Penn's comments shows he's as naive as that kid was.
Thousands of people go on little adventures every year--just ask the national park rangers. Some challenge themselves in the wilderness, others in the city (which might be just as foreign to them) or another continent. You don't hear about them, though, because while they've challenged themselves just as much as this kid, they brought some common sense along for the ride.
He also shows an embarrassingly lack of knowledge about the national park rangers. Some of the backcountry rangers live in just as harsh conditions as this boy did--except they have work to do, like catching poachers or rescuing idiots who are too selfish to think of the impact of their stupidity on others. They have to get out of their own beds and risk leaving their own children parentless to go rescue people from fires, raging rivers, avalanches, you name it. Their families sit at home terrified. They know the statistics, that national park rangers are more likely to be assaulted than city police. (Poachers with guns in backcountry, mean folks.) Instead of carrying a backpack (or in Penn's case, filming equipment), they might have to carry a severely injured person out of impossible places in blizzard conditions. It's anything but easy and the challenges are astounding, but they don't talk about it, and certainly don't crow about it the way Penn and friends have about this stupid stupid boy.
No, it isn't unique and it CERTAINLY isn't inspiring. The inspiring stories are the ones from the thousands of people who go on their adventures, challenge themselves, but are smart enough to make it back alive. The inspiring stories are the ones about the people who rescue us idiots when we mess up.
My biggest fear is that this movie will inspire more idiots to do things like this. And WE, the taxpayers, will then have to pay the tab to send someone to rescue them or collect the remains. Unless of coarse Penn plans to own up to his culpability and donate his profits from this movie to cover the taxpayer burden of the tragedies resulting from a movie about a stupid stupid boy.
