View Full Version : AZY thru-hiker documentary
On youtube and a full 45 minutes in length. Have not watched it yet, but it looks to be interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SsuOJtyNQOU
foreversuperawesome
12-05-2013, 13:09
I've watched a few times, it's a good documentary. Has all the pretty pictures we want and he narrates his walk in a way that's not boring either. I like videos over picture slideshows. It helps get a better look at what the trail is like. I'd recommend you watch it :)
Like the transformation he went through on his hike and the awareness he gained. His appreciation of what he was able to experience was repeatedly evident. Him knowing that what he experienced and gained wasn't something to be hidden under a rock but was to be shared with others as a solo hiker was great to witness. Thought the vid lacked a bit in portraying the wider diversity of Arizona scenery that one can experience on a AZT thru-hike. His vid of Wilderness of Rocks was very good but IMO obviously lacked in places like the Grand Canyon and Saguaro NPs. I saw no wildlife in the vid or interaction with other people whether in town or on the trail which can be part of a 800 mile thru-hike. Saw few amazing sunrises and sunsets in the vid which is something I would expect thru-hiking the AZT. Most of all, and I think it is part of a result of his overall personality, the vid lacked personal energy and enthusiasm of one doing a documentray. Seems like he was whooped so often like his sustained energy lacked when he was filming. If he took 60 days to do 800 miles w/ a few zeros thrown in I'll assume he wasn't doing huge MPD averages(maybe 16 mpd avg) so that could not account for his lack of energy. It was hot but he said he had recently spent time in HOT Tucson for several months so knew what to expect as far as heat on the AZT. And, other than water hauls, his gear wt didn't seem overly burdensome. Liked the music but it seems SO MANY doing hiking YouTube vids use much the same folksy background soundtrack. I really needed a little more energy in the vid.
fireneck
12-21-2013, 02:25
Glad I took the time to watch it. He has a background in video, so there is some decent production value there. Dogwood has a some great points I things that are not portrayed in the video very well. Overall, great video/account.
It was a good vid.
I kept looking for specific dates as to when he hiked. I may have missed it but the only thing I saw was early 2011.
I always chuckle when I see a picture of the East Verde River, or any other River in AZ, and wonder what folks must think. Unless there is a large spring runoff or a series of rain storms, then most rivers appear to be more like a creek, to someone east of the Mississippi.
That water at Marshall Lake, is really, not "nasty". It only looks nasty because the lake is so shallow that it is filled with vegetation. Nasty is when you come across a small water source where cattle congregate. Lets not think about that..............
He shot a scene where a small flow of water comes across the trail and flows into a small pool. In the desert, those tiny flows will literally disappear from view as it travels underneath the gravel and, hopefully, reappear downstream. They are like small gems in a sea of tan.
Towards the end he talks about how everyday is different and something new appears, and he is right. Its subtle differences and its hard to describe. You can mainly see it as certain plants appear and then disappear. Saguaros, Century Plants, and Prickly Pears are all sensitive to the surrounding environment. They will come and go.
According to a brief blurb in the beginning of the film, he started in Aug going SoBo. :O
According to a brief blurb in the beginning of the film, he started in Aug going SoBo. :O
The Walk Across Arizona is a visual film project of an 800 mile solo hike from the Utah to the Mexico Border via the Arizona trail.
Behind the scenes documentary coming soon!
I began this project in 2011 with the intention of exhibiting Arizona's vast beauty and diversity by thru hiking from Utah to the Mexico border. I wanted this to be a visual reference for anyone interested in the newly completed Arizona Trail. The trip consisted of a wide array of challenges -- everything from 105° heat to a daylong hail storm. Finding water was by far the most difficult part of the trail. On average, I consumed anywhere from 1-2 gallons of water a day. Though I will always loathe the taste and smell, cow ponds were my saving grace. I gained a large appreciation for the abundance of clean water I once took for granted. Shooting the film also brought its own set of difficulties. I carried 5lbs of video equipment including 2 cameras (Panasonic GH2 and GoPro), a small tripod, solar panel, and extra batteries. It wasn't easy worrying about shooting a film when there was a laundry list of other things I had to be concerned with. As with anything, finding a balance between the hike and the film was imperative. This project has literally taken blood, sweat, and tears to complete and I'm proud that it's finally finished. I hope you enjoy the film!
