A brief & dirty summary of the last few weeks, with GIFs!

BROOKLYN, NY-

Hello. It's me. I was wondering if after all these years, you'd like to hear how Katie and Michael are doing.

I'm a little behind on my blog posts, it's true. So, I thought it would be fun to catch you up to speed through the magic of Gifs.

Katie and Michael were happy little hobbitses tramping through the wilderness, or more often along roads and through muddy, which is what the recently-completed Te Araroa trail sometimes looks like.

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Unfortunately Katie began suffering from repeated foot trauma caused by walking too much. (This happened to Michael on the PCT, too. His feet turned purple.)  Michael tried to help carry her pack for a while:

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But then Michael fell into a big pool of poop.



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There was no way getting around it: they both needed to rest. So, they went back to a farm to spend some time woofing.  


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This wasn't all bad, as it allowed Michael to get up and start drinking one day at 5 AM in order to catch the Rugby World Cup (Australia vs. New Zealand).

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The two of them also visited a bird sanctuary, where they learned about the bar-tailed godwit, which migrates from Alaska to New Zealand without stop- an eight day flight!!!!!!

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Then they learned about racism against Maori people, and now they are going to go canoeing down a river for a little while before returning to the trail. 

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That is my version of what the past few weeks have held. The other thing that is pertinent is that my dad has been pretty sick, and we've been with him in the hospital for the past two weeks. But he was discharged last Friday and is getting stronger every day. Go Dad go!

As for Katie and Mike-- here's Katie explaining the whole misadventure in her own words.



24 hours traveling in NZ from Michael Hanley on Vimeo.


... Oy. You can do it, Katie and Michael! Have a great time moving through space without relying on foot transport for a few days. We are rooting for you.

With love,
Megan

I'm baaaaaack

Brooklyn, NY:
Well, hello, blogosphere. Have you missed me?

It is Megan Hanley, sister of Michael, former social media intern, now promoted to the position of Social Media Director. (To congratulate me on the promotion, please feel free to send Edible Arrangements in lieu of flowers.) Two years ago, I deftly chronicled Longlegs (Michael) and Jorge's (Erin's) journey up the Pacific Crest Trail. Now, it is my honor and duty to be the internet middleman of the story of Katie and Michael's trek along Te Araroa, a trail that crosses New Zealand. Here are some questions you might have about this trail. I will attempt to answer these questions, using my handy guide, Wikipedia.

• Where exactly is this trail?

Wikipedia tells me that Te Araroa stretches from the northwestern corner of New Zealand at Cape Reinga to the southern tip of the South island, at Bluff. It is 3000 kilometers long and typically takes hikers 100 to 150 days to traverse, roughly the gestation period of a goat. This is a new trail, completed in 2011. Apparently it is a source of some significant national pride while also being a symbol of the mutability of borders? Who knows. I'll need to do more research. Here is a helpful map of New Zealand!

• How many kilometers are in a mile, and given this information, how long is the trail in mathematical terms that our poor gringo brains can understand?

1.6 kilometers = 1 mile

3000 kilometers = about 1864 miles

The island of Manhattan = 13.4 miles

This trek = walking the length of Manhattan 139 times, except if Manhattan were covered with enormous mountains. 

• Is Michael making fun of poverty or referencing the most famous Disney canine love story in the new title of this blog?

No.  I wondered this, too, but it turns out the Kiwis just refer to "hiking" as tramping. Wikipedia proves it. 

• How do you pronounce "Te Araroa"?

Here is a helpful Youtube video to help you:

• Why have Michael and Katie decided to travel to the other side of the world in order to walk this trail, when they could instead simply watch Lord of The Rings on Netflix?

That is an excellent question. I'm not sure if I can answer it, so instead I made this video. Some of you may remember my Lords of the PCT claymation movies from 2013. (If you don't remember them, you can just scroll down, which is sort of like time travelling. The internet is amazing.) This time around, I am deeply inspired by the folks at Bad Lip Reading. Enjoy. 

Signing off,

Your Social Media Director,

Megan

ps. For all those of you who are hungry for real news: I heard from Michael this weekend; he and Katie had reached Ahipara, 122 kilometers from the starting point-- about 75 miles in. They just hopped on the trail last week after woofing for a few weeks with some lovely humans. There you go. Real facts, not just Wikipedia research. More soon!