This Week’s Top Instagram Posts from the #PacificCrestTrail

This is our weekly roundup of all the best Instagram posts from the Pacific Crest Trail. We’ll gather the gorgeous, hilarious, and all-around epic photos from the last two weeks.

Use the hashtag #trekthePCT, #PacificCrestTrail or #PCT2019 for your chance to be featured!

Here are few of our favorite photos from the days June 25 to July 10. Enjoy!

 

 

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Day 1, 22 miles: And so it begins! Despite being soaked the night before I was able to get up early to get to the border by around 8 am. The buddy I met at the Bellingham train station got off trail when we got to the border. He decided to go back to Canada to spend the summer with his son. I’ll miss ya Vons! The hiking here borderline intimidates me. These mountains are massive and we hike around pretty steep ledges, some still covered in snow. I’ve still been feeling fairly good health wise but I may have pushed too hard and my ankle is now a little sore. Hopefully an extra strength Tylenol will take care of this by the morning. Tonight at least I went to bed dry and am very thankful for that! #creedencetakesawalk #pct2019 #pct #canadatomexico #sobo #backpacking #adventuring #canadianborder #thetrek #trekthepct #wanderlust #notallwhowanderarelost #thebeginning #longdistancehiking #solotravel #liteaf #waymarkgearco

A post shared by Creedence (@creedencetakesawalk) on

 

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At this point, I’m just walking my way to Canada, powered by MoonPies. 7 day resupply worth of MoonPies? #pct2019

A post shared by Hannah (@haneigh_) on

 

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Pacific Crest Trail | 18 JUNE | Miles Walked: 7.1 (11.36km) | Start Mile: 788.5 End Mile: 795.6 • Today was tough. Having camped 2.6 miles before Glen Pass, we all assumed it would be an easy days’ hike to get there. However the combination of altitude, having to navigate in snow and post holing made for a very long and exhausting day. I was initially in very good spirits – exceptionally so when I reached the top of Glen Pass – but as the day wore on and my altitude headache got worse, my spirits dropped considerably. At camp that night, tears of frustration ran down my cheeks. Physically, I was much stronger than last year – so why why why, was I succumbing to this altitude so easily? I can’t even describe how frustrating it is to be back here and still have to face the same problems as last year. I had no idea what to do. Keep pushing on? Or turn back?

A post shared by Tahlia (@tahliatravels) on

 

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Kennedy Meadows #shenanigans #pct2019 #pct #hikers #hikertrash #generalstore #sunday #jam #california #trails

A post shared by Genevieve Trujillo ? (@fiestahikes2019) on

 

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Jumpin away from that desert heat PCT DAY 49: 17.3 miles TOTAL: 693.5 miles

A post shared by Elise (@elise.ott) on

 

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Day 46 on the PCT started with a tough and stressful morning. I had to do three creek crossings in a row, all of which made my toes freezing cold, but none of which, thankfully, were dangerous. Then I had to descend some steep snow down from Miller Lake and my food was getting a little low, and it all just stressed me out. And the thing about hiking in the wilderness by myself is that once I get some stressful thoughts in my head, there’s not much in the way of distractions to get them out. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ But then I made it down to a quiet meadow surrounded by epic granite walls, had lunch and a siesta, and honestly felt at peace and very fortunate to be in such a beautiful place. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Both going up and down Benson Pass in the afternoon were hard. It was almost all switchbacks below treeline covered in steep snow, which is tricky to navigate and sometimes dangerous. So there was a lot of slow and steady walking and a lot of map checking. I was pretty exhausted by the time the evening came around, even though this might have been my lowest mileage non-town day of the PCT so far. I treated myself to a campfire and some stargazing once I got to camp, on the side of the hill with deers grazing all around. Miles 956-973, June 24

A post shared by James Lamers (@jameslamers) on

 

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Dear Sierras, You’re both sweet and salty; beautiful and beastly. Thank you for testing my mental & physical capacities. Thank you for the lessons I have learned. Some serious and some not so much…. 1. How to glissade and how not to 2. How to efficiently cut switchbacks in the snow 3. Ski with just poles and sneakers 4. To be really good at hide and seek with the trail 5. Crocs are a great vessel to store your crampons on #croc-ons 6. How to be a better ice skater 7. Become a professional log walker 8. How to swim with a backpack 9. Ice axes are great tent grooming tools 10. Waking up at 3am is just as bad as it sounds 11. Listen to your gut 12. Don’t listen to fear mongering 13. It’s better you try and fail then not try at all • • #pct2019 #pct #pacificcresttrail #pacificcresttrail2019 #pcta #thetrek #thruhike #thruhiker #backpacker #backpacking #cali #sierra #sierras #mountaineering #trekthetrails #womenwhohike #withguthook #girlswhohike #choosemountainswomen #choosemountains #optoutside #reiproject1440 #rei #leki

A post shared by Lizzy Natiello | Mayhem (@elizabethann128) on

 

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As the trail gets closer to towns, interstate highways, and other signs of civilization, the light pollution is starting to wash away the stars. But after weeks in the Sierra, where the remoteness of the trail that resulted in such dark skies meant that getting food was a half day of walking and a 30-mile hitch from the trail, I’ll take a bit of light pollution if it means I can get a beer and a burger within a couple miles of the trail every few days. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Shot on Sony RX100 m4 at 15 seconds, f1.8, ISO3200. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I get a lot of comments and messages wondering what sort of camera I shoot these astro pictures on, and hikers I show them to assume I have a very fancy camera. But it’s just a point and shoot. You can take images like this on any camera that lets you choose the settings manually. Basic Milky Way photography like this is all about the planning and vision of the photographer, not the equipment. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mile 1160

A post shared by James Lamers (@jameslamers) on

 

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Being out here feels like we’re in our own private wonderland. The changes in elevation of going up and over passes bring all new vistas and I think I like each one better than the last. Sometimes we can’t find the trail because it’s covered in snow and sometimes the trail looks like a stream because of melting snow, but when I look up from my feet, I’m constantly in awe. There are waterfalls everywhere, lush green valleys, icy blue lakes, and snow-covered forests. The sun is hot, the miles are slow, and the days are long, but I’m always happy that we’re actually out here doing it. ? 1 & 2: @who_keas PCT day 71 // 12.2 miles PCT day 72 // 11.1 miles PCT day 73 // 19.1 miles PCT day 74 // 16.2 miles // 873.9 total miles

A post shared by Mari Johnson ?? (@marijohnson) on

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