This documentary is about a group of friends who walk from Yosimite to Mt. Whitney along the John Muir Trail. To me, the reason to hike is to enjoy the solitude...the peace and quiet of the great outdoors. Because of this, it really makes watching this documentary difficult, as it is NEVER quiet...never. Instead of focusing on the glorious natural settings, the film always goes back to the relatively uninteresting group of friends so they can talk...and talk...and talk. It reminds me of most every reality TV show where the camera MUST periodically come back to the 'stars' to hear their thoughts about the trek--even if these thoughts are mostly irrelevant. In hindsight, I would have MUCH rather seen a ton of footage with only minimal narration to let you know what you're seeing. Plus, isn't it better to just get out and hike instead of watching people hike (a little) and talk a lot? A boring and rather pointless and thoroughly pretentious and self-absorbed film that folks either adore or totally hate....as you can tell if you read through the reviews. I am somewhat in the middle. I'd give the footage an 8 and everything else a 1...and an overall score of 3. Believe me, among those who didn't enjoy it, a 3 is VERY positive and I don't use the unnecessarily abusive and anti-rich people comments some used in describing and attacking this movie.

Filled with great cinematography and light-hearted stories/accounts, this doc is an enjoyable look at a 25-day hike along the JMT by a group of film professionals who also happen to be friends. Is it an Errol Morris-level documentary? No, but it is quite entertaining nonetheless, especially for the novice outdoor enthusiast or someone who is simply seeking to live vicariously through a group that is hiking through beautiful country.There are no hiking tips or technical discussions here because such is not the point. This is simply a film designed to provide the viewer with a pleasant "vacation" in the form of a hike that most will never have the time to complete.My recommendation is to just dispense with any cynicism and enjoy the journey.

Everyone hiking in this doc is a snooty rich jerk with no sense of humor. They are so corny and stupid, it makes me a little embarrassed to be a white American. There is nothing hard about what they did. They were going at the pace of 8 miles a day, which can easily be covered in about four hours through the manicured trails these people were traversing. They also broke trail and hit up a burger joint along the way. There is no substance here, nothing happens the entire time, there is no character development at all, just rich jerks snapping photos like Japanese tourists and pretending that they are 'roughing it.'John Muir's quotes are excruciating and if he saw this documentary, he would be rolling over in his grave. I'm sure he never envisioned pioneering a joy walk for rich douche bags.

I've hiked the JMT for years, usually as a solo but sometimes in groups. This movie is very true to the crazy, collective experience of the trail. It catches the exhaustion, the exhilaration, the inevitable problems that arise, the feeling that the trail is going on forever. Every JMT hiker who has seen it has been very, very impressed with how well the experience has been captured.I am not the movie expert that many reviewers here are, but I at least think it holds its own as a documentary. Good humor, great visuals, and the sound recording is awesome and really adds to the film. I bought the DVD after viewing the film in a preview session and I plan to show it to anyone who asks me about the experience.