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!

The Lords of the PCT, part three

I talked to Erin and Michael last week while I was still in pre-production for the epic trilogy, The Lords of the PCT. I asked Michael, "Who do you think you are in Lord of Rings: Frodo or Sam?"

"Probably Merry or Pippin," he responded.

"Michael, that was not one of your options," I patiently replied. "Frodo or Sam?"

"I guess Samwise," he sighed. "I carry a lot of stuff."

I asked my sister the same question: "Erin, if you were in the Lord of the Rings, would you be Frodo or Sam?"

"Definitely Sam," Erin said immediately. "I'm not as whiny as Frodo."

(For this reason I have left my casting choices in LotPCT rather vague.)
(Besides, it's obvious that both Erin and Michael would really be Eowyn. They're much too tall to be hobbitses.)

My friends, it is with great pleasure that I present to you:

THE RETURN OF THE HANLEYS




If you can't see the video here, check it out on Youtube.

As I write, Erin and Michael are within hours of finishing their hike. They'll be back in Seattle by late tomorrow.

Jorge and Longlegs, I am so proud of you!

With love,
Megan

The Lords of the PCT, part Two

Okay, blogosphere.
Here's part two of THE LORDS OF THE PCT.
I give you:

THE TWO THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED FIFTY MILES*

If you can't view this video, click here instead!

*Plus or minus about ten miles.

Look for the conclusion of the Lords of the PCT trilogy tomorrow...

Love,
Megan

The Lords of the PCT

Dear ones,

Erin and Michael are within a stone's throw of Canada-- at least if the stone is a good flyer. In celebration of their (knock on wood) finishing the hike, I've made them a little movie or three.
This is part one:

THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE PCT

If you can't see the video, you can also watch it by clicking here.

We're almost there, dear readers!
Love,
Megan

"We might actually pull this thing off"

HELLOOOOO BLOGOSPHERE!

I must apologize for my long absence. I have been in Mexico, where I was staging activist performance and messing with multinational evil-doers Monsanto, who want to own corn and soy and cotton and the world (they're really bad, and I say that completely objectively):

This is me, as corn

"Without corn there is no life"

I also worked with some incredible artists and activists and got to go to a party hosted by the incredible Zapatistas, where they talked about the ongoing struggle for autonomy and indigenous rights. When I say "party," I mean thousands and thousands of Zapatistas standing quietly and many hundreds of visitors standing impatiently in the rain for hours while incredible speeches were translated into three languages (Spanish, Tsotsil, Tzeltal), followed by a big dance party with Norteño accordion music.

Anyway, I was working 12-14 hour days for those three weeks, and so I dropped the ball on the blog. Know that I intend to pick up the ball. And I only have ONE MORE WEEK TO DO SO! Because while I was gone, Erin and Michael finished hiking through Oregon, passed Mt. Rainier, and are headed straight on to Canada! They should by done by September 3rd!!!

I am working on something special to commemorate this incredible accomplishment, but in the meantime, here's an update from Erin:

Hi Sisterfriend, 

We love you! Michael and I have spent that last day hanging with the parents, eating delicious french toast and cleaning some of the dirt off of our bodies. It has been a nice break but as always, we are getting a bit ansy to get back out to the trail. We just calculated how much longer we have and it will take us 12 days to get to the Canadian border. 12 DAYS! Wow. 

How was Mexico? And the rest of your summer? I want to hear all about it. But I suppose I might have to wait until after I finish walking. 

Here are some pictures of Michael and I walking through Washington. The bridge that we are crossing in one of the photos is the infamous "Bridge of the Gods" which goes from Cascade Locks into Washington state . The mountainous pictures are from Goat Rocks Wilderness outside of White Pass, WA. Goat Rocks is one of my favorite parts thus far. 

We were constantly being bombarded by fields of wildflowers, deliciously cold water from springs and waterfalls, and expansive alpine wilderness. Mt Ranier kept poking it's head out, and Mt Adams and St Helens kept appearing off in the distance from where we'd just walked. It was neat. 

