Post-Prod. for Hike the Divide Film
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OVERVIEW
Hike the Divide is a feature-length documentary that follows a jaded millennial substitute teacher 2,800 miles from Canada to Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail as he seeks hope in the face of climate change. The film, structured around a physical journey through environments both harsh and breathtakingly beautiful, shares the stories of unsung and unexpected heroes to blaze a trail from apathy and resignation to hope and engagement. These are the kinds of stories we need to be telling about our changing climate.
Hike the Divide presents a spectrum of approach to climate solutions, including grassroots community organizing, land restoration to store CO2 in soil, civil disobedience and more. The film explores the intersectionality of climate change and its root causes with other justice issues and systems of oppression.
One man's journey reminds us what we are capable of, what we stand to lose, and how little we need to thrive; a host of diverse and powerful voices unite not only to pick us up off the floor, but also to shove us out the door to build a better future.
A Journey from Apathy to Hope Along the Continental Divide
My name is Connor DeVane. I like to say that I'm only masochistic in three regards: eating exceptionally spicy food, hiking long-distance, and reading about our climate and biosphere. The first two are a bit tongue in cheek, but the last one is no joke. Reading about the disruption of our planet's natural systems, the extraction and consumption that drive this destruction, and the political climate that allows it is a source of despair for many people, myself included. In many ways, it's counterproductive. It can feel as if all the stories we tell about our changing climate weigh us down into apathy, hopelessness.
It’s trending.
As a global community, we understand the threats that a changing climate poses. Yet most of us aren’t doing much about it, besides perhaps making changes in our personal lives. We seem to all be paralyzed by the doom and gloom of the seemingly looming climate crisis, when in fact the situation is urgent. Even those who grasp the urgency seem overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge. Talking about climate change and the future can be like talking about death. It's as if there's an unspoken agreement not to bring it up. Everyone already has so much on their plate as it is. But that's the thing - everyone is affected by climate. It's the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we rely upon and so much more. Most of the things we care about stand to be impacted by the way our activities are changing the planet. We need to get ourselves off the sidelines. Is there any hope?
Hike The Divide is a storytelling project that answers: YES! HOPE IS RIGHT HERE!
What if the stories we tell about our changing climate could inspire people to stand up and take action instead of instilling dread? This is the mission of Hike the Divide. Hike the Divide shares stories that breathe life into the sparks of hope we all harbor; stories that stoke the embers of engagement.
THE JOURNEY
In 2016, I set out to hike the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico: over 2,800 miles through the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. For five months, I walked up and down mountains, through all weather conditions, carrying everything I needed on my back. I slept beneath the stars, drank from the earth, and absolutely destroyed a few pairs of shoes. I did all this for a number of reasons. Hiking is my practice. It's where I feel most at home in myself, and at peace with my place in the universe.
But the driving motivation of my journey was to dispel apathy. Throughout my hike I sought out folks who are taking matters into their own hands. People who aren’t waiting around for anyone else to take the reins. People working on solutions. I wanted to see what kinds of action people like that are taking, especially in places that don't get much attention. I wanted to know where these people find hope, what keeps their fires burning.
Now, I want to share their stories with you.
We are the people we’ve been waiting for.
Since finishing my hike in November of 2016, I’ve been working with Brave Alice Productions on a field documentary that gives my journey a radical purpose. Hike the Divide is a film that gives a platform to the unsung heroes leading the way on our collective response to climate change. Their stories inspire audiences to take local action to build a future that isn’t shaped by climate disruptions and provide a framework for doing so. The people you'll hear from share a broad wealth of experience, bringing to light stories of unlikely cooperation, creativity, and fierce resolve to shape not just a livable planet, but an equitable one.
The people I met and interviewed range from a retired railroad brakeman to a middle school student; ranchers to university professors; former UN staff to Navajo grandmothers and more. The cast of interviews is diverse – people from dramatically different backgrounds – but you'll be surprised to see what they share in common.
Like the CDT, traversing the steep and unpredictable terrain of documentary storytelling has been both challenging and immeasurably rewarding. We’ve woven together stories spanning the length of the US into a compelling, informative, and empowering tool to activate both individuals and communities. With over twenty-six hours of dense and revelatory interviews, finding the story was a meditation of listening, bridging and supporting the universal concepts behind winning climate struggles. The story we found is beautiful.
