Customer Reviews

2000 Miles to Maine: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

This movie really stuck with me thoughout my thru-hike. The transformation of the main character, Chad, truly depicts the mental challenge of the trail (or the first 2 hellish months at least). My favorite part is when a thru-hiker states that he doesn't really eat Snickers bars but instead swallows them like a pill (SO true!!!) As others have said, much of the mid-trail is skipped (I love virginia); however, it is overall an entertaining, funny look at the thru hiker culture. Appalachian trail movies are interesting in that no matter which year is depicted, the perspectives are COMPLETELY different. Looking forward to seeing TREK next.
-Elwood Blues NOBO '04

I first read about this video on WhiteBlaze.net, a web site dedicated to the Appalachian Trail. Now that I have bought it I am very pleased. It offers an open and frank look at the challenge of hiking America's Premier Hiking Trail the Appalachian Trail, end to end, all in one season. You follow a number of hikers but mostly you see "Chad", as he begins in Georgia and when he makes it to Mt. Katadin in Maine. I too am an AT hiker but only in sections. I have watched this video several times. Good Fun!

Anybody thinking bout hiking the Appalachian trail or any other long trail needs to watch this show, It inspired me to load up my pack and go hiking and camping, Its also a show i can watch over and over and get something new out of it each time. It also feeds the dream in the back of my head that someday i to will set foot on the Appalachian trail.

Within 24 hours of receiving my copy of 2000 Miles to Maine I had watched it three times! Morse's hard work and devotion to the project translates into a captivating documentary following several thru hikers on the Appalachian Trail. The characters are entertaining, the footage is excellent and the production work brings it all together. It is a great piece of work!

This film is simply outstanding. The Appalachian Trail is tough. Douglas does an outstanding job of documenting just how hard the job of a thru-hiker is. From Springer Mountain to Mount Katahdin, 2,172 miles plus, the film shows how these brave souls fight rain, bugs, injuries, loneliness, hunger and motivation to complete one of the toughest treks found anywhere.

I found that just telling people about the Trail just didn't cut the mustard. They're used to driving up to Newfound Gap or Mount Washington, getting out of their car and walking 50 yards on the AT. "Wow, this isn't so tough," they say. When they see this film, they get a sense of just how hard the Trail really is.

I'm not a thru-hiker (yet). But I've hiked sections, including the Trail in Maine to the summit of Mt. Katahdin, and this film brought back real emotions when I watched it. You can't go wrong with this wonderful work.

This is a straight forward look at a season on the AT and its typical array of hikers. The film covers the early crowds from Springer to Neel's Gap, the section hikers and the thinning, but diligent, hikers who finish on Katahdin. Certainly not an overproduced, glitzy depiction, the film gives an inside look at the real experience of covering 2000+ miles on foot in the back woods of the eastern U.S. I only wish Morse had the time to cover more of the middle section of the trail and a few more of the hikers who went all the way.

i had first heard of this documentary last october (at the Gathering), and couldn't wait to see it! like many people, i've been bitten with the hiking bug...and enjoy sharing the perspectives of other hikers.

this movie did not dissappoint! it gave a concise history of the appalachian trail, and those individuals that attempt to 'thru-hike' it in one season. the film maker introduced us to several hikers, each with different mind sets, and expectations of trail life.

it does not take long to realize the magnitude of the appalachian experience, and the importance of the people you meet along the way.

ultimately this film maker captured the essence of any long distance hiking experience: there will always be (pointless) 'ups and downs,' sometimes there will be rain, and most importantly you have to feel fortunate to simply experience this adventure.