Hike from your Chair with Mile Mile and a Half

Michele the Trainer
October 22, 2015
Hiking

Mile… Mile & a Half: The Muir Project

Released in 2013, Mile… Mile & a Half is a film about a team of artists and friends who hike the 211-mile John Muir trail from Yosemite Valley to Mt. Whitney, in California. Traveling along the spine of California, this film follows a group of hikers (first five, then four, then six, then more people) through some of the most pristine wilderness in the Lower 48.

Jen and Ric Serena, Zee Haltey, Durand Trench and Director Jason Fitzpatrick begin the journey at Yosemite. It had been record snow year, so the going is tough; one team member drops out and the rest of the team carries on over passes that in some geography boasts 20,000 ft elevations.

The film includes quotes, read by the cast, from John Muir. Muir was the 19^th century naturalist whose writings helped to protect the redwoods, Yosemite Valley, and many of the place that are iconic California and American wilderness. Muir also founded the Sierra Club to continue his mission of preserving natural for all people. Mile… Mile and a Half celebrates Muir’s vision by showcasing the amazing California environment that all people have been gifted with. Truth is many people, including Californians, will never see the places the team accessed in their hike and film, due to the physical demands and training required to reach these summits!

Epic scenery abounds; with professional videographers, still photographers, and audio people on the trip, this film is absolutely lovely.

Vista images, the panoramas, and the nearly endless brooks and streams make this movie a non-stop nature film of wonderful quality. Not just another nature film with endless scenes of animals, this is the story of a team of people leaving the city and taking a hike in an area that is so remote that few people can even get to it.

Not an action film or even scripted, it is a wonderful walk through the backcountry of California with an interesting and talented group of people.

Mile… Mile and Half is delightful and beautiful to watch for everyone, not just athletes. Whether you wish to do small nature walks in your neighborhood or epic hikes like The John Muir Trail, or nothing but watch the movie from your couch, it’s fantastic.

You can learn more about the film at http://themuirproject.com or watch the film on Netflix for free.