Wendell Ricketts This film is advertised as a documentary, but I actually experienced it as a low- budget horror film along the lines of The Blair Witch Project. In fact, I wasn't sure whether it was more terrifying to imagine being forced to go on a 225-mile hike in the company of this insufferable coven of Starbucks yuppies or being on an innocent walk in the woods, stumbling across the filmmakers, and having to listen to them play finger-cymbals and talk about kale. The fact that none of them can stay off their freaking cell phones for more than an hour at a time is almost enough reason to leave them on the trail as bear chum (yes, these are the guys you come across on the banks of the most gorgeous lake you've ever seen who celebrate the occasion by calling someone in another state to talk about espresso capsules). If that doesn't do it for you, the documentary also features the Most Irritating White Man In North America (you'll recognize him by his hipster hat, his hipster beard, and his hipster humor-- he's so ironic that even his irony is ironic). Though the filmmakers quote John Muir incessantly, you can't help feeling Muir would have chosen to become a bricklayer if he'd known the trail that bears his name would one day be traversed by people like these.

Jeff Eason Having viewed Ken Burns' National Parks again recently this film was recommended to me. I was disappointed. Its clear the John Muir Trail has some nice scenery - but this poorly made movie and the people in it are ridiculous Supposedly these people are all AMAZING artists gathered to have an AMAAAAAZING adventure and along they way they meet other people who are....(wait for it...) AMAZING!. Apparently some people are are easily amazed. Too much time is spent having them interview each other, hug each other and say AMAZING about things about each other than the trail itself. Actually its amazing you can having this many people in a movie and none of them are either interesting or talented.Prior to viewing this film I was interested in hiking the trail. Now, maybe I'd rather not. Would like to see the sights. Would rather not spend time running into an assortment of misfits trying to convince themselves they are doing something important. When the bear shows up at one point I was really rooting for an attack - but like everything else in this movie, the bear let me down too.Think creativity is always a good thing? This movie can make you think otherwise.

contactdavid-175-182942 This is the story of a group of people who have done a hike that literally thousands of people have done before. They then present it in Reality TV fashion, so that every moment is reviewed over and over again from different people's "reflection time".Favorite moments include: - Doing laundry in the river - Realizing there is a lot of walking to do - Admiring the scenery - Talking about doing laundry - Listening to another person's take on the laundry - Talking about the long walks - Hearing someone else tell us what the long walks were like - Deciding to not walk the more difficult route - Talking about that person's decision to choose the quicker route - Another person's reflection on the walk - Recap on the laundry - Time-lapse video of tents being erected - More commentary on how long they are walking - More commentary on how long they are walkingLiterally, THOUSANDS of people have done this hike, and continue to do so annually. This is not in any way a groundbreaking feat. This is not a documentary, it is a Reality TV take on basic Boy Scout curriculum, but it is presented as though the participants are doing something outrageous. Sure, it is a long time to be out there, but it is in no way out of the realm of many high school outdoor education programs, and none of the kids on those trips make such a big deal out of it (and yes, those trips can last just as long).

Jeff Hester Hiking the 211 mile John Muir Trail is an epic adventure. It's also one of the great hiking trails that can be experienced without quitting your job and devoting five months of your life. The JMT is an adventure that lies within reach.I've thru-hiked the JMT twice. The first time was in 1980. I was young and fit, and loved every mile. It was the experience of a lifetime. Three decades later — almost to the day — I hiked the JMT once again. I was older, wiser, and while no longer the strapping lad I once was, I still completed the trail three days faster. Another experience of a lifetime.Sharing the JMT experience is a challenge. When you return from the mountain, you want to share this experience, but words alone cannot express the grandeur. Photos can delight, but they don't capture the majesty of the soaring crags or the ache in your bones after descending from Silver Pass. How do you share the magnificence of sunrise over Thousand Island Lake? How do you convey the real and perceived highs and lows as you climb over Forester Pass? How can you describe the physical and mental challenges, and the sheer triumphant joy of hiking the John Muir Trail? This is the challenge a team of creative artists took on.The MMAAH team began their JMT trek in July 2011–a year notable for a 200% snow pack. What does this mean? Twice as much snow as usual. Higher water crossings. A challenging trail, made even more challenging. Which at least in part, led to the film's name. As in, "How much further 'til we reach camp today?" "Oh, about a mile…mile and a half."The film follows the team on their southbound hike, from Yosemite Valley, up and over 10 passes, over 80,000 feet of elevation change, resupply points, meeting friends — both old and new — on the trail, and ultimately reaching the highest point in the contiguous United States — 14,505 feet tall Mt. Whitney."People are amazing. That was the biggest impression this experience left on me." – Hiroshi, a Japanese solo hiker who joined the team for the trek up Mt. WhitneyAfter both of my JMT hikes, I had a sense of sharing this experience with those who hiked these trails before me, and those who will hike them after. I longed to share the experience. Mile… Mile and a Half gives you a very real sense of what it's like to hike the John Muir Trail. The film expresses the beauty, the challenge, and the joy of this beautiful trail better than anything short of hiking it yourself.Mile…Mile and a Half is beautifully filmed, scored and edited. It features fantastic titles illustrated by trail journal extraordinaire Kolby "Condor" Kirk. MMAAH is not a dramatization. It's the real deal–real people doing something amazing, and sharing the journey. As their story unfolds, you feel like you're there with them. It grips you, and inspires you."You don't need to go to the Himalayas. You don't need to climb Mt. Everest or go to the deepest jungles of Africa to find adventure. You can find it in your own backyard." – Jason FitzpatrickYou can probably tell, I love this film. I REALLY LOVE this film. Should you see it? Hell yeah! Mile…Mile and a Half is for anyone who loves the outdoors and the beauty of the mountains. It might even inspire you to lace up your boots and hike the JMT as well.