Anything that has the same vibe as backpacking:) I have some time this week to watch some shows and it’s too hot to actually get outside so I must live vicariously through the screen for a bit💕
Favorite nature/backpacking/outdoorsey documentaries or movies?
QuestionWild. The book is good too.
It's an entertaining movie, I just can't get over how wildly inaccurate everything in it is.
Ok, I love hiking but have no experience with thru hiking:-) what is inaccurate? Cheers
Well, in the movie she "starts" the hike like 150 miles into the PCT. Her pack is massive. Places are mis named and/or have an inaccurate location. Trail culture isn't properly represented. Lots of stuff.
The Barkley Marathons on Netflix is a must-watch
127 hours, The Alpinist, The ritual (horror), Backcountry (horror), Into the Wild
Not exactly what you're looking for, but some of these are entertaining and take me back to good memories while out in nature. I especially loved into the wild, that movie is a masterpiece and one of my favorite movies ever.
Backcountry! Forgot about that one. I had the song he sings in the car on repeat for months.
I like the show Alone. I’ll second backcountry as someone mentioned. The alpinist. Into the wild. Mile, mile and a half.
Valley Uprising. It’s about the early days of rock climbing. I highly recommend it
Leave No Trace, about a father & daughter living in a wooded park, was pretty good.
A Walk in the Woods, not movie greatness but a cute buddy movie and the AT is the co-star so there are lots of beautiful scenes of the Appalachians.
The book is even better.
180 Degrees South is a good documentary
Not backpacking but climbing/mountain porn - Cerro Torre: A Snowball's Chance in Hell.
It's about climbing a route in Patagonia. The Warren Miller level camera work of Patagonia is incredible. The main person: David Lama has a fascinating story as the son of a Sherpa but born in Austrian. The whole thing is really interesting. David would later die, far too young, in an avalanche in the Canadian Rockies with Hansjörg Auer and Jess Roskelley.
It's a fantastic, critically acclaimed movie! Just a minor side note, David Lama was Austrian not German :)
Fixed!
I am glad it got critical acclaim. It was more than I expected as a mountain movie.
If you find a good one, who is not out there mostly trying to self promote, be IG famous, or make money off of it, there are lots of AT thru hikers who youtube their whole hikes. It is usually done in short videos that cover a certain time span or georgraphic distance. One of my favorites had the trail name Frozen and his youtube channel was Outdoor Adventures. His 2019 thru hike was some fun watching!
There are also some great PCT hikes on YouTube. I really enjoyed The Art of Walking and to Measure a Mile. Arielle Shipe’s thru hike last year was pretty good too.
The Way. Great movie about hiking the Camino. Directed by Emilio Estevez.
Mile, Mile and a Half. Travel vlog Group of friends hiking the John Muir Trail, took high endish video and sound equipment and got some gorgeous stuff.
Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold - Disney Plus Sea Gypsies - Amazon Prime
The father that moved the mountains
Mediocre Amateur is a YouTube channel with trail running/hiking/ski mashups.
They have great ‘snippet’ videos of iconic hikes.
So not quite what you're probably looking for, but Hunt for the Wilderpeople follows a young boy as he winds up learning to survive in the wilderness. It's more homesteady than backpacky, but a really lovely film that showcases what being in nature can do for us.
Into the Wild is good, but such a heartbreaker.
Hunt for the Wilderpeople is a gem. Starring Sam Neill, directed by Taika Waititi, what more could you want?
In a similar vein but set in the American West, I really enjoyed the Steve Zahn movie Cowboys.
Meru. Probably lesser known than Free Solo (though still short-listed for an Oscar, I believe), but it’s my favorite Jimmy Chin/Chai Vasarhelyi documentary. Just an absolutely insane story.
The Ranger, the Cook, and a Hole in the Sky
Cocaine Bear lol
One of my favorite movies is 180° South.
The film follows adventurer Jeff Johnson as he retraces the epic 1968 journey of his heroes Yvon Chouinard and Doug Tompkins to Patagonia.
There's sailing, there's hiking, things go wrong. It's not a very dramatic documentary, but gosh is it pretty and the music is fine. It's just a great vibe.
If you like comedy horror try Get Duked. Here's the synopsis:
A camping trip in the Scottish Highlands turns into a fight for survival when four teens become the target of vicious hunters.
That makes it sound like straight up horror, but it's hilarious.
Dirtbag. The legend of Fred Becky
Arctic Ascent with Alex Honnold - Disney Plus Sea Gypsies - Amazon Prime
We made a docu film on Hiking the Waitukubuli National Trail, the Caribbeans longest trail. A wild epic jungle trail. Some said we were the first ones to hike it since Hurricane Maria in 2017. You find it for free on the tube, called '12 Days on Foot' Enjoy :)
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I like the one with Reese Witherspoon. On the PCT, I believe? No kitschy mountains or waterfall, but hiking up a dusty desert road next to a highway while struggling with tent and backpack and cooker.