I conducted and documented all this while hiking 25-30 miles per day on average. To hike from Canada to Mexico in one season, you have to win a race against winter. One of the easier ways to do that is to pack light – take less, do more. So I used a barebones set up: a Sony RX-100 camera; a TrailPix device, which turned my trekking poles and one tent pole into a tripod; a ZoomH1 "handy recorder" mic; and a Suntactics 7 ounce, 5 volt solar panel to power it all. That's right, Hike the Divide is a solar-powered production. I already owned, bought secondhand, or borrowed all the gear I used.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS
We’re thrilled and humbled to say that we've compiled a stellar sound track, thanks to some talented friends graciously granting us the rights to use their music. The film will feature music by Gregory Alan Isakov , the Shook Twins , John Craigie , Sam Steffen , Tommy Hessenius (whose song is in the teaser video), Bart Budwig, Adler Hall,and Phil Bronch
Shook Twins and Gregory Alan Isakov onstage at Red Rocks Amphitheater
We are on the final stretch; still miles away, but the most arduous steps are behind us. Cassie Goodluck-Johnson has joined our editing team, and her expertise has helped us to find our stride and pick up our pace (for you hikers out there – it’s like getting slackpacked!)
So here's the deal: I self-funded my hike, and the project is entirely independent and not-for-profit. When you contribute to this campaign, you are supporting editors Kristen and Cassie for lending their time to work on post-production. Not one cent of your donation will end up in my pocket. We have logged countless hours on the post-production process alone, and there is still a lot of work to be done. We're only able to continue this work due to the generous contributions of those who have donated to this campaign.
Hike the Divide has always been a multimedia project. I filmed over 26 hours of interviews, and we've squeezed that into a short documentary. Obviously, much is being left out. For that reason, when the film is released, the audio of the interviews will be published in podcast form, available for free on the Hike the Divide website, edited only for clarity. These stories are worth hearing in their entirety.
Let’s be honest. Hike the Divide is all about positive messaging, but it’s obvious that we are being presented a choice between a stable, livable planet and climate chaos. We can no longer pretend it’s just a problem for the kids, for future generations, for polar bears and coral reefs or for people in other parts of the world. The window for action is shrinking. Will you help us inspire the human species to take the reins on our collective future? After all, as the saying goes, there is no Planet B.
OUR TEAM
Connor DeVane is a writer and substitute teacher at a school for deaf children in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in English/Creative Writing. Connor thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014,beginning five days after graduating from LMU. He has been engaged with Portland’s grassroots climate movement as a volunteer ever since. His interest in documentary filmmaking falls under a broader intent to use storytelling as a tool to leverage privilege.
Kristen Mico of Brave Alice Productions is a journalist, activist, filmmaker and yogi who believes in the power of media to bring people together through emotive, visual storytelling and information. Kristen grew up in the wild and has been an environmental and social activist since age 8.
Cassie Goodluck-Johnson is a Navajo/Anglo filmmaker and photographer. As a teen, two of her short films aired on HBO Family Channel. Cassie graduated with a B.A. in film at College of Santa Fe (2007). Her past production work includes RENOVATION NATION, YOHAN: THE CHILD WANDERER, GRAMMY AWARDS, BET HIP HOP AWARDS, PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS, 39TH PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS, and QUEEN ANNE’S LACE, with post-production on JERSEY SHORE and QUEEN ANNE’S LACE. She was a mentor for Native American youth in The Superfly Filmmaking Experience in Seattle, WA (2013-14; featured in Seattle International Film Festival) and for Paper Rocket Productions' filmmaking workshop at the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, NM (2015). She is now teaching filmmaking to Native American youth at Chemawa Indian School in Salem, OR as well as a documentary film camp for THRIVE Conference in Portland Oregon. Cassie owns Goodluck Productions and Designs, who specializes in narrative and documentary filmmaking as well as portrait and event photography.
