E ach year, dozens of The Trek’s beloved bloggers and vloggers hit the Pacific Crest Trail and, in addition to their prolific prose, also capture their journeys via Instagram. Follow along to feel the excitement, send good vibes, track progress, and, hopefully, gain some inspiration for a hike of your own.
Throughout our trips, we’ll be using #TheTrek and #TrekThePCT hashtags. You can also get the best of all our posts through The Trek’s Pacific Crest Trail Instagram account and our general Instagram account for The Trek .
Without further ado, here are 2019’s best-and-brightest hiker trash on the Pacific Crest Trail.
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A post shared by Sam Cooper (@scwoopz) on Aug 20, 2018 at 10:33am PDT
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Playing with gear! Some folks asked “why” I was thinking about taking Pete the Penguin with me. One, I like having a pillow and he’s less than 5 oz 🤷🏻♂️ but also, Pete was there through 5 apartments, numerous hostels and camping trips, the first time I did the AIDS Lifecycle in Ca, through getting sober, and on a number of other adventures. I first fell in love with penguins because of a boy (why I got into most things in my early 20s 🙈) but it stuck with me. Penguins are weird, awkward, clumsy, make annoying noises and can’t fly… until you put them in their element. Then they are graceful, powerful, majestic creatures. Basically, I’m a fucking penguin 🐧 Pete’s the longest running man in my life, I like sleeping with him and he’s comin’ on my adventure! #luxuryitem #penguin #pillowpet #pct #pct2019 #pacificcresttrail #optoutside #notultralight #boyfriend #gayhikertrash #queerhiker #thruhike #thruhike #hikertrash #soberhiker #squatsandprayers #legs
A post shared by Matthew Modleski (@matt_mods_adventures) on Mar 1, 2019 at 6:36pm PST
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Day 4: Endless wind/freezing hail/hiding in the soaked pit toilet ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ I wait too long to put my gloves on, and by the time I’ve realized just how cold it actually is my hands have frozen into little claws that are entirely non-functional. And so, a conundrum: how does one get gloves from inside their pack when one’s fingers are too numb to open the pack buckle? I fumble uselessly until Gent catches up and is able to help me, wind whipping all around us as I put on my gloves and hat, zipping my rain coat as high as it goes. And then, we hike. It rains, and we hike. The temperature plummets, and we hike. Thick fog rolls in, making it impossible to see in any direction, and still we hike, covering ten miles without stopping to rest or eat. It’s too cold to stop. Too wet and windy. And by the time we find our friends at the picnic area they’re already huddled up behind the outhouse, using the wall as a shield against the wind. I tuck in next to Shivers, pulling out my stove to make hot chocolate, and as soon as it’s gone I’m freezing again. There will be no long lunch break, not today, because the only way to stay warm is to keep moving, so we do. I put my puffy coat on under my rain coat, and for the next three hours Gent and I hike along the ridges of the mountain range, getting swallowed by mist, drenched by rain, and pummeled by chunks of hail that are almost as large as tic tacs. “What the actual FUCK,” I yell into the wind, hiking uphill with my eyes mostly closed to shield them from the hail. “Why are these our choices!!” Gent screams. We laugh for a while, indulging in dark humor, but as snow falls and conditions deteriorate we lapse into scared silence. It’s so so cold, and the final 30 minutes are a reminder of how hard you can push yourself when you have no other choice. We finally reach the Sunrise Trailhead, where Muffy and Shivs are huddled in the wet pit toilet, hiding from the storm and from the water that’s seeping in under the door. I hurry inside, convulsing from the cold, and when Muffy looks up and says, “I got us a room at the motel, all we need to do is hitch a ride” it might be the best sentence I’ve ever heard in my entire life.
