Mt Whitney Zone Forums The Chat Room A Walk in the Woods - It's Finally Almost Here!

"What the hell happened to down?!"

A Walk in the Woods Trailer

Oh my goodness... I loved this book.. can't wait for the movie!!! Nolte and Redford... what a pair!!

Chris, it was originally slated to be Redford and Newman's last hurrah together. We were hiking up at Amicalola Falls (the beginning of the AT, with the approach to Springer Mountain) way back in 2008 and a park ranger told us that the two were there the previous week scouting for the movie. I remember thinking at the time that Newman would make a pretty lame Katz. So glad to see that Nolte wound up with the part - he's almost exactly like I pictured Katz in the book.

I'd loved to seen another Redford/Newman flick, but this was not the right story for the pair.

"Not the Little Debbies!!!!!"

I tried to embed the video here last night, but couldn't. (They need to put it on YouTube.)

It is going to be a fun movie to watch.

Probably one of the funniest lines in the book....

Could you imagine going for a hike and running into Newman and Redford just randomly out on the trail? Rumor (and photo's) have it that Mick Jagger took a stroll through one of my favorite local little parks here in San Diego the other day!

Like maybe this hike, Chris? Somehow, I don't see Redford and Newman on Corkscrew Peak . . .

Running into Newman would be a little creepy, don'y you think?

Anyway, it should have been Hoffman and Platt. Bryson and "Katz" were in their 40s fro cryin out loud.

Redford and Newman Almost Together Again

Aren't Redford and Hoffman pretty much the same age?

The late Phillip, not Dustin. Since Hoffman died, it should have been Paul Giamatti. I am not interested in seeing Grumpy Old Men meets Into the Wild.

Looking forward to this. Probably next year in this precinct. The last three movies that I saw in an actual theater were all about people finding themselves in the wilderness. Tracks (Robin Davidson & her camels & dog), Wild (Reese Withorwithout) and Mad Max - Fury Road (Bloody good, no Mel).

Whatever happened to Katharine Ross? Still have a bit of a crush on her.

Dave, why am I betting that began with The Graduate?

The launch-off for these AT through-hikers, and the first few days on the trail, is really an interesting phenomenon. They gather from every corner of the world at Amicalola Falls State Park in late March and early April to begin the NOBO journey. They have their photos taken for the big board at the park, and are filled with excitement and optimism. Very few imagine that they might be among the 30% who don't even make it out of the state.

A few days down the trail many are ready to quit - usually after having their butts soundly kicked by Blood Mountain. Altitude is never an issue here, but the trails are rugged and steep. Switchbacks were not in vogue when many trails in the east were built. Coming down off of Blood Mountain, they arrive at another unique phenomenon - Mountain Crossings. Think of a Portal Store on steroids. Many arrive dispirited and ready to throw in the towel.

Winton Porter , the owner since 2001, and his staff rejuvenate a lot of these would-be quitters with a night or two in the hostel, a few hot meals, and a process called The Shakedown (see YouTube). His staff will go through your pack with you in detail, typically removing unnecessary poundage and shipping back home for the hiker. This exercise, and the advice he and his staff provide, has become legendary on the AT, and prevents that 30% figure from going even higher. He wrote an award-winning book a few years ago, Just Passin' Thru , that I highly recommend.

Winton bought Mountain Crossings/Walasi-Yi a few years after Bryson had completed his hike, so A Walk in the Woods didn't reflect this dynamic. If Bill and Katz had had the opportunity to visit a Porter-owned Mountain Crossings, I think it would have merited a full chapter in the book.

Sadly, Winton sold the store in 2013, but the new owners are committed to carrying on his legacy of being the premier through-hiker haven on the AT.

That's sorta like VVR used to be - hope that hasn't changed...

VVR?

Vermillion Valley Resort. Lake St. Thomas A. Edison

Ah - got it!

Married and living happily ever after to Sam Elliot, raising trout in Malibu.

Sounds fishy to me.

Just got back from seeing the flick with my wife, and we agreed Hollywood has bungled another fine book. The cinematography was great, the casting good, but many of the things that made the book so wonderful were either glossed over or missing completely. The humor is all contained in the trailer - nothing really new in the movie.

At the point where we were introduced to Grizzlies roaming Virginia's Shenandoah (or maybe it was the Smokies - the progression was very unclear), I was tempted to get up and call it a night . . .

Without Bryson's book as a reference point, probably not a bad movie overall, as movies go nowadays. Just not the pop to the storylines that the book contained. I suspect that the huge increase in traffic that the PCT and JMT saw this summer with the Wild effect will be duplicated on the AT next year due to this flick. And that's a shame. The AT is uber-busy as it is and cannot handle a significant increase in traffic - especially more clueless, wanna-be-Redford traffic - without something giving.