Post by dennisgwin on Feb 24, 2016 18:44:15 GMT
Complete Hugh Glass Trek 1 Dennis Gwin.kmz (481.26 KB)“The Revenant” is a movie based on the legend of Hugh Glass; a mountain man and scout that helped Americans open up the unknown territory west of the Missouri River. The true story of his survival, alone in the wilderness, after a grizzly bear attack, is fantastically amazing. I wrote about this in my book “Hit the Knee and Other Sage Advice”, where I compared his anguishing solo survival saga, to my own pampered and comfortable recovery from open-heart surgery.
When I was told that a film about Hugh Glass was soon to be released, I could not wait to see it. Of course, I fully expected the movie director and screen play writers to take liberties with the true story and play hard and loose with the facts, in order to make a more artistic movie. I had no idea, however, that they would introduce situations and locations that would make it impossible for anyone to survive.
It happened in South Dakota, in very rugged territory, but not in the Rocky Mountains among towering peaks, mile wide glaciers, and unforgiving weather. One huge factor is that the bear attack happened around the middle of August and not in the dead of winter. This would have been a very dry part of the year and the rivers would not be swollen and rushing, as the movie showed.
I am not taking anything away from Hugh Glass. The stamina, toughness, and tenaciousness he displayed by surviving, as he did, is remarkable. I do take exception to the movie depicting the impossible. A weak, injured man could not have survived the exposure depicted in the film. A healthy man being washed a mile downstream in a freezing river would certainly die of hypothermia if he could not find shelter and warmth within a few minutes of exiting the water. The sub-zero temperatures and the lack of food and shelter for a day or two would kill the toughest of men. Riding a galloping war pony over a one hundred foot cliff would be hard to survive no matter how many spruce tree limbs, or how deep a snow bank, broke your fall.
I would have enjoyed seeing a truer version of the story, rather than majestic scenery and invented action scenes.
I used Google Earth to plot a path from the site of the bear attack, to the Cheyenne River, and then downstream to the Missouri River, and on to Fort Kiowa. No one is sure of the exact path Hugh Glass took, but we know that he was a scout that was familiar with the terrain. He chose not to take the easy route down the Grand River, because it was the territory of the hostile Arikaree Indians. Instead, he took the easiest, alternative path, which was cross-country to the Cheyenne River. I looked at topographical maps and used 3D projections in Google Earth to plot the most likely route.
Paths traveled by Indian tribes and migrating animals usually follow the path of least resistance. Years later, these same paths turn into wagon trails, and eventually roads and highways. Therefore, Hugh’s trek may often appear to travel along modern roads. Highway builders must take into consideration individual property rights, and must purchase right of ways to construct roads. Roadways will have right angle turns and square intersections; a path that a mountain man, on foot, would not travel. At these places, I looked at contour maps to choose the most probable route. Instead of using the ridge tops and high ground, Hugh Glass may have traveled close to running water and the accompanying food sources, especially in the first few weeks of the trek, before he regained some of his strength. This route is only a guess on my part, but it is based on logical reasoning and modern technology. I prepared this Google Earth Tour to show the trek on a large scale, (for the short attention span crowd), but you can pause the tour, and zoom in for a closer examination of the countryside. I hope this will help you have a greater appreciation of the true story.
When I was told that a film about Hugh Glass was soon to be released, I could not wait to see it. Of course, I fully expected the movie director and screen play writers to take liberties with the true story and play hard and loose with the facts, in order to make a more artistic movie. I had no idea, however, that they would introduce situations and locations that would make it impossible for anyone to survive.
It happened in South Dakota, in very rugged territory, but not in the Rocky Mountains among towering peaks, mile wide glaciers, and unforgiving weather. One huge factor is that the bear attack happened around the middle of August and not in the dead of winter. This would have been a very dry part of the year and the rivers would not be swollen and rushing, as the movie showed.
I am not taking anything away from Hugh Glass. The stamina, toughness, and tenaciousness he displayed by surviving, as he did, is remarkable. I do take exception to the movie depicting the impossible. A weak, injured man could not have survived the exposure depicted in the film. A healthy man being washed a mile downstream in a freezing river would certainly die of hypothermia if he could not find shelter and warmth within a few minutes of exiting the water. The sub-zero temperatures and the lack of food and shelter for a day or two would kill the toughest of men. Riding a galloping war pony over a one hundred foot cliff would be hard to survive no matter how many spruce tree limbs, or how deep a snow bank, broke your fall.
I would have enjoyed seeing a truer version of the story, rather than majestic scenery and invented action scenes.
I used Google Earth to plot a path from the site of the bear attack, to the Cheyenne River, and then downstream to the Missouri River, and on to Fort Kiowa. No one is sure of the exact path Hugh Glass took, but we know that he was a scout that was familiar with the terrain. He chose not to take the easy route down the Grand River, because it was the territory of the hostile Arikaree Indians. Instead, he took the easiest, alternative path, which was cross-country to the Cheyenne River. I looked at topographical maps and used 3D projections in Google Earth to plot the most likely route.
Paths traveled by Indian tribes and migrating animals usually follow the path of least resistance. Years later, these same paths turn into wagon trails, and eventually roads and highways. Therefore, Hugh’s trek may often appear to travel along modern roads. Highway builders must take into consideration individual property rights, and must purchase right of ways to construct roads. Roadways will have right angle turns and square intersections; a path that a mountain man, on foot, would not travel. At these places, I looked at contour maps to choose the most probable route. Instead of using the ridge tops and high ground, Hugh Glass may have traveled close to running water and the accompanying food sources, especially in the first few weeks of the trek, before he regained some of his strength. This route is only a guess on my part, but it is based on logical reasoning and modern technology. I prepared this Google Earth Tour to show the trek on a large scale, (for the short attention span crowd), but you can pause the tour, and zoom in for a closer examination of the countryside. I hope this will help you have a greater appreciation of the true story.
