Dumb and Dumber go hiking . . . in the desert
592703
Dumb & dumber go hiking . . . in the desert. They get lost. That's it.

Not a lot of talkin', which is good cause these boys ain't got nothing to say.

Some nice scenery. About as interesting as watching paint dry.

Ends with a "WTF" ending. Maybe some reviewers found this made the film "provocative". Lame cop-out for real plot in my opinion. You decide: if you can stand it that long.

Continuity alert: Casey has a white hooded sweatshirt when he goes into the desert. At the big rock, it's not there any more. Considering how little else goes on in this movie and how important any protection is in the desert, why wasn't this omission noticed?
7696
When my son was in the Boy Scouts, I hiked with the troop 60 miles on the AT in North Carolina. While we didn't encounter the eclectic hikers Scott Herriot did in the short time we were on the trail, we did meet some real characters including some FBI agents "disguised" as hikers (some of their equipment still had tags) who were looking for the Unabomber.

This is a humorous, fun look at the thru hikers of the AT near Katahdin.  My favorite was "Cartwheel" a young girl thru hiking with her parents and older brother.  Her enthusiasm was infectious.
2335926
These guys get hoodwinked out of their vacation clothes, money, and dignity while trying to score while on an extended holiday on Crete.  They go from one bad situation to another, pretty much like their TV episodes until they finally get what they came for.  An irreverant, funny movie that you will enjoy if you are a fan of the series.
2033447
A very pleasant book about two regular guys, not trail experts, planning to walk the entire Appalachian Trail (AT) but not completely as it turns out, in large sections with large step offs here and there. Not to be confused with an expert hikers view of what it is like on the trail but essentially two amateurs. The tell tale sign was when Bryson buys camping equipment and when he purchases a $300 backpack he is stunned to find out that the straps cost extra along with the $25 rain pack cover. The author is accompanied by an out of shape friend but surprisinghly durable, hard luck friend named Katz and their interactions along the trail set the style of the book. Well meaning, and surprisingly earnest adventurers tackle the greater portion of the AT.  The tale is fraught with humor with their less than stellar encounters, although successful in overall travel, hiking through a good portion of the southern trail, middlke area and an attempt to finish a section in Maine. Roughly 800 plus miles out of 2,000 by books end. The humor and sarcasm about certain places and people along the way is entertaining as well as great detail in describing the trail, it's history and the attarctive features along the way. Very good descriptions of the various small towns they encounter, camping sites with very good descriptins of shelters and assorted motels, cabins and bunk houses along the way they periodically utilize for showers, food and recovery.  One bunk house was described by an earlier arriving patron as Stalog 17. But the amusing aspect is the interaction between the two and quite a number of folk along the way, the knowledgeable, the well meaning and the off the wall. Again, not for the hard corps hiker looking for the ultimate guide but if they are looking for an amusing, descriptive of semi-amateurs trail experience, they will enjoy the book. The book loses something in the second half when there is a significant break and Katz goes home. The author proceeds much later with day hikes with a leapfrog effect using his car until he moves further north. Theook picks up at the end as Katz returns and the humor and likeable interaction picks up for the last 100 plus miles in Maine that does not pan out well. If you are looking for a serious book on the trail, this is not really it, but it does provide an very appreciative taste  of life on the AT, and a fun adventure that the less skilled wilderness folk can appreciate.
3881718
The Animorphs go to the North Pole to stop the Yeerks from putting a Kandrona there. Hehe, their Spandex did not hold up too well in Arctic temperatures.

Notable moments and inconsistencies:

This book was ghostwritten by Jeffrey Zeuhlke.

A couple of early language mistakes: this book capitalizes "Android" once for no reason, and accidentally writes "Visser's Three" instead of "Visser Three's."

The Venber race is introduced here: An alien species that lived in sub-zero temperatures. Being that they melt above zero, the liquid they melt into is a good superconducter and another ancient race called The Five used them in their computers, as a harvest animal even though they were sentient. Their planet is called Venbea. The Venber that show up in this book are probably hybrids with humans, created and bred by the Yeerks.

Ax and Tobias satisfying their hunger by drinking blood in flea morph brings up an interesting question. If they morphed to flea to eat and then morphed back to their natural forms, would it mean they wouldn't be hungry for a while? If they morph back, does "hunger" grow or shrink based on what state they left their morphs in, or would it be dangerous for one of them to expect a satisfactory amount of food for a flea to carry them through once they go back to normal?

The Five don't seem to get mentioned in any other books even though Ax suggests they had an important altercation with Andalites in the ancient past. The Andalites are insinuated to have assisted in their complete demise.

