming a Walk In The Woods based on Bill Bryson’s A.T. memoir.  

The movie is due for release in November 2015, and filming at The Lodge in Amicalola State Park began on 4/22/14.  Extra’s casting is reportedly underway per this article in the Gainesville Times, and if your not the Trail Hard type – there’s scenes being shot in Atlanta which explains why Robert Redford keeps showing up at Davio’s in Phipps Plaza in Buckhead.

This is the second major Hollywood film production in the last two years that highlights a thru-hikers journey on a U.S. long distance hiking trail.  You might recall that Cheryl Strayed’s Wild, started filming last fall and stars actress Reece Witherspoon who hikes part of the Pacific Crest Trail.  It will likely beat Walk In The Woods to theaters, and you can expect a flood of thru-hikers on the Trail in 2015 and 2016.  There’s nothing like a Hollywood movie (or two) to generate interest in a sport.   

Now you can smell like the Trail when you are off the Trail….

Some very clever marketing by the Appalachain Trail Conference.  This is actually a fundraiser for the Appalachian Trail.

Very creative ATC.  Well done!

Spring Hiking On The Benton MacKaye …

After a unseasonably cool winter, the weather finally broke and we decided to take the kids out for an overnight hike.    We did this one on a Friday night to avoid conflicts with spring sports and with spring break.  Here we are at the parking area at Three Forks on the Appalachian Trail.

The dog is more excited than anyone and is hauling his own food, water, sleeping bag and sleeping pad.  All in – the dog’s pack weighs about 8 lbs – nearly the same weight as my empty (and aging) Dana Design backpack!

Here we are climbing to Long Creek Falls along the A.T. and headed northbound.  The trail is nice and wide in this area and it is a pleasant walk to the waterfall and junction with the Benton MacKaye Trail.

There is a father and son from Orlando camped here when we arrive, and three guys camped nearby at the junction of the A.T. and Benton MacKaye Trail.  For a Friday, there’s a lot of action on both trails today.  We see a number of thru-hikers, and a number of larger groups that are day hiking.

But once we break off on the B.M.T., the crowds diminish and we walk to our campsite without seeing a soul.  It’s nearly 5:30pm when we arrive and there’s a group of four that are searching for lost items from the Army Rangers that train in this area.  They spot a water cache down the hill and are convinced the Rangers are training later tonight.

With the sun dropping in the sky, Ira and I walk back down the mountain to get water while Rob and Ken collect firewood with the kids.   It’s been in the 60’s today, but it’s due to drop in to the 30’s after dark.  So a campfire is a must – and after we pitch our tents we start cooking a late dinner around 8pm.

The kids are showing no interest in sacking out after dinner, but a brief rain shower has them heading for the tents at 10pm.  By now, it’s getting cold – especially away from the campfire.  Time to “mummy” up.

And the dog is tired too, but not cold enough to zip up in his sleeping bag – at least yet.  He’s content to sack out on top of mine!

But after a couple of rain bursts, it passes and the adults return to the campfire at a lower decibel level.  We hang out while the kids sack out … and we pay for it in the morning.  They are up early!

So after a quick breakfast, we are packed up and on the trail by 10:30am.  Many of the kids have soccer and baseball games today – or we would have hung out longer.

And as we hit the trail – we find out that Friday night was the right night to be on the B.M.T.  There is a 68 mile trail run right through our campsite this morning and many athletes and their supporters are in the area as we hike out.  There are also a lot of day hikers and backpackers on the A.T. and it’s the busiest that I’ve ever seenit in this area.  I feel fortunate that we had the last 14 hours with a campsite and the B.M.T. to ourselves.

Spring Has Sprung, Time For A Hike On The Benton MacKaye …

After a unseasonably cool winter, the weather finally broke and we decided to take the kids out for an overnight hike.    We did this one on a Friday night to aviod conflicts with spring sports and with spring break.  Here we are at the parking area at Three Forks on the Appalachian Trail.

The dog is more excited than anyone and is hauling his own food, water, sleeping bag and sleeping pad.  All in – the dog's pack weighs about 8 lbs – nearly the same weight as my empty (and aging) Dana Design backpack!  

Here we are climbing to Long Creek Falls along the A.T. and headed northbound.  The trail is nice and wide in this area and it is a pleasant walk to the waterfall and junction with the Benton MacKaye Trail.  