To purchase the DVD with special features, vist:
http://tarwoodmedia.com/store
Category
Travel & Events (http://www.youtube.com/travel)
License
Standard YouTube License
Man oh man............I must be blind, I still don't see it!!
I listened to it again and he says he started hiking 8 months after he had the idea...........
ratherbclimbin
07-25-2014, 21:44
Like the transformation he went through on his hike and the awareness he gained. His appreciation of what he was able to experience was repeatedly evident. Him knowing that what he experienced and gained wasn't something to be hidden under a rock but was to be shared with others as a solo hiker was great to witness. Thought the vid lacked a bit in portraying the wider diversity of Arizona scenery that one can experience on a AZT thru-hike. His vid of Wilderness of Rocks was very good but IMO obviously lacked in places like the Grand Canyon and Saguaro NPs. I saw no wildlife in the vid or interaction with other people whether in town or on the trail which can be part of a 800 mile thru-hike. Saw few amazing sunrises and sunsets in the vid which is something I would expect thru-hiking the AZT. Most of all, and I think it is part of a result of his overall personality, the vid lacked personal energy and enthusiasm of one doing a documentray. Seems like he was whooped so often like his sustained energy lacked when he was filming. If he took 60 days to do 800 miles w/ a few zeros thrown in I'll assume he wasn't doing huge MPD averages(maybe 16 mpd avg) so that could not account for his lack of energy. It was hot but he said he had recently spent time in HOT Tucson for several months so knew what to expect as far as heat on the AZT. And, other than water hauls, his gear wt didn't seem overly burdensome. Liked the music but it seems SO MANY doing hiking YouTube vids use much the same folksy background soundtrack. I really needed a little more energy in the vid.
That's pretty critical for someone who just provided everyone with free entertainment. Finding a balance of filming while hiking is not easy.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I727 using Tapatalk 2
The perspective I take from the intentions of the starter of this thread and from anyone who posts a vid on YouTube is that the material(entertainment) is open for criticism. If you look closely at my post, while may seeming harsh, it also offers comments of constructive criticism and praise. This is how I would hope my posts are interpreted.
In addition to what I stated above, I enjoyed it most when Trevor showed greater emotion, he was less monotone in voice and physiology, like at 35:10 when he says, "I'm starting to really get sentimental about everything", at 37:10 when he let's out that shout and you see him in an energetic stance with his trekking poles held out above his head shot in profile during sunset( a great shot!), and when he reaches the southern AZT terminus and says with extreme emotion, "I fruckin did it!" These inflections grabbed my attention and broke that monotone lack of energy vibe I felt coursing at times.
What I think also leant to the monotone lack of energy vibe I got is the entire soundtrack is all the same folksy acoustical guitar music of the same rhythm and beat. While I love this type of music, especially when used for background music in hiking and outdoor vids, I do appreciate it punctuated with occasional music that changes the tone, the vibe, with more upbeat energetic songs even if they are still folksy acoustical guitar pieces.
What I greatly liked, in addition to what I stated above, again, is Trevor's sharing of his appreciation and introspective insights. It was also a nice touch that we could follow along with the occasionally superimposed Arizona state map and Arizona Trail with the red dot depicting where he as at on what day and miles hiked so far.
Please note that I made my comment before it was shared that 5 lbs of camera equipment were included in his kit or that he hiked starting in August which could have affected the weight of his water carries hence his energy levels, flora and flora experienced, and the light, which could have affected sunset and sunrise shots. While there was a decent amount of diversity of shots I sure would have appreciated sunset, sunrise, or nighttime full moon rise shots looking out over the Grand Canyon and possibly, in the same situation, a mature saguaro forest. :sun
Although the chronological order of the hike seems almost entirely correct as viewed on the vid I caught where the it showed him going into Superior and then into Kearny which doesn't seem right for a AZT SOBOer as Kearny is north of Superior. Why no pics of Picketpost MT or that area either. I wonder if he didn't head into Superior by hiking out to the highway early, hence walking past Boyce Thompson Arboretum, and not going around Picketpost?
Fireplug
05-23-2016, 00:35
I will say I have watched his video several times. That's video got me really into hiking. Thanks Tarwood.