Wild: Film Review

Wild, the film of Cheryl Strayed’s book of the same name, is about a woman’s redemptive experience of hiking 1100 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail. It’s both a very personal story and a story about the transformative power of undertaking a major and difficult project and seeing it through. In this case that project is a very long wilderness hike and the story is also about the positive effects of long-distance walking and immersion in nature.

The film has proved controversial with some hikers who don’t like its portrayal of hiking while others have defended it by saying it’s not really about the Pacific Crest Trail anyway. I disagree with both points of view. I think it’s an excellent film that is about the Pacific Crest Trail, both from a general hiker’s perspective and from the intense personal experience of Cheryl Strayed, a novice hiker escaping from a horrendous life of drugs and casual sex and still bearing the trauma of dealing with the death of her beloved mother. 

Viewing the film as a long-distance hiker I did wonder what non-hikers would make of it. As well as the beauty of the landscape the film shows much of the daily detail of long-distance hiking.  Those who’ve hiked long trails will be familiar with many of the experiences, including some of the novice mistakes Strayed makes, and also appreciate the subtle ways in which she comes to enjoy the trail despite the blisters and sores. The film doesn’t flinch from the latter with close-ups of bloody mangled feet and red raw hips and shoulders. That hikers get dirty and smelly isn’t overlooked either – indeed the latter is mentioned several times – and Reese Witherspoon, who plays Strayed, certainly looks grimy enough. Some of the experiences – running out of water on a hot dry section, postholing through soft deep snow with a ridiculously heavy pack - matched those on my PCT hike enough for me to smile at the memories.. Supply boxes, trail angels, tent pitching, cooking, eating out a pot, hiking in the rain – they’re all there. 

But the rewards are there too in the landscape, which looks enticing and just crying out to be hiked. For various reasons the film wasn’t actually made on the PCT apart from a few shots but the landscapes chosen as substitutes replicate it pretty well.  Strayed’s hike took her from hot deserts to snow-covered mountains and all this is in the film. 

Strayed’s hike forms, appropriately, the spine of the film. Her previous life, from childhood and joy with her mother to degradation after her mother’s death, is shown in the form of flashbacks linked to Strayed’s thoughts as she hikes and works through her past. Having read the book I knew what to expect here. It’s a harrowing story though and I can imagine that for viewers who hadn’t read the book some of the scenes of heroin use and sex could be quite startling and shocking, especially if they were expecting a film just about hiking. Using flashbacks like this is effective though as the background to the hike is slowly built up.

Reese Witherspoon, who plays Strayed, is excellent and convincing as a long-distance hiker and as the anguished woman trying to shed her demons. It’s an intense performance that really makes the film. 

I thought the film as a whole was very good too. I’ll certainly watch it again. It fits in with those other outdoor journey-in-search-of-meaning films Tracks and Into The Wild and also, to a lesser extent, Werner Herzog’s Grizzly Man. If you enjoyed those films I think you’ll enjoy Wild.

And on a final note – it really made me want to go on a long-distance hike.

Today! 9pm. BBC 4. Terry Abraham's Life of a Mountain: Scafell Pike

Tonight the BBC is showing an abridged version of Terry Abraham's wonderful film about Scafell Pike (I admit to a slight bias - I'm in it, though only a short bit). TV reviewers who've seen it in advance have been raving over it, with praise from The Guardian, The Observer, The Times, The Radio Times, The Daily Telegraph and more. Here's a couple of sample quotes:

"With its sweeping cinematography and sonorous score, there's a touch of the art-house Koyaanisqatsi about this enchanting documentary"

Pick Of The Day  The Guardian

"A moving, poetic film ... a vivid portrait ..... gorgeous photography ... a celebration which exudes gladness"

Picks of the Day: Choice The Observer

The BBC are only showing half the film though. To see it in its full glory you need the DVD. And don't forget Terry's other films - Backpacking In The Lake District and The Cairngorms In Winter, both with me, and Helvellyn, with Mark Richards - which are all available from Striding Edge.