We plan to finish on Sept 3rd and are meeting the parents up in Manning Park Canada. WAHOO! In between here are there are 266 miles through Alpine Lakes Wilderness, Glacier Peak Wilderness, the town of Stehekin, and North Cascades National Park. One of our friends reminded us last night that 266 miles is 10% of the whole journey. We might actually pull this thing off. Crazy. 

Love you lots,
Erin (and Michael)

 Longlegs and Jorge/George

 Mt. Rainier in the background

 You can do it, George!

 "What I Did on my Summer Vacation"

They're so close, guys. SO CLOSE. Then on September 3, they will reenter the wnPCT (world-not-PCT), move in with their best buddies, and begin seeking work. So, wnPCT, who wants to hire some strapping young people?

With the end of our blogging relationship rapidly approaching, dear reader, I begin to feel nostalgic for our time together.

Fondly,
Megan

Roll on Columbia

Guest Writer: Michael Hanley

Hey all, Longlegs here. Erin and I have made it to the mighty Columbia river and Washington border. We are currently taking a wonderful day off in Portland, Oregon. I'm spending the day with my lovely friends Binta, Cara, Grace and Jack. Jorge and I spent the morning sorting out our food resupply for the great state of Washington.

Spoiler Alert: Pop Tarts, Snickers and White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Clif Bars for Days.


Oregon has been spectacularly beautiful and the miles have flown by. We are quite excited for our home state but very thankful for the bounty of the southern area of Cascadia.

Here are some pictures of our recent adventuring:

So yes, things are going very well. As shown in the video at the end of Megan's last post, I do not look at all out of place in Portlandia. In fact, my alarmingly large and multicolored beard appears equally at home here in metropolitan Oregon, as it would in say Amish country... funny how that is. 

I am very excited to get back out there and go see what adventures Washington shall hold. If you would like to contact Erin or I, feel free to write ahead to the post office in Stehekin, Washington, and we will pick it up as we swing through there in about two and half weeks. Should this strike your fancy, the address is:

Erin and Michael Hanley

c/o General Delivery

Stehekin, WA

98852

A turn or two I'll walk, to still my beating mind

PROSPERO

You do look, my son, in a moved sort,
As if you were dismay'd: be cheerful, sir.
Our revels now are ended. These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits and
Are melted into air, into thin air:
And, like the baseless fabric of this vision,
The cloud-capp'd towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Ye all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with a sleep. Sir, I am vex'd;
Bear with my weakness; my, brain is troubled:
Be not disturb'd with my infirmity:
If you be pleased, retire into my cell
And there repose: a turn or two I'll walk,
To still my beating mind.

(The Tempest, Act IV, scene 1) 

Yes, my friends, Erin and Michael have left the great state of California and entered...

Ashland, Oregon, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival!

Instead of going to see a play, however, they are scarfing down cheeseburgers with their trail friends, the Ashland boys. Psh.

But the good news is that their swollen feet, while still painful, are less swollen; their bee-stung bodies, while still in pain, are no longer bee-stung; and that bowel trouble that I alluded to in my last post, while always a painful lingering memory, has not returned. 

FURTHERMORE, Erin has acquired a trailname from their trail buddies Tribu and Muir Bird, two PCT hikers who like to travel up to the 30 miles a day (that's a lot). From here on out, I will refer to my sister as Jorge.

Apparently there is a perfectly logical reason for this: namely, ultramarathon runner Jorge Pacheco. The dude runs 100 miles for fun and likes to train on the PCT (also, presumably, for fun). Turns out that our dear Erin/Jorge occasionally turns into an ultramarathoner of sorts, speeding along the trail like she's out to win a race. Sometimes, though, she slows down. Way, waaaaay down. Then her trailfriends call her George.

So, congratulations, Jorge and Longlegs, on reaching Oregon! Love you guys so much.