A post shared by Nicole Antoinette (@nic.antoinette) on Mar 20, 2019 at 9:14pm PDT
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SECRET’S OUT: On May 3rd I will be embarking on the adventure of a lifetime. I will be hiking from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail. While on the trail I will be documenting my experiences on the podcast @trailcorrespondents powered by @thetrek.co . This trail is something that I have wanted to do for a couple years and I am beyond thrilled to live out my dream. I am very sad to be leaving behind such an amazing job with some pretty rad girls, Chipotle, my family, my friends, my bed, Chipotle, my couch, my snatched outfits, did I mention I’m leaving behind Chipotle? A journey like this is rooted in such privilege and opportunity that not many people get the chance to experience. I am so grateful for the opportunity to be able to take on this expedition. I am inspired by the people in my life that have always pushed me to reach for my dreams. And that is exactly what I am going to do—reach for my dreams. Please hit me up before I go and we can shotgun some WhiteClaws together. AND because y’all love me, ya girl is going to be tearing through 5 pairs of shoes on this trip so feel free to hit that Venmo (@swagmoneymonster) if you feel so inclined!!! XOXO love you all!! • • • • • • #pct #pacificcresttrail #thetrek #trekthepct #pct2019 #hikerlife #hiker #optoutside #pcta #pctig #backpacker #thruhiker
A post shared by $$$LIAM$$$ (@50shadesofpale) on Mar 26, 2019 at 5:55pm PDT
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Hello world, meet Faucet! 👋🏼 . I got my trail name, folks! And if you’ve ever spent any amount of time with me, you probably already know why I got this as my trail name, but for those of you that don’t already know, I pee, A LOT. 😂 . The other night I was camping with a couple groups of two and while setting up camp, I ran to pee at least 6 times, and then through the night I got up to pee at least another 5 or 6 times. . One of the guys, Josh, dubbed me Faucet and it just felt right. . #pct #pctig #pct2019 #pcta #pacificcresttrail #mexicotocanada #thruhike #thruhiker #thruhiking #pcthiker #thetrek #trekthepct #guthookguides #withguthook #leavenotrace #enjoyyourworld #hikertrash #choosemountains #embracethespace #mylandmark #letscamp #backpacking #optoutside #sweatydirtyhappy #sheexplores #womenontheroad #seeyououtthere #wekeepyououtdoors #womenwhohike #hikertrashtruths
A post shared by D A N I // F A U C E T 🚰 (@mrsdaniellephillips) on Apr 1, 2019 at 9:22am PDT
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Day 16 and 17 were long, hot, arduous climbs. Seems like a common theme. Haha I think these days stick out more because I’m doing more miles. I was doing 8 or 9 miles on climbing days but over the past 3 days we’ve done 10, 12, and 14. That’s pretty cool but the 14 mile day was really rough. It reminded me a lot of that long day coming into Julian except this one was uphill. By the end of the day with a couple miles left still, the sandy trail was looking like a comfortable spot to sleep. Out here, you hear over and over again “the trail provides” and that saying rang true big time! As I sleepwalked into Mary’s after a particularly steep 5 miles, there was a sign on the picnic table that said to follow the driveway 50 m and turn left for a full Irish Dinner. I felt like I was dreaming. We rounded the corner and found Mary, a couple familiar smiling faces, and quite the spread of classic St. Patty’s day food. Made. My. Day.
A post shared by PCT Amputee (Sochi) (@pct_amputee) on Mar 21, 2019 at 5:16pm PDT
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Comments 11
Cute List…You missed IBTAT @savedbymtns
Second Chance is killing it
I agree, he is doing so good…he’s so funny too.
They didn’t. Hikers aren’t celebrities.
They didn’t – hikers aren’t celebrities.
Interesting people, but it doesn’t seem to be a real representation of who is on the trail. Based on this list you would think everyone on the trail is under 30 and over half are female. That is very far from reality.
Second Chance is inspiring and should definitely be on this list. Check him out. He’s killing it and inspiring thousands along the way.
Second chance hiker is the man. Should have been on this list for sure.
Following the lives 35 people who make everything about “look at me, look at me and look at the back of my head” is something I will be passing on.
The best hiker on the trail is the dark horse underdog secondchance hiker. He’s got youtube videos and Instagram and a very devoted following.
I think that if any of you people run across a 33 year old lady from the Czech Republic have her shoot me an email. I saw her at O’Dell Lake and I’m wondering how she’s doing.