Wild

I have been thinking of writing a little review of the book/movie Wild, so here goes.  

My wife, Lisa, bought me the book a couple years ago and I started reading it right away.  A few chapters in, I had to put it down and walk away from it for a while.  Cheryl was just kinda pissing me off with the way she was.  

So after quite a few months, I decided to pick it up again and give it a chance to see where it would go and I was satisfied with the way it went after that.  I guess I just had to get over her flaws and see how her hike went.  

A few days ago, Lisa and I went to see the movie on a rainy weekday.  Once we found the right theater, we sat down during the previews and watched.  

I actually liked the movie.  It was true enough to the book and Reece was realistic enough to me as a hiker.  

What I liked:  She carried a real heavy pack, not a pack that was made to look full, but was actually full of light padding.  (This I heard from Cheryl herself in an article, as she acted as a consultant for the movie).  

The bumps and bruises captured the reality of long distance hiking with heavy gear.  It hurts.  

A little bit of the camaraderie that comes naturally and quickly between hikers on the trail.  

What I didn't like:  The focused a little too much on the creeps of the trail (yes, they are out there and her rendition of the assholes seemed true enough), but I would have liked to see more of the relationships she developed with the hikers during her hike.  Maybe less drama, but that is always a special part of a hike.  

I was dreading the horse scenes.  They did it OK and the pain was much shorter in the movie then when I read the detailed accounting of that poor beasts demise in the book.

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So, all in all, we enjoyed ourselves.  I love watching hiker movies almost as much as I like being out on the trail myself.  It lets me escape to the woods without the soreness of a long day's hike to contend with.

The movie is entertainment.  Not a "how-to" for solo female hikers.  I'm sure all of us could have learned a few "what not to dos" and it is always prudent for everyone to keep their creep radar on standby at all times.  I encounter a lot of solo hikers out there (both male and female).  Sometimes I'm one myself.  I never fear for their safety as most develop a good sense of themselves and know when a situation can go wrong and react accordingly.  As I said, the creeps are out there (they can be found everywhere), but the good far outnumber them on the trail.   

So if you want to escape for a couple hours, go see Wild.  If you are a hiker or dream of becoming one some day, sitting down and watching this movie would be a lot of fun.