Tell It On The Mountain Film Review and Giveaway Contest!!!

I had a great opportunity to get my hands on a new film, Tell it on the Mountain, that was recently released which chronicles a handful of hikers thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT). Being an east coast kid and a passionate hiker, I’ve always been interested in the Appalachian Trail and have enjoyed any documentaries I’m able to catch on the topic. I was actually unaware of the existence of the PCT since I concentrate on the local trails primarily, so this film was enjoyable from an educational standpoint as well.

Tell it on the Mountain Trailor

It’s approximately two hours long and starts off explaining the trail route which runs from the Mexican border to the Canadian border, across deserts and the tough terrain of the Sierra-Nevada Mountain Range. The hikers are likeable from the start and range from a variety of different personalities and ages. However, I felt their main objective for being on the trail was the same…to be closer with nature and maintaining a healthy state of mind. One hiker in particular, Billygoat, was an older hiker and made a choice earlier in life to spend his later years on the trail, as much as he was able. He explains to the watcher that working your life away in a factory will kill you faster than being outside and enjoying God’s country.

A couple, Carsten and Alina (from Germany I believe), were thru-hiking together for the first time (Carsten had thru-hiked the AT prior) and injury plagued their bid. Carsten’s back was injured part of the way through and Alina needed to continue part of the way without him. He continued to get treatment and met her at checkpoints along the way, hoping to be able to hit the trail at some point again. Unfortunately, his injury was too severe to continue. The film explains the years of preparation and financial savings it takes to commit to such a trek and in Carsten case, can end so abruptly. I think it’s something that many hikers can relate too and sympathize with even though many have not been in the same situation.

The film also introduces the viewer to the people behind the scenes, along the trail route, that are critical in helping the hikers get from point A to point B. Since the trail is so long, 2,663 miles, they go through a wide variety of terrain, elevation and climate. They need different equipment for different legs of the hike. Many people along the route help store this equipment for them and allow them to pick it up when they reach different checkpoints. It sounded like the hikers typically mailed the equipment to these people (items such as mountaineering axes, etc.) to hold onto.

Watching this film gives you an overwhelming feeling of wanting to hit the trail. If you’re as passionate about hiking as I am, it makes you question why you’ve never attempted such a huge hike yourself. The film does a great job capturing how beautiful the terrain is along the PCT and really draws the viewers into the different situations the hikers face. Hiking this trail is an enormous accomplishment of a hike! Watch this film, and you’ll fully understand why!

You can view more information or purchase this film on their website, TellItOnTheMountain.com. The site has great information on the hikers, the film makers and the trail stats. I noticed the DVD is also available on Amazon.

Here’s best part, for my readers that is; I have two copies to giveaway!!! Note that one DVD is already opened as it’s the one that was used to do this review. Trust me, if you win one of these copies (or purchase on from the sites mentioned above), you will not be disappointed! Here’s how you can enter to win a copy of this DVD. Everyone will get (4) possibly entry chances in this giveaway contest.

1. Comment on this blog post as to why you would like a copy of this film.

2. Share this blog post review and giveaway on your personal Facebook Page. YOU MUST COME BACK AND LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT TELLING US YOU SHARED ON FACEBOOK (Separate from the first comment on the blog).

3. Share this blog post review and giveaway on your personal Twitter Page. YOU MUST COME BACK AND LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT TELLING US YOU SHARED ON FACEBOOK (Separate from the first and FB comment on the blog).

4. If you have a blog, write a quick post regarding this giveaway opportunity, linking back to my review. YOU MUST COME BACK AND LEAVE SEPARATE COMMENT TELLING US YOU SHARED ON FACEBOOK (Separate from the first, FB and Twitter comments on the blog).

So, to summarize, if you want to enter 4 times, you have to write a comment as to why you want to win this giveaway, share on FB and Twitter and share on your blog. You would have a total of four comments left on Live Free and Hike. Note, you don’t have to do all four, do as many as you’d like…but you have to let me know!!! The winner will be chosen using Random.org. I will draw the winner on September 13! Don’t miss out, this is a wonderful film!!!

Tell It On The Mountain Film Review and Giveaway Contest!!!

