Top #SoCalHiker Photos on Instagram This Week

I love Instagram. It’s a great way to share photos from my iPhone and connect with others who share your interests. This is the first of a new regular feature sharing the best photos posted with the hashtag #SoCalHiker from the past week.

Want to include your picture? Tag your outdoor-related hiking and backpacking photos with #SoCalHiker. You can browse the hashtag through Instagram to see what other people are sharing. And be sure to follow @theSoCalHiker on Instagram.

For our first week, we’ve picked the best of a bunch of #SoCalHiker photos — all shared between November 19-24th.

Snow on the Deer Springs Trail

Kicking things off is @acahuantzi with a great shot from a great hike up Mt San Jacinto Peak via the Deer Springs Trail. I love the light and the dusting of snow. Keep your fingers crossed — the weather forecast suggests snow levels might drop to 5,000′ this weekend!

#SanJacintoPeak #DeerSpringTrail #SanJacintoMountains #Idyllwild #california #wilderness #hiking #rei1440project #outdoorproject #Canon #rebelxsi #niftyfifty #50mm #prime #primeshots #lightroom4 #NeverStopExploring #mountains #nature #TheMountainsAreCalling #WhatGivesYouLife #WornInNature #SeeForYourSelf #WeAreTheWild #climbamountain #modernoutdoorsman#nofilter #socalhiking #socalhiker #modernhiker

A photo posted by @acahuantzi on Nov 11, 2014 at 11:47am PST

Bagging Seven Peaks in One Day

Next up, Aar Jay Soria on his way to bagging SEVEN peaks in one day. 18 miles + 8,000′ of vertical = one epic day hike.

I peaked 7 mountains today, woke up in the icehouse canyon parking lot at 5 am and hit falling rock canyon. Realized within 5 minutes that I didn’t remember the route and ended up hitting every class 4 option I probably should have avoided. Ontario Peak > Big Horn Peak > Sugarloaf Peak > Cucamonga Peak > Timber Peak > Telegraph > Thunder. 18 miles with 8,000 feet of upness. Even had to hitch hike back to the car. Thanks a lot trusty hikers!

A photo posted by Aar Jay Soria (@_kick_rocks_) on Nov 11, 2014 at 6:36pm PST

Above the Clouds

Why do we hike? For views like this one from @loreluvsu. While the skies are gloomy over SoCal, the sun shines brightly on the mountain.

There is nothing, nothing, so brave as to allow yourself complete vulnerability. When we are stripped bare of all the armor we thought we needed to carry, how high we can finally climb. – Tyler K. Gregson ❤️

Tempted by the Pacific Crest Trail

One of the great trails threads its way from the Mexican border northward, climbing through many of the Southern California mountains before continuing the 2,600 miles to the Canadian border. @beeeees’ photo of this PCT trail marker is a signpost for thru-hikers and siren for those of us who dream to do so.

brb walking 2500 miles to Washington

Sunrise en route to Mt Wilson

Getting up early to catch the sunrise from the trail might seem crazy — until you’ve experienced it like @reboronahikes.

Morning sunrise on our way up to Wilson this morning! ☀️#hiking #sunrise #lifeisbeautiful #outsidemakesmehappy #socalhiker #mtwilson #mouttaingirl

A photo posted by Rebecca (@reboronahikes) on Nov 11, 2014 at 2:50pm PST

Looking through the #socalhiker photos on Instagram reminds me how lucky we are to have such great trails right here in our back yards. Follow these fellow SoCal Hikers on Instagram, and be sure to tag your posts with #SoCalHiker.