This Week’s Top Instagram Posts from the #AppalachianTrail

Happy (almost) National Trails Day! Celebrate the beloved hiker holiday by reveling in pictures taken by Appalachian Trail thru-hikers. They’ve been blessing our Instagram feeds with the good stuff, so welcome back to our weekly roundup of the most spectacularly beautiful, hilariously entertaining, and all-around best photos taken on the Appalachian Trail this past week.

This week’s photos were taken from May 16th to May 31st and were found by perusing the hashtag #TrektheAT. A thorough point-based grading system is used to pluck out the very best for your viewing pleasure. As always, dog photos are favored.

 

 

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I made a vlog of my hike from Pawling, NY to Falls Village, CT. (link in bio)

A post shared by Jake Lewis (@mrjakelewis) on

 

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I wouldn’t say that I got the Virginia blues. But, on my last day in the Shenandoah National Park, with under 1 mile to camp, my left knee started shooting sharp pain. The next four days were tough, and painful. The pain grew more frequent and sharper, and started affecting my mood and attitude greatly. My paced slowed from over 3 miles an hour to a little over 1. After getting into Harper’s Ferry, I had to make a tough decision, get off trail one week early to rest or keep pushing to my preplanned location in Boiling Springs, Pa and risk worsening my injury. I decided to take an extra week off to rest, and I’m happy to say… I’m feeling better! So there is it. My reality. No matter how strong you are or how confident you feel, this thru hiking thing is tough! It takes a huge toll on your body! Luckily I’m feeling better and ready to rock the northern half of this bishhhhh. ⛰ ⛰ ⛰ #ATclassof2019 #TrektheAT #thetrek #AT2019 #AppalachianTrail #appalachiantrail2019 #hiking #thruhiking #thruhike #mountaingirl #backpacking #wanderlust #adventuretime #girlswhohike #girlswhoexolore #womenwhohike #guthook #withguthook #gossamergear #backpackerradio #AT #theappalachiantrail #reicoop #rei #hikertrash #altra #sawyerproducts #thermarest #ftgusocks

A post shared by Julia Sheehan (@juliasheehan) on

 

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AT, Day 60: Wow—60 motherfucking days on the Appalachian Trail. And it was a doozy. We woke up long before the sun rose, breaking camp down by the red glow of our headlamps. We were up so early because we were five miles from the start of a three-part climb of Bald Knob, Cole Mountain, and Tar Jacket Ridge. We wanted to get it started before the heat got brutal. The day began with a nice sylvan stroll along a creek bed; a group of freed slaves started a community there a century ago, and you could see remnants of their foundations and flood walls in the morning sun. The views from Cole Mountain’s broad summit bald were beautiful, giving us a glimpse of the big ridges on deck for Thursday. I’ve mentioned it before, but one of the most challenging parts of this stretch of Virginia in the heat has been the relative lack of water, meaning you drink a lot when you find it, then cart it for miles in anticipation of not seeing more for a while. (For context, a liter weighs two pounds.) That complicated the day’s plan, because we’d need to transport water from a small spring in a wide open meadow three miles to a dry campsite in Salt Log Gap. But as we often do, we decided to go farther instead, stretching the hike by 5.5 rather flat and very green miles to get to the next shelter. We arrived and ate just before the sky opened up, which will maybe help the water situation a touch. One other thing that’s in short supply these days is trail magic, which slows down once you get north of Damascus. So when we found a plastic bag full of canned pears in heavy syrup by the side of the road, we knew exactly what to do. They were perfect and delicious. In the photo of the can, that’s Sarasota, a cheery 79-year-old fellow out here flying through the trail. We’ve been hiking around him for 600 miles, and he only gets more inspiring. AT: 822.5 (831.3 total) #thruhike #appalachiantrail #trektheat #atclassof2019

A post shared by Grayson “Gunner” Currin (@currincy) on

 

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Day 58: 30 miles. Had rain off and on through the night, but by the time I finished packing up it had thankfully stopped. The skies cleared up throughout the day and I was able to cover a lot of ground early, despite a few rock scrambles over slick boulders. The temperature and humidity continued to rise throughout the day until the familiar sound of thunder rolled in around 3pm, and with it pouring rain. I was part way up the climb to Blue Mountain Ridge and was about to reach an exposed rock scrambling section. Because of the thunder and lightning, I hunkered down at the edge of the treeline and waited for it to pass before continuing on. Once it did I hustled up and over the top where it started raining again. Seemingly out of nowhere dark clouds closed in and brought visibility down to nothing. Horizontal rain and hail started and the wind bent trees across the trail. Thankfully that passed in about 15 minutes but the rain continued for the rest of the day

A post shared by Keenan Scribner (@keenanscribner) on

 