There is a father and son from Orlando camped here when we arrive, and three guys camped nearby at the junction of the A.T. and Benton MacKaye Trail.  For a Friday, there's a lot of action on both trails today.  We see a number of thru-hikers, and a number of larger groups that are day hiking.  

But once we break off on the B.M.T., the crowds diminish and we walk to our campsite without seeing a soul.  It's nearly 5:30pm when we arrive and there's a group of four that are searching for lost items from the Army Rangers that train in this area.  They spot a water cache down the hill and are convinced the Rangers are training later tonight.

With the sun dropping in the sky, Ira and I walk back down the mountain to get water while Rob and Ken collect firewood with the kids.   It's been in the 60's today, but it's due to drop in to the 30's after dark.  So a campfire is a must – and after we pitch our tents we start cooking a late dinner around 8pm.

The kids are showing no interest in sacking out after dinner, but a brief rain shower has them heading for the tents at 10pm.  By now, it's getting cold – especially away from the campfire.  Time to “mummy” up.

And the dog is tired too, but not cold enough to zip up in his sleeping bag – at least yet.  He's content to sack out on top of mine!

But after a coupleof  rain bursts, it passes and the adults return to the campfire at a lower decible level.  We hang out while the kids sack out … andt we pay for it in the morning.  They are up early!

So after a quick breakfast, we are packed up and on the trail by 10:30am.  Many of the kids have soccer and baseball games today – or we would have hung out longer.

And as we hit the trail – we find out that Friday night was the right night to be on the B.M.T.  There is a 68 mile trail run right through our campsite this morning and many athletes and their supporters are in the area as we hike out.  There are also a lot of day hikers and backpackers on the A.T. and it's the busiest that I've ever seen in this area.  I feel fortunate that we had the last 14 hours with a campsite and the B.M.T. to ourselves.  

Farewell To Bill Irwin, First Blind Hiker To Hike The Appalachian Trail

I read Bill Irwin’s book during my 1994 thru-hike – very inspiring.  He was the first blind hiker to hike the entire Appalachian Trail and did it with the assistance of his dog Orient.  Sad to hear that he has passed over the weekend:

“Bill Irwin, who in 1990 became the first and only blind person to hike the entire length of the Appalachian Trail without human assistance or companionship, died Saturday morning.”

A video story on You Tube…

13 Year Old Girl Completes The Triple Crown

The Triple Crown consists of the Appalachian Trail (2,181 miles), the Continental Divide Trail (3,092 miles), and the Pacific Crest Trail (2,652-mile). This 13 year old girl who is an 8th grader in Salem, Oregon just completed all three. Only about 200 people can say that, and here’s a video interview with her ….

The Movie Wild And Reece Witherspoon’s Early 90’s Backpacking Look

The filming of the movie Wild has begun, and both Cheryl Strayed and Reese Witherspoon are tweeting photos from the set.  As you recall, the movie is based on Stayed’s best selling book which chronicles her adventures (or mis-adventures) on the Pacific Crest Trail in 1995.  The wardrobe team got this one right, because they have Witherspoon decked out in a vintage external frame backpack and old school leather hiking boots (complete with colored laces).

The movie is set to release in 2014 and you can see more photos here.  Is she hiking with a dog in this movie?

JESTER’S “EMBRACE THE BRUTALITY” DVD

Just watched Jester’s “Embrace The Brutality” DVD last night on his thru-hike of the Continental Divide Trail. It is both interesting and entertaining. I now have a new respect for route finding on the 3100 mile Trail – which runs from Mexico to Canada.

Naked Rambler Gets “”Long” Jail Sentence

From the Daily Echo in the UK….

A HAMPSHIRE man dubbed the Naked Rambler has failed in a bid to challenge his latest jail sentence.

Stephen Gough gained notoriety after walking naked from Land’s End to John o’Groats ten years ago – and has since been handed prison sentences totalling more than six years.

The 54-year-old was jailed for 11 months in June after being found guilty of breaching an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) which bans him from appearing in public with his genitals or buttocks uncovered.

He had breached the order within minutes of being given it at Southampton Magistrates’ Court in February by appearing on the steps of the court completely naked – save for his socks, hiking boots and a small rucksack.

Gough, of Chamberlayne Road, Eastleigh, has now challenged his sentence at London’s Criminal Appeal Court, with his lawyers arguing it was “too long”.