Terry Abraham's Scafell Pike Film on the BBC, January 14.

Out Now! Backpacking In The Lake District DVD ...... & a Box Set & Other Terry Abraham DVDs

Backpacking In The Lake District, the DVD that I made with Terry Abraham last summer, is available now from Striding Edge, price £14.99 (as are all the individual DVDs).

Also available is another new video from Terry: Helvellyn with Mark Richards, in which Mark goes on three walks on the mountain.

If you fancy both of the DVDs plus Terry's magnificent Life of a Mountain:Scafell Pike the three are available as a box set entitled The Magic of Mountains at £39.99. The Scafell Pike DVD is also available separately.

Finally, with winter coming Terry's first full-length film, The Cairngorms In Winter, which he made with me last year, could provide much inspiration.

Off to the Lake District again for more filming with Terry Abraham

I'm packed and ready to head down to the Lake District where I'll be doing more filming with Terry Abraham for the Backpacking In The Lake District video.

We've already had one filming session, which I wrote about here. The weather then was perfect. The forecast suggests it might be similar this time. Terry posted some stills from the video we made then on his blog.

The video should be available this autumn.

Summer Backpacking in the Lake District

Terry filming the temperature inversion from our third camp

Derwent Water shone, the trees glared green, the steep path was dusty underfoot, sweat poured down my face. Just over a year since my first visit I was climbing up beside Cat Gill in the Lake District towards Bleaberry Fell to camp again with Terry Abraham and Mark (of Mark’s WalkingBlog and, very recently, @markswalking). The air in the trees was still, stuffy and humid and it was a relief to reach the open hillside and a gentle breeze. Soon I reached the others and our camp site looking across Borrowdale to the North-Western Fells. 

Camp on Bleaberry Fell

Dusk came slowly with a gradual fading of the details of the hills and a deepening pink wash over the western sky. Just a few days from the solstice and there was no real darkness, just enough for a few stars to appear. Dawn was softly beautiful too with a warm cast over the land that hardened and brightened as the sun rose higher. 

After sunset, Bleaberry Fell

  

Heading south along the broad ridge over rounded summits with stops for filming, the purpose of this trip being to start work on a film about backpacking in the Lake District, I marvelled at the landscape spread out around us, both its beauty and its compactness. To the north the Solway Firth was visible, to the south Morecambe Bay. Eastwards the distinctive summit of Ingleborough in the Yorkshire Dales was prominent. Only to the west did the hills seem to stretch far, though I knew this was not so. There was cloud this way too, rolling over the Western Fells.

Camp on High Raise

 

On the side of High Raise we made our second camp, looking out over Langstrath to ranges of ragged hills. Here we were joined by Dan Richards, son of Mark Richards with whom Terry is also making a film, who arrived late in the evening on a mountain bike. Again dusk and dawn were magnificent, the land bathed in the warmth of the sun. The breeze mostly faded away and the following day was soon hot and growing hotter. Sunhat, shirt sleeves and sandals weather. At Stake Pass, where we stopped for water and food and more water, my thermometer recorded 42°C in direct sunlight. To the west though the clouds were still rising and falling over Bowfell and Esk Pike. 

Terry approaching Angle Tarn

 

Angle Tarn was half in sunshine, half shaded by the clouds. I’ve always found this a magical place. I first came here on a school trip. I was about eleven years old. I’d never been to the Lake District before, never seen hills like this. A lake below a cliff. Just wonderful! It still is.

From Angle Tarn we took the well-worn (and now well-repaired) path up and down past Sprinkling Tarn, the false Esk Hause* and Styhead Tarn before camping not far from but out of sight of the last with a tremendous view down Wasdale and across to the Scafell range. Here we were joined by another friend of Terry’s, Philip, so for the second night there were four shelters pitched. It’s been quite a while since I camped with so many people.