For more content in the meantime, be sure to follow us on Instagram: @hikethedivide
Hike the Divide is a feature-length documentary that follows a jaded millennial substitute teacher 2,800 miles from Canada to Mexico on the Continental Divide Trail as he seeks hope in the face of climate change. The film, structured around a physical journey through environments both harsh and breathtakingly beautiful, shares the stories of unsung and unexpected heroes to blaze a trail from apathy and resignation to hope and engagement. These are the kinds of stories we need to be telling about our changing climate.
Hike the Divide presents a spectrum of approach to climate solutions, including grassroots community organizing, land restoration to store CO2 in soil, civil disobedience and more. The film explores the intersectionality of climate change and its root causes with other justice issues and systems of oppression.
One man's journey reminds us what we are capable of, what we stand to lose, and how little we need to thrive; a host of diverse and powerful voices unite not only to pick us up off the floor, but also to shove us out the door to build a better future.
A Journey from Apathy to Hope Along the Continental Divide
My name is Connor DeVane. I like to say that I'm only masochistic in three regards: eating exceptionally spicy food, hiking long-distance, and reading about our climate and biosphere. The first two are a bit tongue in cheek, but the last one is no joke. Reading about the disruption of our planet's natural systems, the extraction and consumption that drive this destruction, and the political climate that allows it is a source of despair for many people, myself included. In many ways, it's counterproductive. It can feel as if all the stories we tell about our changing climate weigh us down into apathy, hopelessness.
It’s trending.
As a global community, we understand the threats that a changing climate poses. Yet most of us aren’t doing much about it, besides perhaps making changes in our personal lives. We seem to all be paralyzed by the doom and gloom of the seemingly looming climate crisis, when in fact the situation is urgent. Even those who grasp the urgency seem overwhelmed by the scale of the challenge. Talking about climate change and the future can be like talking about death. It's as if there's an unspoken agreement not to bring it up. Everyone already has so much on their plate as it is. But that's the thing - everyone is affected by climate. It's the air we breathe, the water we drink, the food we rely upon and so much more. Most of the things we care about stand to be impacted by the way our activities are changing the planet. We need to get ourselves off the sidelines. Is there any hope?
Hike The Divide is a storytelling project that answers: YES! HOPE IS RIGHT HERE!
What if the stories we tell about our changing climate could inspire people to stand up and take action instead of instilling dread? This is the mission of Hike the Divide. Hike the Divide shares stories that breathe life into the sparks of hope we all harbor; stories that stoke the embers of engagement.
THE JOURNEY
In 2016, I set out to hike the Continental Divide Trail from Canada to Mexico: over 2,800 miles through the Rocky Mountains of Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico. For five months, I walked up and down mountains, through all weather conditions, carrying everything I needed on my back. I slept beneath the stars, drank from the earth, and absolutely destroyed a few pairs of shoes. I did all this for a number of reasons. Hiking is my practice. It's where I feel most at home in myself, and at peace with my place in the universe.
But the driving motivation of my journey was to dispel apathy. Throughout my hike I sought out folks who are taking matters into their own hands. People who aren’t waiting around for anyone else to take the reins. People working on solutions. I wanted to see what kinds of action people like that are taking, especially in places that don't get much attention. I wanted to know where these people find hope, what keeps their fires burning.
Now, I want to share their stories with you.
We are the people we’ve been waiting for.
Since finishing my hike in November of 2016, I’ve been working with Brave Alice Productions on a field documentary that gives my journey a radical purpose. Hike the Divide is a film that gives a platform to the unsung heroes leading the way on our collective response to climate change. Their stories inspire audiences to take local action to build a future that isn’t shaped by climate disruptions and provide a framework for doing so. The people you'll hear from share a broad wealth of experience, bringing to light stories of unlikely cooperation, creativity, and fierce resolve to shape not just a livable planet, but an equitable one.
The people I met and interviewed range from a retired railroad brakeman to a middle school student; ranchers to university professors; former UN staff to Navajo grandmothers and more. The cast of interviews is diverse – people from dramatically different backgrounds – but you'll be surprised to see what they share in common.
Like the CDT, traversing the steep and unpredictable terrain of documentary storytelling has been both challenging and immeasurably rewarding. We’ve woven together stories spanning the length of the US into a compelling, informative, and empowering tool to activate both individuals and communities. With over twenty-six hours of dense and revelatory interviews, finding the story was a meditation of listening, bridging and supporting the universal concepts behind winning climate struggles. The story we found is beautiful.
