PCT movie with Reese Witherspoon coming out

[Anonymous]

"they don't just give that blue ribbon to any ol' beer."

Oh, how it pains me to hear fellow PNWers referring to PBR as beer. :((

+1 to Jim couch's comment.

[Ian]

Oh, how it pains me to hear fellow PNWers referring to PBR as beer. :((

PBR… is without a doubt…. the best pre-microbrew beer available in the US…. in a can…. period.

But back to the OP…

I hear I can get a year's subscription to O if I see Wild so it's settled. I'm going.

[Anonymous]

"PBR… is without a doubt…. the best pre-microbrew beer available in the US…. in a can…. period."

Ever try Stroh's? ;0)

All that aside, I used to drink a lot of PBR growing up in Michigan, mostly because it was cheap. When I could afford it, Stroh's was my brew of choice. But golly, Ian, here in micro brew paradise, I dunno bro…..

[Daryl and Daryl]

Todd,

Thanks for the photos. Doesn't quite match my memory of the movie scene but then I don't have a very good memory for the visual (or non-visual for that matter).

[Bob Bankhead]

Rain forest south of Cascade Locks?

Having lived in Portland almost 30 years and hiked the Columbia Gorge for most of that, I'd say definitely, YES.

Both the PCT and the Eagle Creek Trail to Wahtum Lake are full of moss-covered everything. It continues almost to Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood, where the increased altitude and temperatures restricts (but does not stop) its development. South of Mt. Hood, the moss decreases, but between there and Cascade Locks, it's Moss Central.

[Anonymous]

Happy late birthday Daryl. How young did you turn if you don't mind me asking?

[Daryl and Daryl]

70 big ones Justin.

How old are you?

[Anonymous]

I'm 34 currently, birthday is coming up in January.

[Daryl and Daryl]

Justin,

That line from one of Rod Stewart's songs applies to you:

"time is on your side"

Doug's recent line from Chaff applies to me:

"this could be the last day of the rest of my life"

[Anonymous]

"time is on your side"

Geesh, well tell that to my spouses subconscious, she's had like 4 dreams so far that i die somewhat young, one referencing my mid 40's after we have had a few children (we don't have any currently).

[Anonymous]

"
Geesh, well tell that to my spouses subconscious, she's had like 4 dreams so far that i die somewhat young, one referencing my mid 40's after we have had a few children (we don't have any currently)."

Sounds like a compelling reason to get your tubes tied. ;0)

[Steven Paris]

Best response of the night, Tom!

[Mike Henrick]

Saw it last night, was disappointed about the lack of scenery but otherwise a bit of a heart jerker. Also all the trashy guys she encountered really sucks, sounds like that's gotten better with the increased numbers but is still a problem.

I don't think this movie will have flocks of heart broken people going out to solve their issues on PCT but it does give the trail name recognition among non-hikers. That will increase the numbers for sure (as it has already) but I don't think you'll find a lot of people claiming to be inspired by Wild and trying to have a similar experience, maybe they heard of the trail for the first time from it then looked further.

[BlackHatGuy]

"Sounds like a compelling reason to get your tubes tied. ;0)"

Ummmmm, I guess if he was in touch with his feminine side, perhaps…… :-)

[Anonymous]

"'Sounds like a compelling reason to get your tubes tied. ;0)'

Ummmmm, I guess if he was in touch with his feminine side, perhaps…… :-)"

Wheal… while i may be pretty in touch with my inner psyche feminine side, i still have all the male body parts, so that would be snipping for me.

[dirtbag]

so I saw the movie last night. I thought it was OK..nothing spectacular. I did read the book and of course, as usual, the book was way better then the movie. The movie was a bit slow and if I had not read the book I probably wouldnt have really understood the movie to its fullest. Will it inspire droves of people to go out and hike the PCT or any other trail for that matter? Probably not. There is a possibility that it may convince some to NOT do such a thing. I feel they could have done a better job with the scenery for sure..there was not many inspiring scenery scenes..like "WOW..nature is so beautiful"..I get that the book and movie where not solely about the PCT..it was more of a reflection of her past, but she did hike the PCT and that was when the book/movie was taking place..during her thru-hike. I also get that making a movie about backpacking/thru-hiking is difficult because its is not all "wow" and "ooohhh and ahhhs" and from my past experiences with actually doing it versus showing people pictures or video of when I did it..well, they never do it justice. There is NOTHING like actaully doing something like this and seeing it in real time, in person..after possibly struggling to climb or walk long distances carrying everything you need to sleep and survive in the wilderness on your back, be you solo or with someone else. So, I got it and I did enjoy the movie and while there are not many movies which involve thru hiking any of our countries beautiful long distance trails, I would recomend watching Wild, as long as you go into it without hi expectations and possibly after you have read the book.

