HIGH GROUND: Sometimes The Only Way to Get High is to go Higher - Yosemite's Legendary 1976 Drug Plane Mystery
Here is a good one to keep an eye out for, Daniel Sharp’s documentary High Ground.
In December 1976, a plane packed with tons of marijuana crashed into a frozen lake in Yosemite National Park. Park rangers left the wreckage for the winter, but broke climbers from Camp 4 - a historic Yosemite campground that became the legendary, budget-friendly hub for the 1970s counterculture climbing community - braved the snow to salvage the drugs. The incident triggered a massive investigation and became a legendary Yosemite climber myth.
High Ground is going on a theatrical tour next week, starting in California on October 25th and going throughout the western U.S. for the remainder of the year. All dates are listed below the official announcement.
HIGH GROUND LAUNCHES NORTH AMERICAN THEATRICAL TOUR, BRINGING YOSEMITE’S LEGENDARY1976 DRUG PLANE MYSTERY TO THE BIG SCREENDaniel Sharp’s documentary revisits the marijuana-filled plane crash, the climbers who discovered its cargo and a Yosemite legend 50 years in the makingTheatrical tour begins October 25 in Tahoe City, California, with announced engagements continuing into January 2027Fifty years after a plane carrying tonnes of marijuana crashed into a frozen lake deep in Yosemite National Park, one of the most extraordinary stories in American climbing history is heading to cinemas across North America.HIGH GROUND, the feature documentary directed by Daniel Sharp, begins its wider theatrical tour October 25 at Tahoe Art Haus & Cinema in Tahoe City, California. The release continues through independent cinemas and special event venues in California, New Mexico, Oregon, Colorado, Nevada and Idaho, with additional markets to be announced.The film has already drawn praise from the San Francisco Chronicle, which called it “An outrageously delicious story,” while Outside described it as “Spooky, weird, fun, and legitimately dangerous.”THE TRUE STORY BEHIND THE YOSEMITE LEGENDIn December 1976, a small aircraft carrying two pilots and several tonnes of Mexican marijuana disappeared over Yosemite. The plane clipped trees above Lower Merced Pass Lake and crashed through the ice. Park rangers recovered what they could before winter made the site inaccessible. They expected the wreck and its cargo to remain frozen until spring.They had not counted on the climbers of Camp 4. Living on little money and accustomed to punishing conditions, young climbers made dangerous trips through the snow to reach the wreckage. What began as the search for a missing plane grew into a drug investigation, a public scandal and a story passed down through generations of Yosemite climbers.HIGH GROUND brings together the climbers, park rangers, investigators and pilots’ families, many speaking on camera for the first time, to explore what happened and how the legend took shape. Participants include Ken Yager, Kevin Worrall, Dale Bard, Dean Fidelman, Vern Clevenger and Rick Cashner, alongside former Yosemite ranger Tim Setnicka and others connected to the events.A STORY 50 YEARS IN THE MAKINGThe theatrical tour arrives as the December 1976 crash approaches its 50th anniversary. With firsthand accounts, archival photographs and original footage, the documentary revisits a formative era in Yosemite climbing culture, when an unconventional community found itself at the center of a story involving smugglers, federal agents, money and unanswered questions.The film’s mix of adventure, mystery, humor and history speaks to audiences beyond the climbing world. Select theatrical engagements will include special guests and audience Q&As, supported by outreach to climbing communities, outdoor organizations and local audiences.ANNOUNCED THEATRICAL ENGAGEMENTSOCTOBER 2026October 25–27 | Tahoe City, CA | Tahoe Art Haus & CinemaNOVEMBER 2026November 15 | Paso Robles, CA | Park CinemasNovember 24 | Santa Fe, NM | Sky Cinemas RailyardNovember 30 | Glendale, CA | Laemmle GlendaleDECEMBER 2026December 1 | Santa Monica, CA | Laemmle Monica Film CenterDecember 6 | Eugene, OR | Metro CinemasDecember 8 | San Francisco, CA | Lee Theatres PresidioDecember 9–10 | Mammoth Lakes, CA | D’Place MinaretDecember 10 | Carbondale, CO | Crystal TheatreDecember 13 | Stateline / Lake Tahoe, NV | Caesars Republic Lake Tahoe (special screening and Q&A)JANUARY 2027Beginning January 29 | Boise, ID | The Flicks (open-ended theatrical run)
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