MILE… MILE & A HALF
AWARD-WINNING DOCUmENTARy BY THE MUIR PROJECT
In an epic snow year, a group of artists leave their daily lives behind to hike & record the historic John Muir Trail. From Yosemite to Mt. Whitney: 219 miles in 25 days. Along the way, they are joined by musicians, painters, teachers & other adventure-seekers. In the midst of the grandeur & daily grind, they discover what matters most is the opportunity to seek inspiration & adventure wherever & whenever you can, with those around you. Mile... Mile & A Half is the feature-length documentary of that journey.
The crew departed from Yosemite Valley on July 10th, and completed the trail at the summit of Mount Whitney on August 3rd. Along the way, they were joined by musicians, painters, teachers, and other adventure-seekers, all who became part of the story. Join us as we relive stories from on the trail and embark on our next journey – to bring the trail to you – to truly get a feeling for the beauty and majesty of the trail (without the burning lungs and blisters).
What began as an adventure to see – let’s be honest – if we could complete and capture the trail, has become so much more. With the help of our old and new friends, we hope to motivate others to make that big leap, or small step, and go after their dreams.
buy the DVd
TRAILER 2
THE MAKING OF: Get a little behind the scenes look at what it was like hiking, photographing, composing and filming the John Muir Trail during the making of MIle… Mile & A Half.
OPUS ORANGE AND SCORING FOR MMAAH:
Opus Orange’s Paul Bessenbacher & Bernard Chadwick discuss making music on the trail and scoring the film, MILE… MILE & A HALF. After watching the video, you can stream the Vidette Meadow performance of “Surface” here.
““We just heard about this film from The Muir Project, “Mile, Mile & A Half”, and we really like it. Ahem, REALLY like it.””
“They managed to capture both the chill vibe of going off the grid for an extended period of time, as well as the epic beauty of the trail.”
ALMOST THERE
Watch the video that started it all. This is the first video we released with some of our favorite shots over Opus Orange’s song “Almost There.”
THE MUIR PROJECT’S NOTHING BUT TIME (GOPRO HD)
The GoProHD Camera was an invaluable part of our camera arsenal along the John Muir Trail in 2011. Enjoy this short selection of some of the footage we captured with the camera during our journey.
THE MUIR PROJECT – RANGE OF LIGHT
Nothing fancy or complicated about this one, just some of our favorite shots over Paul Bessenbacher’s beautiful music.
“It’s a trailer that just feels genuinely inspiring: not so much for the way it frames the adventure, but that it doesn’t feel threatening or intimidating, it seems welcoming. It’s a story of individuals who go on a journey, to be sure, but there’s just something about the way the trailer captures the beauty and grandeur of the great outdoors.”
“Why does a group of creative artists take their gear on a 230 mile, 25 day backpacking trip? The Muir Project is why. This team not only creates masterful images in remote places, but they’re able to endure rough terrain and heavy packs. Hiking for 25 days with a 75lb pack is crazy, but the images are certainly worth it.”
MILE… MILE & A HALF BY THE MUIR PROJECT
Directed by Jason Fitzpatrick & Ric Serena
Produced by JASON FITZPATRICK, ZEE HATLEY, JEN SERENA, RIC SERENA, DURAND TRENCH
Co-Producer KIA M. KISO
Original Score by PAUL BESSENBACHER & BERNARD CHADWICK And Featuring Music by OPUS ORANGE
Still Photographer JEN SERENA
Location Sound DURAND TRENCH
Cinematographers RIC SERENA & JASON FITZPATRICK Additional Camera ZEE HATLEY
Editor EDWARD CHIN
Illustrator KOLBY KIRK
Colorist Bruce Goodman, HotPixel Post, Inc.
Final Online Conform Art Freed, HotPixel Post, Inc.
Supervising Sound Editor Durand Trench
Dialogue Editor Dave Barnaby
Re-recording Mixer Ethan Beigel Mixed at House Blend
Made with Assistance by KICKSTARTER BACKERS, OSPREY, ANGRY BEAR, REI, CAMELBAK, AMERICAN HIKING SOCIETY, TARMA
“Whatever it is, the way you tell your story I only went out for a walk, and finallyconcluded to stay out till sundown, for going out,I found, was really going in.”