[Mark Ries]

Didn't read the book but went and saw the movie tonite and enjoyed it despite the negative reviews I'd read prior to going. I'm kinda amazed that others can judge the author/main characters inability to cope with life as they themselves or others have gone through worse. The movie didn't dwell on it, but a drunk abusive father figure alone can leave a lot of scars and what happened I'm sure went on for more that one scene.

[Paul Magnanti]

The wife and I saw it on Christmas Eve.

I admit, here's the lengthy review:

http://www.pmags.com/so-i-saw-that-movie-a-review-of-wild

TL;DR version: I thought it was OK (3/5), the wife liked it a little better (4/5). We both felt that without the backstory of the grief and drug abuse, and the recovery from said issues, a "mere' walk on a trail would be boring for the general public. OTOH, so would a story showing several months of therapy. THe PCT journey was the needed hooked to hang the story on and make it compelling as well.

[Bob Shaver]

I hiked the part of the trail she skipped, due to snowpack (the JMT, through the Sierra)

I read the book.

I saw the movie, with my wife and daughter. The wife and daughter have not been on a backpack in years. My hiking partner saw the movie with his daughter, and it got her stoked about our upcoming week long hike in the Sierra in 2015. My wife and daughter and I liked the movie. I knew it was a movie about personal demons, with a backpacking setting. It did fine in that role. I hope it plants the seed in my wife and daughter to try backpacking again, and they know that with me along we'll have lighter gear and better food.

It was better than lots of touchy feely movies, aka chick flicks. I'd recommend it to anyone.

[Kelly G]

Saw the movie a couple weeks ago. I agree that within the context of a personal growth movie, it did well. The PCT was just the background setting. I enjoyed the areas toward the PNW but found details inaccurate. The Forest Service cabin in the Mt. Hood Ntl Forest with hiker's resupply bundles, can't think where that building actually exists, unless Clackamas Lake? Most people are headed for Timberline at that point, for resupply. Thought I recognized the green bridges and sandy beaches as Dodge Park. Laughed, along with the rest of the crowd, at the reference to unlimited return policy at REI. Smiled as the trail angel helped Cheryl go through her stuff and weed out some unnecessary weight. And yes that sopping rain-forest mossy green scene is very characteristic of Mt. Hood south of Bridge of Gods, especially the Columbia River Gorge. Looked that way today. :)
Kelly

[Elizabeth Tracy]

I give the movie a B+.

To "Wild," the book, I award an "A".

Strayed's little-known other book, "Dear Sugar," gets an "A+".

The scenes were not the spectacular we're used to when hiking cherry-picked sections of the PCT. And Reese accurately portayed the hiking itself as physically difficult. I actually hope those two factors will serve to keep some newbies from attempting (and overrunning) the trail.

– Elizabeth

[Ian]

Saw the movie with my wife last night.

Hiking to personal drama ratio in the book, if memory serves, was about a 40/60 split. Movie seemed more like a 20/80 split.

I think it gave my wife a sense of life on the trail for heavy haulers. Her words were basically "I don't get why anyone would want to sleep on the ground, walk in the heat while dehydrated and not knowing where the next water source will be, lose toenails, and carry all that weight." I explained to her that my tent weighs just an ounce or two more than Ms. Strayed's water filter and that some of her misery was self-inflicted.

I like edgy stories from authors like Selby, Bukowski, etc. so I'm no prude nor would I be turned off from the story due to the sex and drugs. I think there's a good story here but the book and movie fell a little short of what they were capable of. I think the cinematography for the movie could have been better.

The trailer for the movie was horrible. The movie exceeded my low expectations but it was pretty meh over all.

I told my wife that I wish that there was more in the movie about her experiences on the trail and more shots of the PCT. My wife thought that the segments about trail life were about right and that she has no interest in watching a movie about backpacking.

I've seen worse but this was more of a "wait for DVD" movie in my opinion.

[Katherine .]

Do you think in an alternate universe, the folks on addition/recovery forums are saying:

"It's so annoying that I've recovered from heroin, and everyone thinks I'd like this movie"
"If you go into this knowing it's really more about backpacking, and the addiction/recovery part just gives it plot device, it's a lot easier to appreciate."

?

[Paul Magnanti]

In an alternate universe where there were online forums in the 1920s, I wonder if people gripe about how this hack Hemingway wrote about fly-fishing..but not really. Too much anguish about war. And he'll ruin fishing for the rest of us fly-fishers.

[Dean L]

Hemingway didn't wreck fly fishing as he was bait fishing, remember the grasshoppers. For true ruination, it was that darn Norman Maclean. After that movie the streams were full of noisy overweight yuppies thacking the water with way too much rod, then retreating to opulent lodges to drink scotch and smoke cigars. ;)

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