The America Less Traveled Documentary

Memorial day hike!

2008-05-26T15:35:00.001-07:00

Today we wanted to celebrate Memorial Day with some good ole fashioned Adventure! So, what does that mean? Climbing an old non-working water tower, of course! Zakc woke me up today and I got ready to get James (who hasn't hiked with us very much but whom is going on the trip). Playing with his new dog, me and Zakc's arms looked like they were beaten with a whip from all of the bites. We left with James, went to pick up Zakc's girlfriend, Bailey, and after stopping by Target we came back home to head out towards the water tower!

Now looking at it from a distance the tower itself doesn't seem too big. We were wrong. We walked the long way to the tower which is through the graveyard, and across the railroad tracks. We could have walked along the railroad tracks to make it there in no time but we were stupid. It was fun though; getting cut up and bruised from the Devil's Cane (thick briers). James was the first out and decided to walk along the tracks until Mr. & Mrs. Slowpoke slowly made it out of the brier.

After THAT we were almost to the lot where the tower was until we had to go down a small hill and through MORE briers and over a barbed-wire fence. FUN. I made it ok but it took, once again, Zakc and Bailey forever. No hard feelings towards them but it's just fun to pick on them! We finally made it past the fence and off we were into another part of Grantville we have never been into! This was cool! There's nothing like finding and abandoned factory with old machines and cool areas to explore! If you haven't tried it then you should! We don't go looking to vandalize or mess with anything but just to look.

We went into some old buildings that had apparently not been in service since Rainbow Plastics had moved out years ago. We found a lot of blackberries, an old fire hose and a ladder that led to the top of a building! I was excited and so we proceeded to climb it! We took some pictures and came back down. James found a hammer on top of the roof.

Before we came down though we had seen some puppies in the distance close to the water tower. Zakc was excited. We walked around the buildings upon reaching the ground again and were almost to the tower when 4 puppies came out of the building. They were barking and as excited as ever to see people. They were lonely! However we could not pet them. They had mange, a horrible disease that dogs get somehow which makes their hair fall out and skin scab over. It was sad. We went on.
We were at the base of the behemoth; A giant water tower resembling the Warner Bros. water tower, only gray, was standing over our heads! Oh the joy! James went up first. Just watching him go up the thing was scary! He stopped halfway up to take a breather (apparently he was 'tired' [pansy!]). He made it up and I was next. I was scared to death. I'm not normally afraid of heights but this would be the highest I've climbed before! I went up and didn't stop halfway! I couldn't look down, I was shaking so bad, and I went on. When I reached the top my hands were shaking fast! I shouted happily, exclamatory in my excitement. Then, up came Zakc. Bailey never came up but watched us three. Zakc is REALLY afraid of heights (it took him an hour to jump off of my eight foot roof into the grass) and James didn't make it easier on him.

James was clanking metal bars and chains he found on the tower together for some odd reason which scared Zack. He made it up though! To tell you the truth I didn't think he would. But he proved me wrong! We looked at the city, seeing it from a perspective that only a handful of people ever have. It was wonderful. I want to do it again! I was scared to go back down. I kept jumping to conclusions like 'it took all of our weight coming up but going down it might not be strong enough anymore.' Stupid, I know. But I did it anyway. But before I went, James did and guess what happened to him? He fell off of the water tower! I know right?!

Not like you think though. James was about a 1/4 the way down when he decided to venture off onto the scaffolding of the tower. STUPID. He got the idea to take the support beams down and he regrets it now. He was about 3/4 the way down when his depth perception told him wrong about how close the ground was and he hit the ground! He hadn't eaten anything so when his body tried to vomit he was just dry heaving! Zakc made it down after me. It was a lot easier for us coming down for some reason. No one saw us the entire time and we set on leaving the area. We needed to get James some Canada Dry (Ginger Ale) and rest. He was as pale as a ghost!

We climbed over a fence to leave (and found a "No Trespassing" sign we didn't see coming in from the back) and James ripped his shirt. We walked back and couldn't wait to tell everyone what we had done. It was exhilarating! If you ever get the chance to climb a water tower you should. It's a lot of fun.

Why we're doing it

2008-05-21T23:47:00.000-07:00

Reactions from our uncommon proposal to hike across the U.S. have been mostly good. Most people we've spoken to either think it's either great or stupid; some for the documentary purpose, some for the hiking and even some for both. Either way, why do you think we're doing it?

A sense of adventure can be found in many different ways. Most people seek the conventional ways of adventure in a yearly vacation, military expedition or local extracurricular activities. Though they are all excellent ways to enjoy life's simple pleasures they are, to us, not enough. We want to lose ourselves in adventure, but not be lost. We want to not only expect the unexpected, but embrace it. During filming of our documentary better footage can be gotten when things aren't planned, they just happen. Not knowing what's coming next.

