New Trail Buddies: The Muir Project & American Hiking Society
5 Mar
GUEST POST: By Gregory Miller, President, and Leigh Scott, Director of Development – American Hiking Society
Some things were just meant to go together: Good Old Raisins and Peanuts (yes – that’s GORP!); a well-provisioned backpack and a long, winding trail; a sturdy pair of hiking boots and some comfy wicking socks; and American Hiking Society and The Muir Project. While we’re sure that you’re familiar with the first three combos, the last one takes a bit of explaining.
As the only national voice for hikers, American Hiking Society is not normally connected with one particular trail – as we must speak for all American hikers and the trails they love. Our mission contains a broad mandate to promote and protect America’s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas, and the hiking experience. And our signature programs, including National Trails Day®, Volunteer Vacations, and the National Trails Fund, truly do have an impact all across the country.
Yet even though we must often metaphorically fly at 30,000 feet, we’re still hikers at heart – so we love to get our boots on the ground and connect with special trails and beloved natural places. We’re big fans of majestic, snow-capped peaks, bordered by aquamarine lakes; delicate petals of tiny wildflowers, lining the edge of the trail as it winds beneath a verdant forest canopy; and jewel-toned butterflies, pausing to sip the sweet nectar from blossoms in a meadow. And when we’re hard at work in the office and can’t be there in person, we enjoy the wilderness vicariously through photos, art and film.
That’s why we’re enthralled by Mile… Mile & a Half. It is a splendid documentary of the experiences encountered by a team of artists, musicians, and photographers during their month-long journey on a very special trail. The John Muir Trail (JMT) is much more than just the trail tread and miles. It is a wonderful sensory experience, physical challenge, and spiritual uplift. When we’ve hiked the JMT, we’ve confronted the arduous challenge of thousands of feet of vertical climb (and descent!), but we’ve also been moved by the rhythm of the mountains and we’ve experienced nature on our own terms.
We think the film is wonderfully inspirational and should serve as a source of encouragement to people who might become active in the outdoors after seeing the film. And we believe that the filmmakers have found the right balance between showing beautiful vistas and depicting the sometimes difficult realities of life on the trail – steep, exhausting climbs; unexpectedly deep snowpack; wrong turns; and heavy backpacks. As their story indicates, the right gear and preparations can help to ensure that every hike becomes a successful journey – which fits nicely with our continuing educational outreach regarding American Hiking’s 10 Essentials of Hiking.
And so it is that we have formed a partnership with The Muir Project, because we see a very clear fit between the film’s ability to inspire hikers and our mission to protect trails and promote the hiking experience. We’re proud to be trail buddies with this great team and look forward to hiking together for a long, long time.
Amongst Friends
25 Jan
We ventured down to San Diego for an event at Adventure 16, and were greeted by nearly 150 new friends that came early and stayed late for all of the fun. (LIVE MUSIC + LARGE PRINTS + FOOD & DRINK + NEW VIDEOS + NEW FRIENDS)
We were flattered by the incredible turn-out and by the overwhelming support by our friends at Adventure 16. (Special thanks to store manager Ben Reade for being such a gracious host.)
John Mead, President of Adventure 16, was on hand to pass out popcorn and some mighty fine praise. He had this to say after the event.
“What a great night of film, photography, original live music, stories, inspiration and about the cutest little girl dancing to it all that you’d ever seen (Jen & Ric’s daughter). We’ve had some awesome presentations over the past 50 years but hands down this was the best. What a blast. Thank you to our wonderful Customers and to all our Friends at the Muir Project for making it such a memorable evening!”
We are so lucky to have made friends with John, this incredible organization & all of the attendees.
We’ll see you along the trail!
Kolby Kirk: Journaling for MILE… MILE & A HALF
22 Jan
Kolby Kirk (aka, The Hike Guy) was kind enough to contribute a guest blog for us, talking about his connection with The Muir Project and his contribution to the film, MILE… MILE & A HALF.
I only briefly met The Muir Project on the trail in the summer of 2011. Little did I know that it would lead to a powerful collaboration and a honored spot on their team. I was hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to as far north as my feet and the weather would allow. In the Sierra, the Pacific Crest Trail and John Muir Trail share the same ground for a while. Our encounter was brief, like two strangers passing on a street. I was on my 88th day of my journey, sitting on the side of the trail with two very attractive JMTers. “Did you hear about the team that’s carrying all of this camera gear?’ said the raven-haired beauty with striking blue eyes. “They’re coming down the trail now.” I was in awe. It’s one thing to hike the John Muir Trail, but to do it with so much extra gear? Amazing.
I waved as they passed. I hoped they would join us for a bit and rest their legs so I could ask them more about their project, but they were on a mission. They hiked with a purpose. They hiked like thru hikers. Soon after, while my campfire flickered and popped, I wondered what it must’ve been like to travel with a troupe of artistic and talented people that made up The Muir Project.
About a month later, while resupplying in town, I found their website, watched “Almost There” in awe, and posted a comment. Ric Serena responded and, before long, we were in e-mail communications which eventually lead to joining the team.
