A Film by Jackson Averett
THE DEER TRAIL
He followed the unknown until it led him home.
I came as a retreater.
I returned as an artist.
I thought I was trying to become an artist. Instead, I found myself on a trail.
It began with mushrooms in Denver. Then 5-MeO in Mexico. Sedona brought sleeping in cars, writing songs beside creeks, and building Past N9NE. Los Angeles brought studios, white pianos, and the first glimpse of the life I had imagined. Orange County brought me inward — working with Dr. Gary, confronting what the body had carried along the way.
Then the trail led me to Stephen Sedmak and Shope Creek Wilderness in Asheville, North Carolina — a place built around a simple idea:
Let go of what has been. Allow what can be.
At Camp Mary, I found myself surrounded by founders, artists, fathers, sons, healers, storytellers, and elders — each standing at the edge of an old identity and asking some version of the same question:
What now?
Jackson Averett has been there through the journey, quietly documenting the strange intersections, setbacks, songs, relationships, and moments of surrender that kept moving me forward.
But The Deer Trail does not end by telling you what happens next. Because what happens next is real life.
The film ends as I arrive at the beginning. From there, the story leaves the screen and moves into Asheville.
Open Heart
Live from Camp Mary · Shope Creek Wilderness
The film becomes
the invitation.
The Deer Trail becomes part of the Start With I Love You campaign — a live series of screenings, music, gatherings, and conversations taking place across Asheville.
I'll perform the songs whose creation audiences just witnessed. The film will be screened in the city where the trail ultimately led. The Hollow Bone Initiative begins stepping out of philosophy and into public life.
Artists, builders, elders, families, and communities will be invited into the story.
And for forty days, the line between documentary and real life disappears.
Forty Days in Asheville
The forty-day journey culminates on December 11, 2026, with a final celebration in Asheville — bringing together the music, the film, the people, and everything that emerged along the way. Screening dates, venues, and gathering details will be announced as the forty days approach.
Stay Informed About the PremiereThe Deer Trail is a music documentary, spiritual road movie, and origin story about following something before you fully understand where it leads.
Because deer do not follow highways. They follow paths almost no one else can see.
And sometimes, those are the paths that lead us home.
A Hollow Bone Initiative Film
The Hollow Bone Initiative
The mission channel behind the film — sanctuaries, accessible healing, residencies, and nature education without beginning with "what can you afford?"
Visit Hollow Bone Initiative