Product Details

• Actors: Brian Burnham, Leon Godwin, Max Schoenberger
• Format: Color, NTSC
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Number of discs: 1
• Studio: Cirque Productions
• DVD Release Date: January 1, 2004
• Run Time: 100 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (44 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002DFWHQ
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #19,952 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

Follow 4 hikers as they navigate their way through a 2200-mile hike in the Appalachian Trail in the "Trek". Hikers and non-hikers alike acclaim the film captures the raw essence of the trail; from the "food mood" and physical accomplishment to the mental anguish.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It will hold your interest, October 28, 2006

By 

Candace Scott (Lake Arrowhead, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: TREK - A Journey on the Appalachian Trail (DVD)

Someday I will do an AT thru hike and bought this DVD primarily because of the rave reviews here. It was an enjoyable viewing experience but not quite what I had anticipated.

Don't expect a lot of scenes from the actual AT itself or much scenary. The focus of the movie is on the four young guys making the thru hike. They are interviewed extensively throughout the experience and they comment on food, terrain, trail towns, fatique, thirst and other aspects of the thru hike. All of them were pleasant and reasonably interesting, but I found myself aching to see more of the trail itself. There are tantalizingly brief glimpses of the Balds, the Whites and the rocky sections in Pennsylvania. I would have liked to have seen more of the scenery.

Another small criticism is that there are segments utterly extraneous from the trail. Two examples are a video chapter on drinking a gallon of milk in a short period time and then the boys going off to Manhatten. Most people might enjoy these snippets, but again, I'd rather see and vicariously experience the AT itself.

The last segment when they celebrate on Katahdin was interesting and emotional, as well their musings of having to return to the real world and the dreaded "work environment." Ouch!

I recommend this for people who have done the AT or who plan on doing it. The film is well-made, compact and entertaining.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tennessee lady, April 20, 2004

By 

marion corby (chuckey, tn United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 250W 1U Switching Power Supply (Personal Computers)

I loved this film. I wanted to see what it was really like to go through the entire trail day after day for 5 months. The ups & downs of the trek. On one hand you have the spectacular scenery from the mountaintops, the wildlife,the wildflowers, waterfalls but you have to contend with rain, cold, blisters, your whole body aching. But it looked like it was worth it when they finally reached the end of the trail everyone was so happy. Happy at what they had accomplished & happy in a way that it was over. I recommend this film to anyone who loves the great outdoors. It is truly inspiring.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helping me plan my dream..., April 5, 2004

By 

Beelzebub (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 250W 1U Switching Power Supply (Personal Computers)

Get out your notepads and take some notes because this documentary ISN'T your typical scenic documentary that tells nothing of what trail life is really like. While TREK does include some beautiful scenery, the footage mainly serves the purpose to describe the terrain one would encounter. Although the scenic documentaries might inspire the recluse or Throeau-like hiker to hit the trail, TREK gives a real account of what it's like to complete the AT in its entirety.

Having hiked some of the more difficult portions of the trail in New England, I could relate to the hikers mental and physical ups and downs. But watching them surmount much adversity and work together as a team to accomplish their goal made me want to quit my job today and start hiking!

I would like to hike the entire AT one day and TREK also provided great instructional tips for before and during the hike like mail drops and shedding backpack pounds. I also appreciated the more human element present in the film that culminated in a great summit finale with a lot of the friends they met along the way.