Loop Hike on Mount Belknap!!! 08-27-13

Jill and I had a morning free this past week on our vacation so we decided to find a hike that was closer to the seacoast region and somewhat short to fill our time. We decided on Mount Belknap in Gilford, NH which is in the Lake Winnipesaukee Region. The drive up seemed to take longer than we had figured as it is a good 30 minutes past Mount Major over back roads. At the foot of the mountain, there is a Carriage Road that is open to vehicles during the non-winter months. Note that there is also a gate for this road which is open from the hours of 9am to 6pm daily. Be sure to get your car out of there by 6pm, or it will be locked in for the night!

The Carriage Road is about 1.5 miles long and climbs a good portion of the mountain. It does have some steeper parts and a couple hairpin turns, but is not as scary as some of the other mountain roads I have been on like Hurricane Mountain Road which leads to the Black Cap Mountain parking area.

Parking area at the top of the Carriage Road...We were the only ones there!

Shed near parking area, trails begin behind shed

Once in the parking area at the top of the Carriage Road, if you walk past the shed (in view), you’ll come to the main trailhead. There are three trails that lead to the summit of Mount Belknap from this point. The first is the Green Trail, which is the most direct and shortest route, but also the steepest. The second is the Red Trail, which is also pretty short, and moderately steep. Finally, the third is the Blue Trail, which is the longest, but has the best footing and is the most popular. We decided to make a loop and take the Red Trail up, but the Blue Trail down.

Sign on shed...Mileage is a bit off from other signs and AMC Guide.

 Red Trail

The Red Trail started off with gentle grades but seemed to be very wet. Add in some exposed roots and rocks, and the trail was very slippery. As we continued on, the trail did get steeper and erosion over the years has exposed a lot of slippery granite slabs making footing tough. One thing that drove us nuts was the amount of spiders on this trail! Every 50 feet or so, there were huge spider webs across the trail. It slowed us down a bit as we were preoccupied with trying to find them in order to pull them down with a stick before blazing through. Most of the time, we didn’t see them until we had already walked through them, which caused us to spend time picking spiders off from us!

One restricted view halfway up the Red Trail

The Red Trail went by pretty fast. Near the top, you pass a small house to the left with a communications antenna near it. Soon after this point, the fire tower comes into view on your right before entering the summit. I was really surprised however; there were no views from the summit top itself. You did need to climb the tower to get any view over the trees. From the fire tower’s platform, there were 360 degree views all around. It was a very hazy day, so we couldn’t see too far. I have read that you can see Mount Washington from the top on a clear day.

 Fire Tower at Mount Belknap's Summit

Views from the tower!

More views from the summit...Winnipesaukee!

View toward a cell tower and electrical lines, also following the White/Yellow Merge Trail off the summit!

After having an apple, Jill and I headed off the fire tower and took some snapshots of the summit including the Benchmark at the foot of the tower. We found the Blue Trail and headed down. Very soon after starting our descent, we located a spur trail on the right that was marked by surveyor tape. This is an unpublished trail that leads down to a piper plane crash site from 1972. I’ve read in hiking forums that this is a steep trail with rough footing and that the trail can be difficult to follow. Since I had Jill with me, I didn’t think it was a good time to explore this trail, so I will do so on a return visit in the near future. Franklin Sites has a good trip report showing the location of the trail on a map as well as a photo of the crashed plane.

 A pretty beat up NH DPW&H Benchmark at the summit. The only other one of these I have seen is on South Moat Mountain.

Another Benchmark on the summit. This one was a carved triangle with a copper cap in the middle.

On the way down the Blue Trail, there were two good view outlooks. One was to the northeast, where Mount Washington could be seen if the weather was clear and the second was to the north where you could see the peak of Gunstock Mountain as well as the ski area equipment. Soon after the outlooks, we came to a junction with the Saddle Trail and the Overlook Trail. We turned left and stayed on the Blue Trail. The trail was in great shape the rest of the way down. It flattened out near the end, crossed a brook that was currently dry and we made our way back to the parking area.

 View to the northeast from first outlook point on the Blue Trail descending from the summit.

Somewhat restricted view of Gunstock Mountain at second outlook point on the Blue Trail descending from the summit.

This was a quick loop hike and had some pretty good views from the fire tower. Unfortunately, the haze on the horizon was not cooperating with us that day and we couldn’t see that far. It was nice to explore a new peak that was not hours away from home (well, only one hour anyway). However, I’m very partial to the White Mountains. Whenever I climb a mountain in the Lakes Region, it just never seems to compare to the Whites!

Loop Hike on Mount Belknap!!! 08-27-13