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DAY 30-May 28th Miles- 9.8 Total miles- 360.2 Today was really rainy. We started out late knowing we had made hotel reservations and we couldn’t check in until 3 pm. We ran into a 2018 thru hiker and he had left trail magic at the first road crossing- it was awesome! We ran into Marco Polo (@hrdlee) and Birdie- fellow flip-floppers- and decided to share an Uber to Walmart. Then got another Uber to the motel. We are happy to have food and be warm and dry tonight after a hard day- New York doesn’t mess around. “Beer” had his 3rd fall today- there were so many slick rocks. . . #atthruhike #atthruhike2019 #flipflopthruhike #backpacking #hikertrash #takeahike #withguthook #adventure #explore #ATflipflop19 #appalachiantrail #tarahandpathiketheAT #trektheAT #atclassof2019 #altrarunning #appalachianhikers #hikerfeed #lighterpackclub ????

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APPALACHIAN TRAIL | DAY 80 | MAY 26: I had a lot of time to think today. It was hot/muggy, and when it’s hot/muggy I walk slowwwww. Five miles in I felt lonely. It was a persistent loneliness, the kind I sometimes get in the woods. It gets worse when I see another human and we don’t connect very well. Then I feel more alone. So I decided I would be very intentional about trying to connect with humans today. First, a past hiker and his three friends brought trail magic to trail—candy and Yuengling. I didn’t just take the Magic. We sat on trail for 20 minutes having a beer and chatting. Taking the time. Then the folks at the shelter. I stopped for two hours to hang out and hear flip-floppers stories of how their hike was going so far. I knew I wouldn’t sleep there, but I stopped to talk anyway. Then Grits and Half Note, two more flip floppers I met and hiked with for two hours. At the end of the day, I’m camping on my own and I’ll never see these people again (I’m getting off trail again, this time for a month, so they’ll be way ahead). And yet, just being on the same wavelength as a few other humans for a few moments made me feel not so alone in the world. My 80th day on trail was complete with me having 2-person conversations with just myself. And they were enlightening, even if that sounds bats. After 80 days, this trail and I are starting to jive.

A post shared by Cedar Hikes (@hikeasaurustreks) on

 

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Ty took cover while we broke down camp in the rain. #At2019#appalachiantrail#atclassof2019#thruhike#thetrek#trektheat#withguthook#optoutside#backpacking#camping#hiking#ruffwear#traildog#dogsthathike#pitbullsofinstagram#pitbull#amstaff#staffy#thruhiker#hikingdog#travel#dogstagram#adventure#explore#nature#atthruhike

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Virginia has been our favorite state thus far. That being said, we are ready for a new state. Getting to Harpers Ferry will be a good mental boost, and we are stoked to go into D.C. to visit @daveisoutside. But for now, we are soaking up our final days in Virginia, and hoping we aren’t covered in ticks after walking through this field. • • • • • #hikinghartleys #appalachianhikers #at2019 #appalachiantrail #appalachiantrail2019 #virginia #trektheat #thetrek #fields #nobo #thruhike #withguthook

A post shared by Zach and Sydney Hartley (@hikingwiththehartleys) on

 

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Had a great time helping out on the AT with the Hard-core Konnarock trail crew over the last few day in Grayson Highland. We as a group of ex-thru hikers too this year’s thru hikers, day hikers, 2 kids and people who enjoy the outdoors all hiked out to give something back to the trail that has given them so much! over the last two days… we created alot of new steps, placed boulder stepping stones to save your feet getting wet, defined the trail and cleared small rocks, cut vegetation back and installed new blaze posts so you can see the white blaze when the trail is covered in snows. I was very surprised how long it takes to install 1 step.. took us about 2-3 hours, 4 people to move a boulder, put it into place and then start making gravel from a big rock, singing We working on the chain gang but with a view! Then it gets cover with earth.. so you actually only see 20% off your work! But it took 2 hours, hiking over it takes 3 seconds and it’s 0.00.1 out of 2,195 miles… but we/I created something that will last Year’s I had a great time and been given a Hard-core patch and t-shirt was ACE but the icing on the cake was being able to painting the new iconic white blaze ? If you have hiked any trail, think of what you have taken from it! My it be a soda, beer, ride to town or a night in a shelter from the storm!…. Reach out to the trial organisation and help them out for a day or two! ***Check out Kannarock Trail Blog in the next few day for the before and after pictures of the trail and the other volunteers I had fun with…*** Now heading South on the AT to get drunk in Hot Spring… (2 pints?) then to GSMNP to start my last thru hike on the Benton mackaye #atclassof2019 #appalachiantrail#appalachiantrailconservancy #georgiatomaine2018 #georgiatomaine #konnarocktrailcrew #graysonhighlands #Virginia #trailmaintenance #whiteblaze #trektheat #historyinthemaking #giveback #hikingtrails

A post shared by Mark (@goingforalittlewalk) on

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