An EPIC 72 Mile Adventure on the High Sierra Trail | Press On (Full Film)

An EPIC 72 Mile Adventure on the High Sierra Trail | Press On (Full Film)

I remember getting the email that we got permits to hike the jier trail in 2019 like it was yesterday we were so excited say hello but we also had no idea what we were doing we had never done anything remotely resembling a through hike before ultimately it was one of the most life-changing experiences either of us had ever had those 220 Mi of hiking through the Sierra Nevada mountains taught us so much about ourselves it also sparked a love affair with backpacking that has since taken us to many remote corners of the country but mentally we always seem to come back to the sieras I think that we’re just hungry for more [Applause] [Music] high up in those mountains lies 72.2 Mi of exposed Granite Cliff lines ancient trees and pristine Alpine Lakes all connected by the High Sierra Trail for years we’ve aspired to hike that trail the last few months were’re spent planning and applying for permits we arrived a few days early to work on our final preparations in the shadow of the very mountains we would soon be traversing [Music] as breathtaking as this landscape is it was impossible to overlook the damage left in the wake of the year’s storms the truth is we were supposed to be on trail by now our permits had a starting the day after the historic hurricane Hillary tore through the Sierra Nevada [Music] mountains the hurricane that’s coming is probably going to make a direct hit on Joshua Tree but they’re they’re estimating this to be the 100-year flood we’re going to ride out the storm here I guess and then [Music] re-evaluate ultimately the National Park Service asked us to postpone the trip [Music] [Music] the power of hurricane Hillary was left etched into the Earth everywhere with our own experience of the Storm still fresh in our minds we couldn’t help but wonder how the violent storm would affect our time on trail to keep our minds off the wha ifs we settled into more productive preparations when the food for a week of hiking was all laid out in front of us this trip which had felt hypothetical for a long time finally felt real set backs aside we felt more ready than ever to get out on trail and into the back country there he is this is our friend Stuart he’s a talented photographer and allaround incredible guy you must find balance with your creative your left and your right brain the head must match the heart he came out to shuttle us and all of our gear to the trail head because the High Sierra Trail is a through hike we left our truck at the end point of our journey and Stuart was generously driving us the 300 M around the sieras to seoa National Park where we would start our trk I don’t know I hope we have everything I really I mean there’s nothing on the list so I guess I should just trust that I would never trust my own list making skills but we’re going to do it thanks for instilling confidents I think you guys got this you’re prows yeah you’re like full-time you guys have been on the road for seven years you got this thank you so much for the [Music] Boost I’m all grown up but my dad says I’m just a baby [Music] [Music] [Music] he [Music] oh yes campfires are prohibited over 9,000 because our original permits were for the week earlier we showed up hoping to get walk up permits apparently people weren’t exactly lining up to get into the back country after such a violent storm so we were able to easily secure permits to start the next day it’s going to be us right there how do you so how do you feel about your your Trail set off today Matt to the camera oh I’m feeling good I’m feeling excited feeling like I thought this day would never come what are you most excited about for your hike uh being alone for a week I think obviously with Owen yeah I was going to say what about me what about me I’m coming with your love the mental recovery that happens in the back country is is my favorite part about backpacking it just feels like you have everything you could ever possibly need to be happy you guys were able to get your permit today you got an extra day on the trail I love this steer cam earlier you discussed what you were most looking forward to on the hike yes is there anything about this hike that concerns you oh uh potential deep water Crossings I think fast moving water just because of the high snow pack this year and then the hurricane that just came through dumped a lot of moisture up there what about you Owen any River Crossing tips like Owen’s never worried about any I’m not worried about this Trail CU I feel like it’s honestly going to be a little bit easier than some of the trails we’ve done well I was going to say it according to the ranger talk it was designed to be super accessible to a lot of a lot of people and a lot of skill sets so there you go Mac Ando and yeah Fearless Fearless all right yeah this feels good I feel like this is going to be the easiest hike ever you really need to stop saying that you’re going to J there will be zero adversity in this hike for months our minds have been here but finally our bodies caught up [Music] over the next 6 days we’d be traversing roughly 70 M and climbing over 15,000 ft the trail starts in Crescent Meadows of seoa national park and its Terminus is the summit of Mount Whitney which also happens to be the highest peak in the contiguous United States just a few miles down Trail we spotted a wildfire deep in the back country that weed later Learned was started by Hurricane Hillary no one at the ranger station mentioned any fires we made note to keep an eye on it took a few photos and pressed on down Trail [Music] w St [Music] [Music] [Music] cheers look [Music] [Music] [Music] as as the day wore on the smoke seemed to be getting thicker and followed us every step up the mountain after hours of climbing and heavy breathing in the dense smoke we were both fighting back intense waves of nausea but what could we do other than Press On in spite of the circumstances I couldn’t help but laugh we came out here to have fun is this really what we do for fun apparently it is because even though it can be hard and if we’re being honest completely suck there wasn’t anything we’d rather be doing [Music] after a surprisingly brutal day we arrived at precipice Lake where we planed to camp for the night however we found found it significantly more Frozen than we’d [Music] [Music] anticipated even though we would have happily spent all evening staring at this snowy Vista the sketchy water access and oppressive smoke forced us to move on to find better Camp conditions very the only nice thing is tomorrow is like an easy day even for you and then the next day as soon as we saw clear skies we knew we’d made the right decision to press on see I mean it’s definitely Smokey that way but I feel like it’s nothing in comparison to what we just came from no not at all good job thanks you too that was a big climb yeah today was surprisingly brutal well should we go find camp for the second time today yes it was a huge relief to finally be at camp but there was no denying we felt