Our third camp, looking to the Scafell range

 

As the sun sank behind the western hills a faint haze could be seen in the valley below, a haze with a distinct upper edge running along the hills. Philip had just said that he’d never seen an inversion when the haze began to thicken and in just a few minutes had turned into a dense white mist that filled the valley and billowed up the sides of the hills, a quite magnificent sight. Over a few hours the temperature inversion rose and fell, with the lights of Wasdale Head coming and going, before it faded completely.

The clouds sank on the hills though and early morning was cloudy. The sun started to break through later, just as Terry filmed me in my role as BMC Ambassador for Hillwalking for a piece for BMC TV. Richard Fox of Fix the Fells arrived, also to be filmed for the BMC, then Mark and I packed up and wandered down to Borrowdale, leaving Terry to relax in camp for the day before heading down to Wasdale. 

The weather and the light and the company made this a wonderful trip. I’m looking forward to seeing Terry’s footage.

*At least that’s what I’ve always known it as. Neither Terry or Mark had heard it called that before.

Filming in the Lake District with Terry Abraham: Ready To Go

The next week I'll be in the Lake District making a backpacking film with Terry Abraham. The weather forecast looks good - we'll have to go back to do some filming in the rain! After the snow and storms we had to deal with when making The Cairngorms In Winter it'll be nice to have some warm sunny weather as well as a light pack and much less gear. I'm also looking forward to enjoying the Lakes landscape and some spectacular high level camps. Until last year I hadn't been backpacking in the Lakes for many years and I'd forgotten how good it can be. Now, due to Terry, I've been there twice recently. Once a year ago before the launch of The Cairngorms In Winter and once to film a winter camp for Terry's lates film Scafell Pike: Life of a Mountain.

Indiegogo Project: Helvellyn with Mark Richards, a film by Terry Abraham.

Terry Abraham at work in the Lake District

Later this month I'll be starting to make another film with Terry Abraham about backpacking in the Lake District.

This isn't the only project Terry is working on however. He's also making a film with artist and writer Mark Richards about Helvellyn and is seeking funding for this through Indiegogo. You can see a teaser for the film on the Indiegogo page here (though those who've seen Terry's films won't be in doubt as to the quality of his work), along with more information.

I think this should be a great film. Please give Terry and Mark your support.

Kickstarter Project: Francis Tapon's Unseen Africa

Kickstarter and similar crowd funding resources are an excellent way for projects that aren't conventionally commercial to get off the ground. Kickstarter is how Terry Abraham funded The Cairngorms In Winter. Without the support of many people we couldn't have made that film.

One Kickstarter project currently seeking funds that looks very interesting and worthy of support is writer, explorer and long distance walker Francis Tapon's The Unseen Africa , which will be a TV series about Africa that looks at all those aspects of the continent that aren't usually covered, presenting a view of Africa far from the usual one of  'poverty, pestilence and pyramids'. Through Kickstarter Tapon hopes to raise the money to make a pilot episode to show what the series will be like. He is in Africa now. Here's a short taster


There will be an outdoor theme in the series as Tapon plans on climbing the highest peak in every one of the 54 African countries. (How many of the peaks can you name? I managed three - I really don't know much about Africa).

I think this project is worthy of support and I hope it goes ahead. Have a look at the Kickstarter page and see if you agree.

Terry Abraham's Life of a Mountain: Scafell Pike

Terry Abraham filming in Upper Eskdale

Terry Abraham's new film Life of a Mountain: Scafell Pike has just been finished and I've been privileged to have an early look at it. I'm very impressed. I've not seen a film that covers all aspects of a mountain before - landscape throughout the seasons, people at work, people at leisure, people who live below it, wild camping and more - and Terry's film does this with vivid and spectacular filming and entertaining and interesting interviews. Now I must admit that I might be biased - Terry is a good friend and I have a small part in the film (see this blog post) - but I don't think so. This really is a special film about a special place.

The film has it's premiere at the Rheged Centre in May (and it's on the next day) and will be available on DVD. If you can see it at Rheged I would though - it'll look amazing on the big screen there. Unfortunately I'll miss it as I'll be on the TGO Challenge. Terry will be there too, introducing the film and doing a Q&A.