Product Details

• Actors: Chad Molter
• Directors: Douglas Morse
• Format: Full Screen, NTSC
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Appalachian Adventures
• DVD Release Date: January 1, 2004
• Run Time: 85 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002JSC68
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #75,782 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Review

Watching the trail end without fanfare, without outside praise but rather with overwhelming personal success and gratification gave me hope in the spirit and steadfast resolve of mankind. It's almost tear-jerking, honestly. I will be watching this film again. In fact, if there was a 2000 Miles to Maine book, I'd buy it too. Sometimes I feel sucked into self-doubt, but this was singly the most uplifting true story I've seen since The Rookie and this didn't even have baseball in it. --The Glossy News, Brian White

Product Description

Inspired by Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, director Douglas Morse and producer Heide Estes traveled to the southern terminus of the Appalachian Trail in Georgia. They wanted to capture the stories of those who had planned for months, left families, left jobs and set aside half a year for the trek to Maine - and then quit the trail after their first week. Hundreds of them. Some after one day.

Morse and Estes found some hikers leaving the trail, but became fascinated with all of the hikers they met. From Jack, who got stuck with an angry dog, to Malice and Kentucky, the Cheech and Chong of the A.T., to Matt and Angie, who planned to get married on the trail when they reached Pennsylvania.

On the first day out, Estes and Morse met Chad, an easy going guy in excellent shape who found himself tempted to walk off the trail after just a few days. Hikers like Chad become our eyes and ears on the journey to Maine's Mount Katahdin, more than 2000 miles from Springer Mountain in Georgia.

2000 Miles to Maine is perfect for trail enthusiasts and those planning thru hikes, as well as the armchair set who want to get a fascinating glimpse of trail life and culture. A mother lode of information on trip planning, gear selection and the day to day realities of life on the trail.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This engaging DVD has the ring of authenticity, July 11, 2004

By 

Timecheck "backpack45.com - Camino Chronicle... (Oakland, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2000 Miles to Maine: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail (DVD)

I played it through three times in two days to fully get the flavor of it. I haven't walked the Appalachian Trail, but after reading White Blaze Fever, I thought I had a feel for it. Maybe, but the visual really drives it home.

The opening music of this DVD got me in a good frame of mind for the trials and triumphs of these Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. The photographer and interviewer start in Georgia at Springer Mountain, the AT beginning, interviewing starting hikers. The hikers look unseasoned; some think they will make it but we are not so sure.

The filming jumps ahead from point to point on the trail, showing other hikers and some of the initial ones. This must have been a wet year (2002). There are a lot of scenes with fog thru the trees. One scene I remember vividly where my first impression was the sound of rain, then the rustle of wet ponchos. Some of the hikers you see again and again, initially at some low points, and then getting more and more confident - "feeling bulletproof" as one hiker put it.

The stories within stories capture your attention i.e. Will and his dog. How wide the Kennebeck River is. The segment where Jessie talks about the trees and she rolls her eyes. The interactions at the shelters.

At the end, as hikers are reaching Mt. Katahdin, I am feeling suspiciously sentimental.

To wrap it up, I would recommend this to any long distance hiker, and particularly AT hikers or their friends. This reminds me of the PCT documentary WALK - if you like one, you will like the other.

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best I've seen, April 18, 2005

By 

JodiT. (Texas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2000 Miles to Maine: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail (DVD)

I just purchased and viewed 2000 Miles to Maine and Trek. Both videos are very good but 2000 Miles wins my vote. I did have two small problems with it though. Too much of the trail was missing and I didn't fully buy into the camera crew just bumping into Chad all the time. I thought the scene where he doubts his ability to do the trail was contrived. He seemed like part of the cast to me. Regardless I still liked following his hike and thought he was very likable. He seemed to appreciate and respect his undertaking. The thing I liked most about this film over Trek was that we were introduced to many more hikers with varying ages, which meant different views, attitudes and personalities. Not some collective frat house mentality. Well done.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A story about Hiker to Hiker interaction., March 24, 2005

By 

TinMan (Springfield Virginia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2000 Miles to Maine: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail (DVD)

I liked this DVD. I would have given it 5 stars but it left out alot of trail. I would like to have heard more about individual stories. About how people came to hiking. What their life was like alone on the trail. The difficult times. Good times. etc. There wasn't much of that. Most of the DVD is about hikers interacting with other hikers. The interviewer gives open general questions. Like - "Whats going on now?" - "How are you feeling?". Hikers just seem to give their impressions of the momemt. Not much reflection on yesterday or vision of whats ahead. The story seems to follow one individual in his quest to reach the end of the trail in Maine. I liked this. However. Seeing the isolation of this person. The tired and worn expression. I won't tell you what happens in the end. I will say. Now I know why people quit the hike before completion. Overall a good DVD.