For MILE… MILE & A HALF, I created the title cards using the journals and images that the team recorded on their journey. My goal was to incorporate my style of trail journaling – small writing, detailed sketches and watercolor painting – into the documentary. As the film was sculpted, I received a copy to use in creating my work. It was clear that many aspects of the journey undertaken by The Muir Project mirrored my own. In fact, I think all hikers will relate to the trepidation, thrills, toils, and triumphs they beautifully captured. I feel honored to have been able to work on such an amazing and awesome piece. I know that once you see it, you’ll be motivated to get outside and explore.
Another Artist from the Trail
27 Dec
Not only is he a ridiculously talented guy, he’s obviously a serious outdoorsman too. We’re stoked to share this guest post from the man helping to recraft our on-line world: Justin Bernard
I first heard about The Muir Project and Mile, Mile & A Half in early 2012 via numerous outdoor blogs. On first view of the teaser trailer for the project, I was instantly captivated. Only a small percentage of the Sierra Nevada mountains is easily accessible (over 95% of Yosemite is designated wilderness). I was beyond excited at the realization that this film was going to take to the masses a taste of what lies outside the average visitor’s view.
My passion for the Sierra range runs deep. After several visits spanning 15 years, I began, in the summer of ’09, knocking around the idea of a thru-hike of the JMT. Being an avid ultramarathoner, I began to research the feasibility of a compressed itinerary thru-hike. Like many people, I didn’t have the time to take off a month from a busy work schedule to experience the trail in its fullness… but I did have around a week. At the time, while training regularly with 30+ mile trail runs, I reasoned that if I could travel light, fully self support, and maintain that pace, a sub 8 day pass would be possible. On September 27, 2009, I reached Mount Whitney summit 7 days, 8 hours after departing Happy Isles in Yosemite Valley. Consuming approximately 4,500 calories a day, I still managed to lose 11 lbs of body weight. Needing to maintain a daily average of 30-35 miles and 7,500′ of climb, I quickly learned which items carried on my back were a requirement or a luxury. Every day seemingly built upon the beauty of the previous, with views growing grander after reaching every mountain pass. It was/is the single most challenging and rewarding experience I’ve ever had outdoors. Plans are set for a sub 6 day attempt in the Summer of ’13, and I can’t wait.
While not on the trail, I run an interactive design shop called Angry Bear located in the Blue Ridge mountains of Asheville, North Carolina. Our team handles interactive, mobile, trade show and digital installation projects for a mix of great clients including Coca-Cola, Disney, Ford, Kawasaki, and Sony. We have a great passion for working with brands that support an active outdoor lifestyle. Accordingly, I’m pleased to announce that we at Angry Bear are partnering with The Muir Project as digital agency. We are more than excited for the content we will be deploying in the near future and we sincerely hope that it helps further this great project.
See you on the trail!
Justin Bernard
Angry Bear
You Are What You Eat
3 Dec
Backpacking is not a hobby of “classic” luxuries. The scenery is breathtakingly beautiful and the experience of living in that particular moment as you absorb the world around you is something that no IMAX theater can ever truthfully convey. More often than not, as in always, there has been a grueling hike that takes you to the place of monumental beauty where you currently find yourself. It is during these moments, experiencing the surrounding world of impossibly towering peaks, pristine meadows, and glacially-tinted serpentine rivers, that you can truly come to understand the importance, dare I say necessity, of Top Ramen.
I could not believe when we started the trip that there was even an argument as to why we should carry the “Nourishment of the Godstm”?! It is second nature, to me at this point, that someone will be carrying enough of the “goods” so that every evening we have an appetizer before dinner. I realize that most “normal” folks, including the company I kept on the trail, considered this to be a ridiculous notion. “I ate ramen in college”, is usually the response to the addition of ramen to a trip. I understand this argument, however it is an argument without merit. If you are a backpacker, you are by definition, not “normal”. Most “normal” folks would not leave the comforts of home to sleep, uncomfortably in the woods, but that’s why we backpackers are AWESOME! Haha. Ramen is kind of like that, not necessarily something you would eat on a regular basis, but good goddamn it has it’s moments of absolute, cloud clearing, brilliance.
The food that has been developed for backpacking over the last 30 years is incredible, the fact that you can choose between Chili Mac and Pad Thai is honestly a little ridiculous. My early memories of camping involve the unholy beast that is Hamburger Helper, specifically “Beef Stroganoff” which I suppose is awesome if you’re starving and crave powdered milk and Milwaukee’s idea of taco seasoning, but does not under any circumstances, as their tagline implies, “Make a Great Meal”, but I digress. Ramen is the backpacking food of choice to me for a few reasons; it is light, it cooks quickly, and it provides you with both carbohydrates and electrolytes. I serve it only as an appetizer to dinner and it is absolutely the champion of backpacking apps. Think of it this way, you’ve just finished an 8 hour hike, you’re exhausted and setting up camp, and someone hands you a cup full of spicy (always carry a vial of cayenne pepper) noodles in piping hot broth. It is impossible to beat. I have 4 converts from this last trip alone who were extremely vocal unbelievers prior to our dry run hike. I challenge you, if you are an unbeliever, to bring it on your next trip and prove me wrong.
Ramen is a luxury item…and one of the few luxuries that I refuse to backpack without.