ABOUT THE JOHN MUIR TRAIL
There’s a reason that “Backpacker Magazine” ranked California’s John Muir Trail as the best Hike in the World in it’s November 2010 issue.
Stretching 211 miles from Yosemite Valley to the summit of the contiguous United States’ highest peak, Mount Whitney, it rambles through some of the most breathtaking mountain scenery that the heart and mind could conceive. Most of your days are spent above 10,000 feet, where you’ll experience the High Sierras in all of it’s grandeur and beauty.
Construction of the trail began in 1915 after the passing of its namesake Sierra Club founder and conservationist ninja John Muir (whose writings and efforts are responsible for the protection of not only most of the lands that the trail goes through, but all protected wild places around the world.) The trail was completed in 1938.
211 miles – Happy Isles (Yosemite Valley) to Mount Whitney
We’ll save you the trip to Wikipedia:
Length:
211 miles (for the record, that only gets you to the top of MT. Whitney.
You still have to hike back down.
Trailheads
Happy Isles (Yosemite Valley) or Whitney Portal
Elevation Change:
80,000 feet (24,000m)
Areas Hiked through:
Yosemite, Ansel Adams Wilderness, Devils Postpile National Monument,
John Muir Wilderness and Sequoia/Kings Canyon National Parks.
Some perspective on how far 211 miles is
Give or take a few miles, think of walking from:
Los Angeles to Las Vegas
(Make sure to look at the worlds largest thermometer in Baker)
New York To Boston
(Figure out whether you prefer Manhattan or New England Chowder)
Chicago to Detroit
(Not advised in winter)
Houston to Dallas
(Not advised in summer, spring or fall)
London to Manchester
(For our friends on the British Isles)
Paris to Antwerp
(For our friends on the continent)
Rome to Balogna
(For our friends on the boot)
Tokyo to Kyoto
(For Kaz)
So You want to Hike the John Muir Trail
Here are a few of the resources that we found helpful:
There are several guide books available we used “John Muir Trail: The essential guide to hiking America’s most famous trail,” by Elizabeth Wenk and Kathy Morey. It’s thin and nice and light too.
We can pretend that technology doesn’t exist, and spending a month or so in the wilderness is a good way to do it, but these smart phones are pretty darn handy tools to have. You won’t get reception along most of the JMT, but there are several apps that we found really helpful. The John Muir Trail Mapset and National Geographic National Parks Maps which are both GPS enabled were a great asset to have. They are not to be relied upon solely for navigation, but they certainly helped. Also, you can load books, Magazines, Music and games for sleepless nights in the tent. Also, unless you are a really serious photographer the video and pictures on these newer Iphones and androids are really, really good. So when you think about saving the weight of a camera, book and backgammon set not bad. As for power, look up the best setting for long battery life. On the iphone airplane mode is great. Just switch it off if and when using the GPS. Also there are some solar chargers and cases with batteries built in to extend battery life.
Lastly, it’s not hard to search the trail on google to get info, but Jason can’t recommend the Yahoo! JMT user group enough. He says, “They are a great bunch of folks. Really helpful, and prompt with answers to any question posted.”
groups.yahoo.com/group/johnmuirtrail
For food prep and purchase, Jen recommends:
trailcooking.com
shop.maryjanesfarm.org/store/c/3-Food-Pantry.aspx
harmonyhousefoods.com
About John Muir
Muir has become a folk hero as the father of the conservation movement. He was the first president of the Sierra Club until his death in 1914, and it is said today that more places in California are named in his honor than for any other person. He is even depicted on the California state quarter. However, his contributions to the Sierra were broader, as he published many scientific articles and was also an energetic hiker and mountaineer. Our humble thanks to this man that made the journey possible.
But Jason’s recommendation is to go to a used book store or library and get your hands on one of his books. If you’re not the reading type then check out one or both of these great documentaries from PBS.
The National Parks: Americas Best Idea (By Ken Burns)
American Masters: John Muir In The New World (Keep an eye out for one of our idols, photographer and Ostrander ski hutmaster Howard Weamer playing Muir in the re-enactments)