This in turn can make for great cinema. How many times have you or someone you know done something that would have been so wonderful to catch on footage or have a picture of, but just didn't expect anything crazy, weird or amazing to happen? Our hike, our documentary, opens the doors to just such a chance since we'll have a camera the entire time! Many people, not all, would be scared or worried at such an endeavor and to us that is half the fun!

We're putting on our adventure hats for this one and are planning on not only having a great time but making a great documentary! Our trials we will face throughout the trip will change us in many ways and, captured on film, will only be for the better. Zakc is going to quit smoking during the trip and combined with the stress (and adventure!) of what we'll be doing it will definitely leave way for great footage! The possibilities are seemingly endless.

We can't wait to go, not knowing what to expect. There is sure to be pain, laughter, good times and bad times. And that, my friends, is what America wants to see!

Departure approaching, but we still need stuff!

2008-05-20T14:59:00.000-07:00

It's getting close to August, and we want to leave on the 1st for weather to be in prime conditions for hiking. Thanks to a few donations we're shortening the list of things we need in order to depart. However, we're not even close to having everything that we need! A lot of planning has been underway and the film and hike becomes more of a reality day after day, but only while we're months away from the trip.

We've gone around the County to hand out letters to potential sponsors/investors hoping that they might be able to help us out with the incentive to receive a little $$ if the film is distributed. But as that is going slowly, our conditioning is going fast. At our current rate, we'll be conditioned to make the hike by August but we don't know if we'll have the necessary gear. So I have compiled a list of things we are going to need in order to make this film a reality:

Back Packs x 3 - While conditioning we've been carrying weighted packs that will make us used to carrying packs far heavier than we'll be using. We just need the actual packs to make our efforts useful! Here's what we need.

Hiking Boots x 2 - Our regular shoes are worthless while really hiking and, thanks to Robert Hinley of Hit the Trail in Newnan, we only need two pair of hiking boots! Here's what we need.

Sleeping Bags x 3 - We're hiking from summer through fall and maybe to winter and we'll definitely need warmth while we sleep. The right sleeping bags aren't hard to find, but aren't within our current budget either. Since we'll most likely be traveling through some harsh weather conditions and camping most nights we'll need a good, synthetic sleeping bag. Here's what we need.

Hydration packs x 2 - Dying of thirst or coming close is nothing no person should ever have to experience. We definitely don't want to either and that is why we need 2 hydration packs, thanks to Leon Dyes for his donation of 1. Here's what we need.

These are the main items we need. All donations are tax-deductible, so any help will be greatly appreciated and rewarded! Help us make this film a reality! All of these items above can be bought for under $1080.00 (+ tax).

Thanks!

2008-05-19T17:33:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Robert Hinley, owner of Hit the Trail in Newnan, GA, for the pair of GORE-TEX hiking boots donated to us! My old Dollar General shoes definitely would not make it a 1/4 of the hike and are almost useless from just conditioning!

And thanks to Leon Dyes for donating a Marines-issue Camel back water pack!

~ REMEMBER ~

Anyone who donates is AUTOMATICALLY included in the film credits AND, if your donation covers a value (or money) of $500.00 or more you will be eligible to be considered and investor! Thus you will be able to subtract your donation from your taxes via the Grantville Veterans Associations Non-profit status (*and be entitled to a little $omething). Don't miss out on your chance to be a part of a movie! It's a blast for everyone!

*To avoid fraud or illegal operations, all investors must sign the necessary paperwork to be entitled a percentage of profits made from the film.

Updates!

2008-05-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! This week has been a little slow, but we got some good hiking in recently. We hiked with very heavy backpacks, just filled with weights for conditioning, from Grantville to Hogansville. About 7 miles. Not too bad, and we made good timing, despite a few stops along the way. We got some miniature rock climbing in with the backpacks and I almost fell coming down; it was quite exhilarating!

You think you might see a lot of dead animals on the road when you're driving. Well, just walk a couple of miles and you'll see a lot more!

Oh, I forgot my camera, so you guys can't see the midget horses or the rock wall next to the railroad tracks. Fear not though, we're doing it again on Monday and I'll bring my camera!

Till then, Happy Mothers to all of those who bore or are bearing children out there!

Well, our promotion efforts didn't work...

2008-05-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

But' we'll keep trying!!!

Hungry? Thirsty? How about a Snow Cone?!!

2008-05-05T06:14:00.001-07:00

If you are planning on going to Wal-Mart or just plain shopping around in Newnan this week, don't be surprised to catch us out in the Grantville Veterans Association truck selling Snow Cones! We're going to be raising money (hopefully) for the documentary so, if you've got the feeling for something sweet and refreshing we'll be around Bullsboro all day! They're only 1 dollar, WHAT A DEAL, right?

