I hiked that trail 53 years ago to Mt. Whitney. An experience of a life time but knew little of the trails construction. This brings back wonderful memories. Thank You!
Wrote, filmed, and produced this documentary for the National Park Service on building a 70-mile hiking trail linking the sequoias of Giant Forest to Mt. Whitney, tallest mountain in lower 48 states.
Thank you for this work it is astounding to learn how much work and engineering went behind it! Will be hiking it in a couple weeks and will be thinking of those who labored in the intense heat so we could enjoy the "gentle ribbon of rock!"
We viewed it! Wow this is awesome! Did the JMT last September and now looking into another adventure....maybe this, or JMT SOBO, or PCT from YV to Tahoe? Great video!!!!
I agree with you fawffles.....but in a way that is a good thing....I run this regularly out to Bear Paw High Sierra Camp....was there yesterday and it was white out snowing! Never a bad run!
Incredibly grateful to have hiked this route with my best friend in 2016. It was a truly amazing experience, but from the moment you enter _Valhalla._ 🤯 Passing the icy waters of Precipice Lake. Then bursting through the jagged rocks of Kaweah gap and *_BOOM-_* you’re staring down the magical Big Aaroyo. The mighty Kern Canyon (with its snakes) and then sneakily up the backside of Whitney and those cold and foreboding granite spires. Absolutely unbelievable. Rip buddy 🤙
This was exactly what I was looking for. It's funny how you say most people don't think about how the trail was built, when I hiked to Kaweah Gap that was on my mind all the time! Really appreciate the historical documents and photos, since it's intriguing how they could carve the trail on the cliff faces with 1930's equipment...and safety gear 😬. Thank you!
A sensitively executed film about the history and development of the HST. Even with all the engineering efforts, the trail remains tough, challenging and very beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing this bit of history. Truly as Huell Howser would say "California Gold."
I hiked this trail from Whitney Portal to Crescent Meadow with 5 fellow Explorer Scouts in 1961. We saw the Crabtree Meadow ranger packing out at the end of the season, and one other man eastbound. He was wearing an airforce nylon flight suit and we nicknamed him "Dan Venture", our idol until the next afternoon thunder storm. We knew we were dry and he was soaked through. Two people in 72 miles! Much has changed. The history is much appreciated, wish we had known the information at the time. I can remember frequently hiking into the Sierra with topo maps dated pre-WWII . Some trails were overgrown especailly those along side of small streams which made us use our brains. Great experience going cross country looking for the remnants of the abandoned trail. BTW - trout fishing was great on these off trail adventures. Thanks for posting this video. Excellent.
if you like history of the parks especially sequoia, a good book is "the pass" by Stewart Edward White. it is an adventure into the Backcountry of Sequoia in the early 1900's. the pass from deadmans canyon into the lone pine drainage, Elizabeth pass getting it's name is recounted in the book. it is named after his wife. the location of the modern day Elizabeth pass is different than the original. there is a great article about it online at 100 peaks. I believe it's titled "solving a 1906 mystery" the author uses whites book to show were the original pass was.
HST is a great trail and you really appreciate the Trail builders when your on it,plus the CCC and Rangers who maintain it.The hot springs in Kern Canyon are a treat,Precipice,Gap,Hamilton etc I had a jaw dropping encounter with a black bear in Kern, Get out there
Correction, for writing, filming and producing this gem! I am a landscape photographer who spends a lot of time in Yosemite and this one really drew me in.
...great film, I am so happy they did not route this trail through Kern/ Kaweah basin, as that keeps that such a wonderful, remote and seldom visited area. Though I think it may have been less labor intensive to route the thing from bearpaw up to tamarack, lion lake, triple divide after my 5 minute non expert look at google earth. However, the intended route ended up being really good allowing hikers to experience more of the Big Arroyo and to drop into the kern trench and experience more varied terrain and a hot spring ! Thanks for putting this together.
Great video. Your experience and background greatly added to the story. I loved the old photos and trail construction information. Especially interesting were the proposed routes outlined on the aerial photos and topo maps. Well done!
Incredible piece of history! High on my list, and scrambling the section that didn't come to be trail sounds like a fun alternate. After doing the TRT and half Skurka's Yosemite HR, I'm eager to venture further north and south.
Just finished hiking the Hamilton section of the HST and marveled at the construction and engineering. Your video answered many questions and provided interesting facts about how difficult it was to build. Now I have an even greater appreciation for this wonderful resource.