beat up mentally and [Music] physically what’s on top are we doing LOL soup together again well we’re doing dinner together that was a day that was definitely a day be beautiful in the valley I mean it still is beautiful SM yeah I wrote The Following in my journal after crawling into the tent that night today could simply be described red as toiling the NAA has gotten so bad we can hardly eat it was a challenging but beautiful day I’m curious how it is I can’t tell you how relieved we were to wake up to clear skies and with it we hoped our appetites would [Music] return one thing was clear we we were in for some Stellar [Music] hiking it’s the belly button that always gets me [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] going to at Camp another hiker warned us of an approaching storm this was news to us the last we had seen the forecast called for pristine conditions our entire time on trail she warned that Mount Whitney might receive 50 mph winds and snow the next [Music] day this far down Trail we didn’t have enough food to turn around we just have to move forward and face the [Music] mountain it was undeniable the day had taken on a dark mode [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] snowing and supposedly the weird stuff isn’t coming for a while [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] so confusing it looks like spring but it’s hailing there’s a forecast for snow and it’s sept September 1st happy September happy September I’m going to put on my jacket oh and you need to put your jacket on I know here let me take that see any other Boulders there might be better shelter um maybe up closer to the water okay maybe we should make a push the conditions were just as bad if not worse than we’d been warned we arrived at where we were supposed to camp for for the night with plans to push to the summit of Mount Whitney in the morning but judging by the state of things we had a sneaking suspicion that would be a very bad idea going down in this is not going to be fun either I think if we go down we should just wait for it to pass oh man using our satellite Communicator we requested a weather report and asked two family members to help us make an objective call should we turn around and wait out the Storm at a lower elevation or continue with our plan got some hopefully this message will go out easily we’re calling it we’re going to backtrack about 2 and 1 half 3 miles back to where we were originally planning on camping tonight and we’re going to stay there the night and probably most of tomorrow and come back up here maybe tomorrow late afternoon in preparation to Summit on Sunday which was our original plan just it’s not looking like the conditions are going to be good at any point tomorrow and it just feels unwise to keep [Music] going we retreated to the safety of our damp tent to wait for the storm to pass I was terrified I couldn’t get the sound coming off the mountain out of my head how was it that in 2 weeks we were confronted with not one but two dangerous storms I knew we hadn’t packed appropriately for the unexpected turn in the weather and I was nervous about the conditions that we’d face when we inevitably climbed up and over Mount Whitney because that was our only way out is that the [Music] sun more than 14 hours later the storm let up enough to emerge from her tent [Music] though conditions were constantly changing a break in the weather gave us a window to relocate up to where we had turned around the day [Music] before during our climb we came up on a ranger who was returning from an overnight rescue on Mount Whitney with three withered souls in toe one of which was someone we’d seen on trail all week he was nearly unrecognizable from the last time we saw him less than 24 hours before when his group decided to continue where Owen and I turned around I will never forget the look in his eyes it was like he was returning home from [Music] war for [Music] we settled into our last camp on the High Sierra Trail with the sobering reality of just how close we came to [Music] disaster the landscape perfectly echoed the many complex emotions I was [Music] feeling while sitting there sizing up the mountain we’d soon scale I felt a subtle change in the gears of my [Music] brain it was now clear to us that we had made the best possible decision when we decided to retreat down the mountain that was just one of countless examples where we’ve proved to ourselves that we have the ability to face and overcome a challenge I mean if you really think about it isn’t that why we came out here for a [Music] challenge with that the fear was gone leaving only resolve in its place [Music] after dinner we pulled one last weather report to confirm our plan for the morning the report stated that at Sunrise there would be single-digit temperatures icy conditions and winds building up to 60 M an hour but it would be clear before falling asleep we decided to forego the summit and instead focus on getting up and over Mount w safely besides we of the mind you don’t have to bag a summit to be successful got to start the morning off right some Sour Pat kids don’t forget there’s a rock in here still yeah wow Stars clock H been start you ready one and up [Music] [Music] a [Music] [Music] [Music] is a culmination of a lot of things I’m proud of you proud of you too we made it it will forever defy my comprehension how a place can be so beautiful but also so violent and unpredictable the Wilderness has a way of presenting us with challenges and we never return quite the [Music] same we come back stronger smarter and more resilient the lessons we learn we carry with us no matter where we go from here [Music] [Music] and everybody’s got wrong and a no going to hold you and everybody need someone I don’t try to go along I don’t say I never told you when you wake up [Music] tomorrow and your heart ain’t feeling [Music] right I love to steal up on say goodbye the pain and sorrow every day and every night [Music] I Won’t Set somebody this a living Don’t Come Easy and you never found your way and if you try and walk alone yeah already lost believe man and if the word Rings true and this darkness before night find somebody and get together Mak love last forever every day and every night n

Join us for our biggest film to date, truly an unforgettable journey, as we set out to traverse the High Sierra Trail! The High Sierra Trail has been a long time bucket list hike for us because of it’s breathtaking landscapes however the trip was filled unexpected challenges. During this epic trek, we face intense obstacles, including a menacing forest fire and a treacherous storm. Through grit and determination, we learn invaluable lessons about inner strength and resilience. The film will take you through the beauty and inherent danger of the High Sierra Trail, and how pushing through adversity can lead to profound self-discovery. Filmed in partnership with friends over @JetboilStoves this short film showcases not only the stunning wilderness but also the spirit of adventure that keeps us coming back to the outdoors!

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