HIGHLINESQUARE_low res

    Highline

    Director: Chris Smead
    Co-Director: Gordon Gurley
    Country of Origin: United States
    2019

    For most of human history, we lived in wild places.

    Ten days. Five friends. One trek across Utah’s Uinta Highline Trail.

    Watch as the ancient history of the trail is woven together with the personal history of each of the hikers as they get back in touch with the world and each other.

    Highline follows 5 hikers as they traverse a lesser known mountain range in Utah call the Uinta.  Viewers will experience the adventures and challenges along the way. Local archaeologist Tom Flanigan adds another layer of depth to the experience by sharing stories from the past and conveying the importance of this lesser known place. As the story progresses, viewers begin to learn more about the hikers, and why they choose to hike for days, weeks, and even months at a time. Stories of PTSD recovery, addiction recovery, health and family issues are heavy topics in the film.

    Director & Cast

    Produced & directed by outdoor film maker Chris Smead of Outmersive Films and co-directed by experienced cinematographer Gordon Gurley. Armed with cameras and backpacks, they followed 5 experienced long distance hikers to tell their stories:

    Joe Valesko (aka Samurai Joe
    Inventor and founder of a well known outdoor gear company. Matt Favero (aka Details)
    Brand manager of a well known outdoor gear company. Will Wood (aka Redbeard)
    Well known Youtuber and blogger Benny Braden (aka Plug-it-in)
    Outdoor blogger that holds the record for hiking all 924 miles in the Smokies in only 43 days. Steve Kaiser (aka Cannonball)
    Larger than life experienced thru hiker.

    To help tell the stories behind this amazing place we teamed up with local experts:

    Tom Flanigan – Archeologist

    Ryan Buerkle – Of the Ashley National Forest

    Gordon Hirschi – Of the Uinta Basin Backcountry Horsemen

    Chris Smead Chris Smead Gordon Gurley Gordon Gurley Producer – Chris Smead
    Editor – Chris Smead
    Cinematographers – Chris Smead and Gordon Gurley
    Sound Engineer – Gordon Gurley
    Colorist – Bruce Goodman
    Re-recording Mixer – Bill Meadows
    Sound Designer – Alex Knickerbocker
    Graphic Artist – Jacen Spector
    Social Media Strategist – Emma Massick
    Marketing – Jacen Spector and Emma Massick