I conducted and documented all this while hiking 25-30 miles per day on average. To hike from Canada to Mexico in one season, you have to win a race against winter. One of the easier ways to do that is to pack light – take less, do more. So I used a barebones set up: a Sony RX-100 camera; a TrailPix device, which turned my trekking poles and one tent pole into a tripod; a ZoomH1 "handy recorder" mic; and a Suntactics 7 ounce, 5 volt solar panel to power it all. That's right, Hike the Divide is a solar-powered production. I already owned, bought secondhand, or borrowed all the gear I used.
WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM OUR FRIENDS
We’re thrilled and humbled to say that we've compiled a stellar sound track, thanks to some talented friends graciously granting us the rights to use their music. The film will feature music by Gregory Alan Isakov , the Shook Twins , John Craigie , Sam Steffen , Tommy Hessenius (whose song is in the teaser video), Bart Budwig, Adler Hall,and Phil Bronch
Shook Twins and Gregory Alan Isakov onstage at Red Rocks Amphitheater We are on the final stretch; still miles away, but the most arduous steps are behind us. Cassie Goodluck-Johnson has joined our editing team, and her expertise has helped us to find our stride and pick up our pace (for you hikers out there – it’s like getting slackpacked!)
So here's the deal: I self-funded my hike, and the project is entirely independent and not-for-profit. When you contribute to this campaign, you are supporting editors Kristen and Cassie for lending their time to work on post-production. Not one cent of your donation will end up in my pocket. We have logged countless hours on the post-production process alone, and there is still a lot of work to be done. We're only able to continue this work due to the generous contributions of those who have donated to this campaign.
Hike the Divide has always been a multimedia project. I filmed over 26 hours of interviews, and we've squeezed that into a short documentary. Obviously, much is being left out. For that reason, when the film is released, the audio of the interviews will be published in podcast form, available for free on the Hike the Divide website, edited only for clarity. These stories are worth hearing in their entirety.
Let’s be honest. Hike the Divide is all about positive messaging, but it’s obvious that we are being presented a choice between a stable, livable planet and climate chaos. We can no longer pretend it’s just a problem for the kids, for future generations, for polar bears and coral reefs or for people in other parts of the world. The window for action is shrinking. Will you help us inspire the human species to take the reins on our collective future? After all, as the saying goes, there is no Planet B.
OUR TEAM
Connor DeVane is a writer and substitute teacher at a school for deaf children in Portland, Oregon. He graduated from Loyola Marymount University with a B.A. in English/Creative Writing. Connor thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 2014,beginning five days after graduating from LMU. He has been engaged with Portland’s grassroots climate movement as a volunteer ever since. His interest in documentary filmmaking falls under a broader intent to use storytelling as a tool to leverage privilege.
Kristen Mico of Brave Alice Productions is a journalist, activist, filmmaker and yogi who believes in the power of media to bring people together through emotive, visual storytelling and information. Kristen grew up in the wild and has been an environmental and social activist since age 8.Cassie Goodluck-Johnson is a Navajo/Anglo filmmaker and photographer. As a teen, two of her short films aired on HBO Family Channel. Cassie graduated with a B.A. in film at College of Santa Fe (2007). Her past production work includes RENOVATION NATION, YOHAN: THE CHILD WANDERER, GRAMMY AWARDS, BET HIP HOP AWARDS, PRIMETIME EMMY AWARDS, 39TH PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARDS, and QUEEN ANNE’S LACE, with post-production on JERSEY SHORE and QUEEN ANNE’S LACE. She was a mentor for Native American youth in The Superfly Filmmaking Experience in Seattle, WA (2013-14; featured in Seattle International Film Festival) and for Paper Rocket Productions' filmmaking workshop at the Navajo reservation in Shiprock, NM (2015). She is now teaching filmmaking to Native American youth at Chemawa Indian School in Salem, OR as well as a documentary film camp for THRIVE Conference in Portland Oregon. Cassie owns Goodluck Productions and Designs, who specializes in narrative and documentary filmmaking as well as portrait and event photography.For more content in the meantime, be sure to follow us on Instagram: @hikethedivide
Organizer
Connor DeVane
Organizer
Portland, OR