Anyone know any good backpacking movies?

I just recently saw a movie called "Last Stop for Paul" and it was really awesome. It's all about these guys that go backpacking in a bunch of different countries.

Do you guys know of any other cool backpacking movies? I want to backpack Europe soon and I like getting a taste for it from movies.

Thanks!! and oh yeah, if you wanna check out last stop for paul, i think it's on netflix or laststopforpaul.com

White Water Summer! http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0094318/

And, if you want to get ready for a backpacking trip in Europe, nothing better than American Werewolf in London! Stay off the moor!

Awesome! Thanks for the recommendation. I'll put that on my netflix.

American Werewolf is one of my favorites of all time. Great comedy and awesome pre-cgi specially effects. Pure genius.

mmmmm, backpackfever, I assume you are joking. Clearly you know that movies and "reality TV" are about as far removed from anything realistic as you can get. Just like Deliverance was realistic and truthful whitewater rafting and canoeing, and that series of New England supershark movies are about surfing in Boston Harbor. Yeah, they are amusing entertainment. Oh, yeah, you will learn all about the Pine Barrens from the Blair Witch Project, too.

"I was a teenage werewolf" is MUCH better as a werewolf movie, especially those of us who were in high school in SoCal at the time it came out and spent lots of time at Big Bear - never looked at the dam at the end of BBLake the same way again.

Umm, I thought deliverance was a true story!

Actually I have fished just upstream from where the whitewater scene was shot, in the Ellicott Rock Wilderness Area. You can fish/hike three states there, GA, NC, and SC.

backpackfever, I would recommend, Into The Wild, both a book and a movie.
This is true story and a good example of what can happen to someone who bites off more than they can chew. If you are not experienced at backpacking go with someone who is.
While backpacking is a lot of fun, there are some very real dangers under the right circumstances.

Enjoy the movies, and find a hiking club or experienced friend to learn from! Also you need to be able to verify your friends level of experience. Ask me how I know!

Have fun!

"The Hitcher" with Rutger Hauer.

If yu can find someone that understands norwegian, you may look at these programs http://www.nrk.no/nordkalotten365/ It is a series of programs from the northern part of Norway, Sweden and Finland. First select "Programmene" and then select the program you want to se. Then press "Se program her" and you're on.

Program 6 the first part, is a litle north of the mountains I have posted pictures from. I have been skiing there three years ago, doing a long hike of about 240 km. We used 7 days on that.

Without a Paddle.

Thanks Otto,
Whether I can understand or not, I would love to see the scenery. I would love to visit your part of the world sometime.

Yeah, if you're looking for backpacking specific movies you're going to come up empty handed. One movie that comes to mind though, that really gets me in the mood to go outside and travel, A River Runs Through it, with Brad Pitt. The scenes of them fly fishing almost urge me to get out of the house.

Today actually, right after my prior post, a movie named "Shoot to Kill" came on tv. There is a fair amount of climbing and views in it. I won't being giving a synopsis, but it stars Sidney Poitier and Tom Berenger (who again is sporting a rifle, any Sniper fans out there?, ha) if that tells you anything.

I had forgotten about "A River Runs Through It"

Otto, visited the website you posted, loved it, didn't understand much, but still loved it.
I guess there is something universal about the attraction people have to the outdoors!

Thak you trouthunter. The guy that is the main caracter in the series is a local "hero". He has produced several programs, written some books in "bushmanship", hiked across Canada (West-east) among other things.

/Otto

I really enjoyed the following.

"Walk",
"Still walking" and
"Even more walking"

Link : http://www.walkpct.com

Not really a backpacking show, but Globetrekker, a British show on PBS, is fun to watch. They go all over the place and do a lot of what I would call low-budget adventuring.

"Turistas". Good times in Brazil.

I second the Globetrekker series, great minds think alike. Globetrekker is a great way to see generally off beat destinations on the cheap.

anyone remember the "Trailside: Make your own adventures." series? You can still find the VHS copies on ebay

I do recall the Trailside series. I taped many of the first couple of seasons all those years ago. They went on a wonderful variety of trips - climbing, backpacking, snow shoeing, back country skiing, dog sledding, caving, canyoneering and on and on.

"7 years in tibet" was A true story of two guys non combatant, non political accomplished German mountain climbers escaping A British POW camp in India and crossing the Himalaya's into Lasa Tibet and becoming friends with the Dali Lama..True story but not entirely about backpacking...[As almost always the book is better}
The only other two I can think of is Farley Mowat's "Never Cry Wolf" and the recent Sean Penn movie {the name escapes me} about the diary/story of the young man that hiked into the Alaska wilderness some years back and starved to death...Richard Harrisson in "Man In The Wildernes" was A good survival story and the true story of "The mad Trapper from Rat River" with Charles Bronson was A good version of A true story...
Other than that if you watch the weekly survival shows {two that I know of} of A ex-speacial fources guy named "Bear" and another separate show both of which are about solitary survival you can learn much....
Good Luck,
Stuart...

I wouldn't call American Werewolf in London a backpacking movie, but I have a good story that goes along with it:

I was living out of my backpack around Appalachian State University back in the early 1980s and the university cinema was showing a 9pm showing of the movie. Since the theater was close to my night's camp, I decided to check out the flick and hauled in my pack and got the usual eyefull before doing a night hike up the mountain to my camp.

Well, after seeing the movie I moved along the trail in an altered, terrified state, every shadow I saw was a danged werewolf waiting to run towards me. Was I scared? More like paralyzed with fear. But it passed after several hours.

My favorite motivating movie is, of course, Jeremiah Johnson. It captures some of the joy of living out in the winter and gets me cranked for December-January trips.

Hi Tipi,
Thanks for your help with the Linville area.

I have not seen Jeremiah Johnson, I think I would like it.
I love winter time, trails to yourself, no bugs, great trout fishing, no bugs, your pick of areas to camp, no bugs.

I will check it out!

keep the list coming... this is great to watch while camping

What was that movie with Kevin Bacon teaching a bunch of teenage boys backpacking and rope skills?
How about "Into the Wild" or "Never Cry Wolf"? I wish someone could make a movie about Colin Fletchers "The Man Who Walked Thru Time" or The Thousand Mile Summer" or even John Muir's stories.
And there's that new Kevin Bacon? movie about the Bush Pilot that crashes in the north-west and survives with the help of a native girl who he was flying out to a hospital. I see it in my minds eye but can't think of the title.

I finally caught two episodes of Globe trekker, the episode where they climbed the Matterhorn, I would love to do that some day. And the one where they traveled to N. Norway and hung out with the Reindeer herders, that must be a rough lifestyle.

Regarding GaryPalmer, there was a movie with Barry Pepper as a bush pilot in Alaska/Yukon who had to survive with a native girl. SNOW WALKER, I think is the name. Very good movie. Came out a couple of years ago.

Yeah, Barry Pepper. Guess I got his face memory mixed up with Kevin Bacon. That was an excellent movie!

Gary there actually is a movie from the 80's I think with that plot. It may be the formentioned white water summer. I am not sure, but i know the movie exsist.

Bill Mason made many canoeing movies, but one in particular is great. It's called Water Walker. Lots of footage canoeing in and around the Canadian side of Lake Superior. Excellent film work and great to watch even if you're not into canoeing.

Hey, before there was "Into the Wild" there was (late 60's/early 70's) "My Side of the Mountain" not a lot of "backpacking" but it does speak to the urge to get out into the backcountry and be one with it all . . . and ain't that what it's all about.