The character Derek is not as disturbed or as determined to question the Animorphs as most people would be if they saw people turning into animals. The explanation here is that he is an indigenous person and their tribe believes in animal spirits. This is the second time the Animorphs books have done something like this--relegated a witness to non-dangerous status because of some ideal Native navet. Most of the time if someone witnesses them morphing or gets in on their secrets, they become a security risk. But people who are rural natives of some kind--in this case, Derek is Inuit--always seem to be ignored as a security risk and assigned an unrealistic, stereotypical local tradition that covers this base. It's read as offensive by some since several times the Animorphs show up in remote lands and meet natives who act like this, and it's especially odd in this case since Derek otherwise seems aware of pop culture references.
3058134
First of all, this two book story is just that, a story. Don't purchase this thinking it is in any way a guide for gear or how to thru-hike and it doesn't claim to be. You could however learn from some of the mistakes of the people in the story I suppose. The characters themselves (actual thru-hikers I believe) in this book are so colorful and funny that it is just interesting to read. This is the second book. The first part of their journey was a fun read as well. I like that the book isn't a constant day by day but focuses on the conversations, experiences, and trials that stood out in their memories.  Good, easy read for a relaxing getaway from everyday life. Recommend.
3802830
Hiked 11 miles to Kalalau trail (Kauai, Hawaii)and back in these bad boys and my feet where in heaven. Mud,water, rocks,dry dirt and sand. It destroyed everything in its path.
394913
The whole movie is dumber than a rock yet it turns out to be really funny.  Here's a KID that gives the bad guys a really bad time and I mean bad time.
 It's an oldie but goodie and it is a funny movie.
3649942
That's it. Two guys lost in the desert. They aren't going anywhere and they get lost. Don't get me wrong. Matt Damon is a great actor. I also think Casey Afflek is awesome, or at least better than the more easily marketable Ben (I know, that's not saying much). They walk and barely say anything. They walk in no particular direction, with no purpose other than walking. Some more patient types might say (after wasting almost two hours of their time) that the cinematography was great, that the film evoked many a thought on the duality of man, and the struggle of humanity. Others might say that the lack of substance spoke volumes of the richness of lack of substance in the duality of man and the human struggle. Still others would wait outside the theatre where this movie is showing to sell vast quantities of swampland in Florida. This movie was TWO GUYS LOST IN THE DESERT!!! Nothing happens!!! They walk together. They walk apart. They say next to nothing. They make no plan to get out in a sensible way. They walk. They are lost in the desert. Are you getting my point. If you like to watch a moving postcard for two hours, this is a movie for you. If you are not interested in a plot, dialogue, or something other than the sound of feet walking a sandy road, then this is the movie for you. If not, rent Buffalo 66 and enjoy yourself.
2558828
A very well written account of the stupidity and plain bad luck of people who were killed in the Grand Canyon by various run ins with the nature of the canyon.
Having walked from the south rim to the north rim and back myself, and experiencing the 115 degree heat, running out of food and water too soon, the dizzying, dazzling vistas, and actually having the sole of my hiking boot break off, and having to walk 3/4 of the canyon looking for socks on the trail to put over my boot, and borrowing duct tape from a ranger, and suffering from near hypothermia as we battled back up to the South rim, from Indian gardens in a drenching cold rain...It really brought back memories, and realizations of the close possibility of being a statistic. There for the grace of God go I.
What a great book... I havn't read one like this in a long time. I literaly cannot stop reading it.
I hope these guys right a sequel..
1195232
There's roughly 30 seconds of good shooting and a whole lot of walking and talking. It's basically a really unnecessary hike.
3368086
I walked out of the living room 15 minutes into the film.  I have little interest in films, stories etc.. that celebrate stupid people. John Farnham has his four rules of stupid. 1) don't be stupid, 2) don't do stupid things, 3) don't go to stupid places and 4) don't associate with stupid people.  Let's see, this guy goes into the desert alone, no real supplies, first aid, or any support system. On top of that, he doesn't leave word, note, phone anything to anyone about where he's going and or when to expect him back.  Sorry, like the four gun rules you can sometimes get away with breaking the four rules of stupid but when you break two, nothing good is going to happen.  People who callously wander off into dangerous places without planning deserve the fate that awaits them.
2854104
Ash and his friends come to Grandfather Canyon, where people from all over the World of Nintendo have come to dig up fossils. Ash says it's a good idea, because the idiot who came up with this experience invited everyone's  least favorite %@!$@, Gary.
But while digging, Ash runs into those mangy  friends of Gary's, Jessie and James, who are plotting to blow up the  canyon. The three of them and their Pokemon end up inside a cavern full of  extinct Pokemon, including a giant Aerodactyl! Can Ash escape the jaws of  death? Can Jigglypuff save the day? And... will someone drop Gary in that  hole with the Rockets?!?
The episode itself wasn't good, as it had Gary  (who needs his @$$ kicked), and Ash's disobedient Charizard. (I think Gary  stole Ash's Charmeleon-ball and replaced it with his own.) Still, I got a  big laugh when Gary found a fossil of Pokemon poo-poo!
476608
This is a newbie book. Do not expect any intermediate or advanced tips. With that being said it does reinforce what I have preached but morons have contradicted. Use the rear break, stupid! No listen to me becuase I am faster then I have brains and crash all the time so I must be fast. I am stupid and you grab a fist full of brake and endo like a total loser like I did. Don't ride with idiots in the canyons. Pushing the limits in the canyons does not make you faster it makes you crash. Guys that crash every four months are not fast, only ignorant. This should be in the driver test handbook for all the lemmings following the morons knee draging off the cliffs to the morgue "every" weekend. Get lessons (from pro's not morons) and take it to the track.
2904468
This was an entertaining book, but sweet Jesus these people are stupid. The zombies (called Unconsecrated in this book) cant do much to you except bite you. Theyre slow and stupid, cant open gates or climb ladders. They don't communicate or cooperate with each other. If you get bit youll catch incurable zombie sickness, but all theyve got to work with is human teeth and determination. Theyre ridiculously easy to kill. But the people in the book try to fence them out instead, and when they breach the fence they hide on platforms where the zombies cant reach them. They wear tunics and dresses. Theyre armed with scythes.

