When the great outdoors are mentioned, images of shows such as “Dual Survival” and “Man vs Wild” often come to mind, but Louisiana native Coltin Calloway used his love of nature to tell a different type of story.
An avid outdoorsman and hunter, Calloway and then-girlfriend Lindsay Fasic watched a film about the Appalachian Trail and were inspired to walk the trail themselves. In 2012, they purchased food and hiking gear and began the expedition.
Over a six-and-a-half month period, Calloway climbed the Appalachian Trail from Springer Mountain in Georgia to Mount Katahadin in Maine. He was accompanied by Fasic and his dog, Chaser, for the 2,100 mile journey. The couple encountered many obstacles on their trip, such as high rivers, exhaustion and surviving with each other daily.
“We learned everything about each other on this trip. We figured if we could do this, then we could do anything,” Calloway said.
After the trip, Calloway had more than 100 hours of footage. He sat for multiple hours a day over eight months cutting and editing film until he had a finished, 90-minute product.
While editing the footage and working in Baton Rouge, Calloway ran into an old friend who worked at the Manship Theatre and helped bring “The Climb to Katahdin,” Calloway’s completed film, to the silver screen. The movie premiered in the summer of 2013 at the Manship Theatre to more than 350 people, breaking the theater’s record for film attendance.
“It was such a huge deal for everyone involved. Manship wasn’t ready for the crowd that came out,” Calloway said.
Throughout the climb, word began to travel about Calloway’s endeavor. He had a blog he continuously updated while walking the trail. Along the journey, the adventurers met multiple people in the cities that lay along the Appalachian Trail who encouraged their mission. Upon finishing the film, Calloway began receiving calls for interviews in relation to the project.
The calls led to a seven week tour to more than 20 locations along the eastern coast and Louisiana where Calloway would talk about his experience and screen the film. He funded the travel expenses of his spontaneous tour through donations from the people he met while walking the trail.
Calloway is now focused on the “original goal” of the film, a DVD/Blu-ray release. He created a Kickstarter page to fund the creation and distribution of the film. The Kickstarter reached its goal of $1,300 and is still receiving funds.
Calloway said true fans of the film will order a physical copy of the film instead of waiting on a digital release. He mentioned that the motion picture will be released on iTunes or Netflix “in time.”
“Having physical DVDs tells people a lot about your life and values and I want this film to be a part of someone’s valued collection,” Calloway said.
He hopes those seeing the film will be inspired to do something along the same lines as hiking the trail. Calloway said he understands many people are not physically able to tackle such a feat as he did, but he hopes those people can live vicariously through his experience.
“We live in a place where you can walk from one side of the country to the other. That is something to be praised,” Calloway said.
After his wedding in the fall to Fasic, now his fiancee, Calloway hopes to establish an adventure film company with his friends. He hopes to continue climbing the trails of America, or at least editing film of his friends’ adventures with Fasic and his dog at his side.
“We live in a place where you can walk from one side of the country to the other. That is something to be praised.”

Gallery • 1 Photos