Tracing the Divide

I felt like I was on this trip with the guys. What a wonderful journey from Canada to Mexico. I really enjoyed seeing and listening to the highs and lows of Chris and Chris as they worked through their mid-life journey together. The scenery and music were amazing in this film and the people they met along the way, although not in the film, was inspiring to know that there is such a community that supports travelers in this way. This is not a trip that I would sign up for, but I am thankful that I was able to see it through their eyes and that they were willing to share their thoughts and feelings along the way.

While it doesn't carry the heart pounding intensity of the film Free Solo, Tracing the Divide still highlights the drive a select few have to push themselves beyond their limits.

The best friends at the heart of this film are engaging, inspiring and fun the watch as they tackle this 2400 mile trek and all the challenges and emotions that come along with it. Add to that the interviews of both men, separately, and it is a fun ride.

Beyond that, the scenery of the continental divide is breathtaking and captured beautifully.

I really enjoyed this film and it reinforces my belief that some people, in the best way, are just crazy. LOL.

Some stories find you right when you need them most.

Tracing the Divide found me exactly two months to the day of being laid off - still sitting in the tension of what's next. What I didn't expect was to see my own journey reflected so clearly on screen.

The film follows two lifelong friends cycling the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route. Their physical journey mirrored the inner journey I've been navigating - knocked off course, uncertain of what lies ahead. And yet, this film reminded me that being stuck isn't the same as being stopped.

Visually, the film is stunning - but its deepest beauty lies in how it captures the quiet, vulnerable moments of what it means to keep moving forward when the path isn't clear. Sometimes the muddy muck isn't a detour - it's part of the journey. A place to pause, reflect, and gather strength before moving forward again.

This story found me exactly when I needed it - reminding me that the most important journey isn't the one we take with our feet, but the one we take with our hearts.

Tracing the Divide is a film for everyone from armchair enthusiasts to weekend warriors to hardcore cyclists to anyone curious about long cycling adventures. If you've ever wondered how a massively long and difficult bike journey (2400 miles, following the Continental Divide from the Canadian border with Montana to the Mexican border with New Mexico) happens, this is your movie. Amazing cinematography, with great shots of the two bikers cycling through one majestic landscape after another, plus close ups of the bikers, Chris Hiebert and Chris Schmidt, navigating rocky trails in the dark and battling the mud caking on their bikes after a storm. Achingly beautiful vistas of mountains and sky are paired with shots of Hiebert and Schmidt up close and personal as they confront their vulnerabilities and test their physical and emotional strength. Moments of sheer joy and serendipity-a celebratory drink as they cross from one state to the next, and meeting various "trail angels," the people who helped them out along the way-alternate with moments of fear, uncertainty, even irritation. By film's end, we better understand why Hiebert and Schmidt undertook this trek, and how they changed as a result. A fine film about resilience and discovery and the splendor of truly immersing yourself in the landscape through which you're traveling.

Thoroughly enjoyable documentary which showcases a longtime friendship, the stunning vistas of the West, the delight of encountering trail angels, and the lessons learned en route which impact the riders lives afterwards. It also never ceases to amaze me what riders will endure to get through the miles and the variety of culinary treats (or not) that are devoured to fuel their ride. A major achievement for the riders and the filmmakers too. It is well worth the time to watch this buddy biking documentary although you feel guilty doing this while wearing clean clothes and enjoying the comforts of home.