nytimes: review of Wild

[rickb]

Just chewing on my thoughts, not being judgmental, but will this movie lead to a massive increase in trail traffic for the next decade much as did BB in 1996? I see similarities but also differences.

This is just the preamble.

The massive impact will be when Nick Nolte, Emma Thompson and Robert Redford make a star of the AT.

Wild sounds terrific, but at its heart it sounds to be one woman's personal story after going down a misguided path of promiscuity, drugs and such.

Even if it stars some dinosaurs, AWITW will the one that leads to a massive increase in trail Traffic, IMO.

[colorado_rob]

Just chewing on my thoughts, not being judgmental, but will this movie lead to a massive increase in trail traffic for the next decade much as did BB in 1996?

I sure hope so. the more people that get into this most wonderful past time, the better, given that the total numbers of people that do long distance hiking will never be very large. I very much look forward to seeing this movie (opens next week in Denver) and also hiking the PCT myself in 2016, and the more people the merrier along the way.

[Coffee]

Anyone who is concerned that the movie will greatly increase the number of thru hikers on the PCT should just go and see the movie and I believe most of the concerns will be alleviated. Strayed section hiked from Mojave to Kennedy Meadows and then from Donner Pass to the Oregon/Washington state line and it took three months and was portrayed as lonely, hot, arid, and waterless with no real trail community to say nothing of a "trail family". I doubt that anyone who goes to this moving will think that hiking nearly 3 times as far in similar conditions (of course, not accurate but a casual film viewer wouldn't know that) would be an attractive proposition. Now if the Sierra Nevada was portrayed in the film, then all bets would be off but, to their credit, the film producers did not show the high Sierra since that would have been inaccurate.

My only strategy for avoiding crowds is to start five days before kick off. Beyond that I'm just done worrying about it.

[Connie]

BB 1996? Huh?

[rafe]

BB 1996? Huh?

Bill Bryson. His hike was in '95. Same year as Chery Strayed's hike, I think.