What a great work you’ve accomplished putting this documentary together. Thank you, really. I hiked this not long ago and was blown away by the trail. But I had no idea of what went into it until now. And now I want to go hike it again just to show my respect for those who made it possible. Aside from the everything else the beauty of this hike is unparalleled. Which I now understand is why they went to such lengths to make it all happen. Putting this documentary out, your contribution, you’ve tied together the beauty and the (beast) work- the efforts of so many. Again, thank you.
Have hiked the HST twice in my life (and going back now to take the "other route" this summer and go up to lion lake and over triple divide pass) and hand no idea its rich history! Thanks for posting this great video!
Just amazing. I always marvel at the construction of these trails when I walk over them and often wonder what it took to get the job done. I have a better idea of that now - MORE PLEASE!!! I'd love to peruse the archival photos and such - any way to make that happen?
Thanks so much for your support! I am working on that. Please write the Superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, (Woody Smeck, Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271) to express your desire to see more of this. Meanwhile, here's a link to another film I have done on another Sierra trail: th-cam.com/video/VOhh5UnvMq0/w-d-xo.html
Hey Richard, near the end it talks about a series of films… Where are those? I didn’t see anything at the website the video mentions. Can you provide links?
+Karen Gaulton Karen, thank you for your good comments. I changed the title to "High Sierra Trail: Gentle Ribbon of Rock." I would be grateful if you would talk up the video among your family, friends, etc. You might enjoy my other Sierra film on the story of preserving the Giant Sequoias of the High Sierra: th-cam.com/video/VOhh5UnvMq0/w-d-xo.html Best wishes!
Fascinating film bringing the history to life and presenting the difficulties of the building of this trail. Brilliant job ,Thanks
I hiked that trail 53 years ago to Mt. Whitney. An experience of a life time but knew little of the trails construction. This brings back wonderful memories. Thank You!
Wrote, filmed, and produced this documentary for the National Park Service on building a 70-mile hiking trail linking the sequoias of Giant Forest to Mt. Whitney, tallest mountain in lower 48 states.
Thank you for this work it is astounding to learn how much work and engineering went behind it! Will be hiking it in a couple weeks and will be thinking of those who labored in the intense heat so we could enjoy the "gentle ribbon of rock!"
And did a Damn Fine Job. Thank You
I can't believe this only has 10K views. Incredible video and narration of the creation of this fantastic trail. Thank you so much.
We viewed it! Wow this is awesome! Did the JMT last September and now looking into another adventure....maybe this, or JMT SOBO, or PCT from YV to Tahoe? Great video!!!!
I agree with you fawffles.....but in a way that is a good thing....I run this regularly out to Bear Paw High Sierra Camp....was there yesterday and it was white out snowing! Never a bad run!
totally agree - it is so well put together and interesting - is is up to over 27k views now!
Incredibly grateful to have hiked this route with my best friend in 2016. It was a truly amazing experience, but from the moment you enter _Valhalla._ 🤯 Passing the icy waters of Precipice Lake. Then bursting through the jagged rocks of Kaweah gap and *_BOOM-_* you’re staring down the magical Big Aaroyo. The mighty Kern Canyon (with its snakes) and then sneakily up the backside of Whitney and those cold and foreboding granite spires. Absolutely unbelievable. Rip buddy 🤙
This was exactly what I was looking for. It's funny how you say most people don't think about how the trail was built, when I hiked to Kaweah Gap that was on my mind all the time! Really appreciate the historical documents and photos, since it's intriguing how they could carve the trail on the cliff faces with 1930's equipment...and safety gear 😬. Thank you!
A sensitively executed film about the history and development of the HST. Even with all the engineering efforts, the trail remains tough, challenging and very beautiful. Thanks so much for sharing this bit of history. Truly as Huell Howser would say "California Gold."
I hiked this trail from Whitney Portal to Crescent Meadow with 5 fellow Explorer Scouts in 1961. We saw the Crabtree Meadow ranger packing out at the end of the season, and one other man eastbound. He was wearing an airforce nylon flight suit and we nicknamed him "Dan Venture", our idol until the next afternoon thunder storm. We knew we were dry and he was soaked through. Two people in 72 miles! Much has changed.
The history is much appreciated, wish we had known the information at the time. I can remember frequently hiking into the Sierra with topo maps dated pre-WWII . Some trails were overgrown especailly those along side of small streams which made us use our brains. Great experience going cross country looking for the remnants of the abandoned trail. BTW - trout fishing was great on these off trail adventures.
Thanks for posting this video. Excellent.