We're still at it!

2008-04-22T18:36:00.000-07:00

The conditioning isn't over yet ladies! We still have 2-3 months before we head out on our journey to make the film and we still have to get ready! It's tough but we're pressing on! ( I use "!" too much, don't I?)

Anyway, me Zakc and Cory have been using Grantville as our walking grounds lately and don't be fooled by it's small town trickery, but there are a lot of places that can really get your workout going! Yesterday we went to a construction site and there was a very large mound of dirt, a big hill of it you could say, and we climbed it!

Now, in the above picture you can't really see it's true height, but it's massive. We probably shouldn't have been there considering it's government property, but oh what the hey, we had fun! And we're planning on coming back soon! The opposite side of the hill makes for great climbing and can really give you a good workout! As you can see from my face to the left, I was surprised at the strength gravity had on me on my way down! But don't worry, my face turned back to it's regular handsome position!

So, for those of you who think we're crazy and not going to make the cross country hike then

THINK AGAIN!!!

It's happening and you might as well join us now! In the meantime, we'll be conditioning and walking some more so expect to see us heading out by August! Till then, check for updates! I'll leave you with another picture I took on our walk! Have fun!

Conditioning!

2008-04-13T12:23:00.000-07:00

Hello all! Yesterday I, and Zakc started conditioning for the trip. We made a 14 mile hike from Grantville to Newnan. With a few stops and interferences we made it in almost six hours. Not to bad, eh? Well, we're going to start walking daily, leaving around 9 or 10 AM (because we sleep late, ok!) and walk around town.

Twice a month until the big hike, we will walk to Newnan and back or to LaGrange and back. Hopefully by the time it comes to leave, we will be physically and mentally prepared. Two of our companions for the hike could not make it yesterday; James and Cory. About 6 days ago I stopped drinking anything but water cold-turkey. Talk about "welcome to the suck!" I am doing a little better now, with the withdrawals and what-not. Ibuprofin keeps me up and atom, though.

Zakc is slowly stopping drinking his MDX's, which he practically thrives off of, and will soon be just drinking water. He's planning on quitting smoking during the trip, which will make for some great humorous footage!

And, on an extra note, we finally got the "ok" to go out and get producers (investors!) So, tuesday we will be heading out to track them down! HA Ha ha ha ha ha ha...

Well, alright everyone, that's it for today. Keep back for info, which will hopefully be flooding in soon!

How things are going to roll:

2008-04-07T14:34:00.000-07:00

We would like to begin our hike no later than August 1^st, 2008. However we cannot just walk out there with only the clothes on our back. We need hiking gear, film equipment and pre planning. The finances we receive from our producers (investors) will cover the gear and film equipment and also the consent forms (for interviewees and others appearing in the film), and any other materials needed.

We will be setting up a Home Base which will send and receive mail for us and be constantly updated of our location. The Home Base will be in contact with our family, investors and website developer. We will be telling the Home Base when to send items we might soon need such as new film, new clothes / equipment, new forms, etc. It will also be there for us to send home items we don’t need to be carrying like used film, surplus equipment, and memorabilia we bought personally.

In case of an emergency, local law enforcement of our current location will be notified via our cell phones or the Home Base if we cannot get in touch with the police. In case of severe injury to one or more of the group, the hike and filming will be postponed until recovery of the member(s), if possible. In the event of death the entire production will cease completely. These events, however, will be highly unlikely seeing as we will be taking every precaution possible to avoid potential hazards.

During, after and somewhat before the hike we will be having a website for the trip which will track our location a week behind. The point of this is to attract interest into our documentary on a national level before we are done filming! It will have information about what we are doing, how we are doing, where we are (a week behind for safety reasons) and will also have memorabilia of the film to purchase like t-shirts for “The America Less Traveled” or hats too!

When we make it to Los Angeles we will purchase airplane tickets to fly home as soon as we are done filming there. Once we fly back we will begin the cutting and editing process a.s.a.p. We will have many hours of footage to go over and edit so the process could take a couple of months. After the editing is complete and we have a finished cut there will be a private screening for everyone involved with the film! Then we will proceed with the submission process to film festivals across the country!

Where I've been...

2008-04-06T17:53:00.001-07:00

Sorry guys, my Internet has been down for a while since I was moving so I haven't been able to get on. I am at a friends home so there's not much I can do. Expect updates by Wednesday, though!

How tax deduction works!

2008-04-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

If the donor is contributing cash to the Grantville Veterans Association, the general rule is that there is only one limitation on the total amount that she is entitled to deduct: She may only deduct her contribution to the extent that it does not exceed 50% of her Adjusted Gross Income. Any amount not deducted in the year she makes the contribution may be carried forward and taken the next year for up to 5 years.

