In the winter of 1976, a small plane carrying millions of dollars’ worth of marijuana crashed into a lake in the remote backcountry of Yosemite National Park. What followed was anything but ordinary. A group of ultra-athletic, daredevil young climbers from the legendary Camp 4 community set out across the High Sierra on a seemingly impossible winter trek to recover the cargo, before concealing and distributing it through a secret operation among the boulders beneath Yosemite’s towering cliffs.
Exactly 50 years later, the story has taken on a life of its own. Climbers, rangers, investigators and the families of the two pilots each carry a different version of events, shaped by loyalty, self-preservation and the passage of time. What began as a real and reckless tragedy has become one of climbing’s most enduring legends.
High Ground brings together those voices, many speaking publicly for the first time, to untangle fact from folklore and ask what happens when a community is allowed to write its own history.
Event Details:
● Exclusive World Premiere of High Ground
● September 5, 2026 | Reception: 6:00 pm | Screening: 7:00 pm
● Yosemite Cinema, Oakhurst, CA
Ken Yager, Kevin Worrall, Tim Setnicka, Butch Farabee, Dean Pascal, Dale Bard, Dean Fidelman, Vern Clevenger, Rick Cashner, Lenny Davis, Pam Glisky, Peggy & Tina, and Mark Bright