An amazing Trail with an incredible story. Thank you for sharing
Tweed is an excellent narrator and historian. I have his book "Uncertain Path". He knows about the parks from cover to cover.
if you like history of the parks especially sequoia, a good book is "the pass" by Stewart Edward White. it is an adventure into the Backcountry of Sequoia in the early 1900's. the pass from deadmans canyon into the lone pine drainage, Elizabeth pass getting it's name is recounted in the book. it is named after his wife.
the location of the modern day Elizabeth pass is different than the original.
there is a great article about it online at 100 peaks. I believe it's titled "solving a 1906 mystery"
the author uses whites book to show were the original pass was.
I loved this video so much my brother and I are doing the HST this fall. Cannot wait!
informative and pleasure to watch
What an amazing video that I wish I could thumbs up a thousand times. Deserves 100x the views it has!
Wow this video is incredible! Thank you so much for making this
Midtown Sacramento Salutes you!!
Loved watching this as my daughter and partner are hiking as I watch this.
This fantastic fun to enjoy for those who’ve had the fortune to have walked the HST.
HST is a great trail and you really appreciate the Trail builders when your on it,plus the CCC and Rangers who maintain it.The hot springs in Kern Canyon are a treat,Precipice,Gap,Hamilton etc I had a jaw dropping encounter with a black bear in Kern,
Get out there
I truly enjoyed this video. Thank you so much for sharing it.
Correction, for writing, filming and producing this gem! I am a landscape photographer who spends a lot of time in Yosemite and this one really drew me in.
fantastic video, thank you so much!
...great film, I am so happy they did not route this trail through Kern/ Kaweah basin, as that keeps that such a wonderful, remote and seldom visited area. Though I think it may have been less labor intensive to route the thing from bearpaw up to tamarack, lion lake, triple divide after my 5 minute non expert look at google earth. However, the intended route ended up being really good allowing hikers to experience more of the Big Arroyo and to drop into the kern trench and experience more varied terrain and a hot spring ! Thanks for putting this together.
Great video. Your experience and background greatly added to the story. I loved the old photos and trail construction information. Especially interesting were the proposed routes outlined on the aerial photos and topo maps. Well done!
Incredible piece of history! High on my list, and scrambling the section that didn't come to be trail sounds like a fun alternate. After doing the TRT and half Skurka's Yosemite HR, I'm eager to venture further north and south.
Awesome piece of work. Both the video and the trail. My sons just completed both!
Just finished hiking the Hamilton section of the HST and marveled at the construction and engineering. Your video answered many questions and provided interesting facts about how difficult it was to build. Now I have an even greater appreciation for this wonderful resource.
What a great work you’ve accomplished putting this documentary together. Thank you, really. I hiked this not long ago and was blown away by the trail. But I had no idea of what went into it until now. And now I want to go hike it again just to show my respect for those who made it possible. Aside from the everything else the beauty of this hike is unparalleled. Which I now understand is why they went to such lengths to make it all happen. Putting this documentary out, your contribution, you’ve tied together the beauty and the (beast) work- the efforts of so many. Again, thank you.
Thanks for Making This
Ranger Tweed is a wealth of SEKI knowledge and history, good man.
Thank You Sir!
Great video!
Great video. Love the history. Wish it were twice as long with more detail.
Fantastic
Have hiked the HST twice in my life (and going back now to take the "other route" this summer and go up to lion lake and over triple divide pass) and hand no idea its rich history! Thanks for posting this great video!
Amazing video Thank you very much
Just amazing. I always marvel at the construction of these trails when I walk over them and often wonder what it took to get the job done. I have a better idea of that now - MORE PLEASE!!! I'd love to peruse the archival photos and such - any way to make that happen?
Thanks so much for your support! I am working on that. Please write the Superintendent of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, (Woody Smeck, Superintendent, Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, 47050 Generals Highway, Three Rivers, CA 93271) to express your desire to see more of this. Meanwhile, here's a link to another film I have done on another Sierra trail: th-cam.com/video/VOhh5UnvMq0/w-d-xo.html
Hey Richard, near the end it talks about a series of films… Where are those? I didn’t see anything at the website the video mentions. Can you provide links?
Inspiring!
Awesome video! It should have more views!!! Perhaps changing the title would help for people searching High Sierra videos?
+Karen Gaulton Karen, thank you for your good comments. I changed the title to "High Sierra Trail: Gentle Ribbon of Rock." I would be grateful if you would talk up the video among your family, friends, etc. You might enjoy my other Sierra film on the story of preserving the Giant Sequoias of the High Sierra:
th-cam.com/video/VOhh5UnvMq0/w-d-xo.html
Best wishes!
I always hear that bird sound 0.12s. What is the name of that bird?
Well done!
Hiking it in 14 days :)
1 yr and 14 days behind you
👍🏼👍🏼😍😍
High Sierra Trail