To Illustrate, suppose that the donor has an adjusted gross income of 100,000 USD. In the year 2008, she gives 5,000 USD in cash to the Grantville Veterans Association project “The America Less Traveled.” The donor may deduct the entire 5,000 USD in 2008. Why? Because it is not in excess of 50% of her adjusted gross income (100,000 adjusted gross income x .50 % = 50,000).

Why should investors actually invest in our film?

2008-04-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Now I know what you might be thinking. “How is this going to be beneficial to me,” right? Well, let me say this: There is no possible way you can lose anything from making an investment into this film. Why? How? Through tax deduction you will get your investment completely back as long as your investment does not exceed 50% of your adjusted gross income for the year. Now, we’re not expecting you to invest that much. And even if you did invest over 50 %, you can get the excess back next year (for up to 5 years)! So, now that you know how you cannot lose, how can you win?

We are taking this film to many different film festivals around the country and possibly the world. If we get accepted we are able to win awards and prizes. Also, film festivals are gathering venues for film distributors who want to see if they can market films at the festival to the public. What does that mean? They could pick our film for theater distribution which could generate a very large profit. They could pick our film for television distribution, like a made-for-TV movie, which could also generate a very large profit. Or they could pick our film for straight to DVD distribution, which could once again generate a very large profit! Better yet, if our film is picked for theater or TV distribution it will most likely also receive DVD distribution after its tour is done!

If we get picked up at a festival, we are to expect a large profit from this to which you, as an investor are entitled to receive a percentage of! Now, that percentage does depend on how many investors there are and if you gave more or less than other investors. That means that the more you invest, the more you make! Why do you think that major movie producers like Steven Spielberg (Indiana Jones) or Jerry Bruckheimer (Pirates of the Caribbean) produce (invest in) films? Because they make money from doing that!

Another reason is that we are not making this movie on an average movie budget ($1,000,000.00 to $10,000,000.00). This means that films that produce movies on that kind of budget need to make more than what they spent to make it. Imagine what we could make with our tiny budget? So, I reiterate, you get your investment back through our fiscal sponsorship of the Grantville Veterans Association, a non-profit organization, and you have the potential to make hundreds if not thousands of dollars!

How do you know that this is a marketable film? For starters, it is not a political, religious or otherwise controversial film. It will express no political or religious or racial views in any way, thus making our film open to the widest audience; everyone! We are also planning on making a family oriented film. This means that the lower the rating (We are aiming for PG or PG13) the more people will come to see it! If it were rated R, we would lose a substantial amount of profit.

Wounded knee

2008-04-02T08:09:00.000-07:00

I have edited our trail to go through the site of Wounded Knee in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. It's about an 60 mile defer from our trail straight to Hot Springs, so that's not too bad.

Fiscal Sponsorship

2008-04-01T19:36:00.000-07:00

We have been in talks with the Grantville Veterans Association (GVA) about a Fiscal Sponsorship, meaning that we can receive endowments from investors who will be able to deduct the endowment from taxes via the GVA's non-profit status (because we are broke!)

Everything seems pretty good, but they will have to vote on it at the next GVA meeting on Sunday, April 12th. Wish us luck because this will make or break our trip!

If it is approved, we will be having donation ads up on the site! It will be tax deductible!

Our trail!

2008-04-01T19:28:00.000-07:00

View Larger Map

* Please note, this trail is subject to change

What is "The America Less Traveled" documentary?

2008-04-01T18:31:00.001-07:00

Every year, millions of tourists and vacationers travel across country to delve into the many attractions America has to offer; be it Hollywood, casinos, monuments to landscapes and/or natural beauty. Marking off points on their map they fly or drive to their destination in a matter of hours. The majority of those people, however, often times look past the heart of America, driving right by it.

When you take a vacation have you ever wondered if you should have stopped in that town, gotten off of that exit or went to that place? Most vacationers look past the small towns and communities that are the true grit of America. Traveling thousands of miles across country, there are many things one can miss. The sights whizzing by or the people they might never be able to talk to. The heart of America isn’t Hollywood, Disney World or the beach, but the communities across the country full of people with stories to tell and lives worth falling in to. So, if you’ve never had the chance to see that place, let us bring you there!

Our documentary, The America Less Traveled, will cover a journey of four young individuals, Colby Doler, James Haney, Zechariah Barton and Cory Craig, trekking across the great U.S.A. to discover those places and those people most will never experience. Starting off in Atlanta we will be walking North East, eventually making it to Los Angeles, California. We will be filming our journey the entire time; showing the diverse people, towns and cultures of America waiting to tell their story!