So make protective suits, okay? Naugahyde, plastic, boiled leather--any of those should work just fine. Even some nice Wisconsin winter layers would keep the teeth off. Be sure youve got gloves, boots, and something along the lines of a motorcycle helmet. Then you can walk among the zombies with an ax and whup off their heads. Yeah, I know there are a lot of them, but get a few people out there swinging axes and youll be done in no time.

Or instead of dreaming about the ocean, maybe Mary should dream about finding a nice cache of automatic weapons.
2648351
A somewhat dry accounting, using newspaper clippings whenever available, of mishaps that casual (and quite often very experienced)hikers encounter in what commonly is believed to be safe National Parks. A very quick education in being prepared for the underestimated dangers of dehydration, hypothermia, and heat stress.  It is not quite as good as "Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon"or "Death in Yellowstone: Accidents and Foolhardiness in the First National Park", both of which manage to get the message of being careful across in a much more narrative style. If you enjoy "Weather stories" on TV, these will all make for fascinating reading.

PS In the Oregon reference I am talking about the death of CNET editor James Kim, who left the relative safety of his car trying to get help for his family, and the three climbers on Mt Hood that perished shortly after. You will learn of countless expeditions that people insisted on undertaking because they were already there, even though the weather has changed drastically.
2941889
Having hiked, during my long life, on four continents, along trails of varying degrees of intensity, I empathised with every painful step this young, intelligent and courageous woman endured on the extremely challenging Pacific Crest Hiking Trail on the North American continent.
In a way this was a rite of passage undertaken by a troubled soul in her mid- twenties, to rediscover and redefine herself after a difficult childhood, an abusive father, the untimely and ugly death of her mother, the consequent collapse of her marriage, the fragmentation and dissolution of her remaining family. Her consequent and promiscuous descent into meaningless sexual encounters and a dangerous flirtation with heroin hurtled her towards rock bottom and self-loathing. A subliminal and inherently intelligent inner voice told her that something had to be done or she would self-destruct.
Told with brutal honesty and self-effacement, Cheryl Strayed invites you to don her undersize hiking boots, strap her frighteningly heavy pack to your back and embark on an incredible journey into an achingly beautiful but physically challenging environment. Her blistered and bruised feet, loss of toenails and the damage to her body inflicted by her enormous pack, acted as counter irritants to the baggage of emotional pain she felt so acutely at the start of her ill-advised adventure. Having to deal with constant agony, the threat of starvation and thirst, due to bad planning, and at times hazardous snow burdened portions of the trail, she no longer had space to wallow in self-pity and bitter regret.
Not wanting to spoil the rest of this fascinating narrative Id like to end off with an appropriate quotation on wisdom by Barbara Kingsolver during an interview with Michele Magwood in South Africa recently: You can be really smart at any age, but real wisdom you accrue by living, by making mistakes, you accrue it like scar tissue, gradually, painfully.
Cheryl Strayed was 27 when she embarked on this journey and right now I assume is a very wise and very successful 47. Her three months on the Pacific Crest Trail was a dramatic turning point in her life.