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Michael Grant

@michaelinstagrant

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🏳️‍🌈 traveler, adventurer, thru-hiker 🏔️
sharing smiles one mile at a time ✨
56 countries & counting 🌎
PCT 2026 🥾✨
@michaelgrantsmiles

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Saddle sores are real y’all. @michaelinstagrant

@onxbackcountry

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🎙️ LIVE FROM PCT DAYS: PART 2 IS HERE!

We’re back with more voices from the trail — and this time we’ve got first-time thru-hikers, PCT alumni, tears, big reflections, and a few familiar faces. ❤️
For Part 2 of our LIVE podcast from Pacific Crest Trail Days, we sat down with:

🥾 Broadway — a first-time thru-hiker absolutely crushing it (and crying along the way - slay 💅) 🌲 Shadow - PCT alum reflecting on life on trail 🏔️ Prodigal Son - PCT alum looking back on the journey 🌸 Late Bloom Hiker - PCT alum sharing what the trail left with her

PLUS two special guests popped in to answer our questions:
✨ Sparkles, now out on the Continental Divide Trail ⚡ Ravenclaw, hiking across Europe this year!

Just like Part 1, we asked everyone the same four questions:
1️⃣ What’s a moment from your hike you’ll always remember? 2️⃣ What was harder than you expected? 3️⃣ What was easier (or better) than you expected? 4️⃣ How has the trail changed you?

And once again, the answers remind us that the miles are only part of the story.

The trail can challenge you, surprise you, make you cry, introduce you to people you’ll never forget - and sometimes change the way you see yourself long after you’ve walked the last mile.

🎧 PCT DAYS LIVE - PART 2 is out NOW on The Thru-Hiking Podcast!

A huge thank you to @obozfootwear for giving us a home at PCT Days this year and helping us capture these stories. 💚

👟 And our Oboz giveaway is still live! Head to our giveaway post to enter.

#PacificCrestTrail #ThruHiking #ThruHiker #ThruHikingPodcast #HikingPodcast

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@michaelinstagrant talks about navigating the grief of losing his mom while on the Pacific Crest Trail.

Hear more on episode 375 — available wherever you listen to podcasts.

@onxbackcountry

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We met up with @michaelinstagrant at PCT Days and discusses all sorts of thigns — including PCT meltdowns, side quests, animal encounters and more. Check out episode 375 wherever you listen to podcasts.

@onxbackcountry

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We caught up with thru-hikers at PCT Days to reveal their trail names and favorite condiments! One staple definitely dominated, but a few of these wildcards definitely surprised us. 🌲🌶️ What’s your non-negotiable condiment for the trail?

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Goat Rocks!

Five years in a row revisiting the Pacific Crest Trail. This was one of my favorite sections going through and I was also able to clean up the Old Snowy Alternate. The streak lives on!

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What backpacking gear do experienced thru-hikers actually recommend? At PCT Trail Days, hikers share the shelters, backpacks, and gear they’ve trusted through hundreds of miles, along with what they’d change if they started over.

Watch the full installment in our bio or on The Trek’s YouTube channel!

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🎙️ We asked PCT hikers the questions that go beyond the miles. 🥾

At PCT Days, I sat down with hikers for live recordings of The Thru-Hiking Podcast at the @obozfootwear booth - and heard some incredible stories from trail.

We asked hikers:

🥾 What’s one moment from this trail you’ll remember for the rest of your life?

💪 What’s been harder than you expected?

✨ What’s been better than you expected?

🏔️ Has the trail changed you?

Because thru-hiking is about so much more than getting from Mexico to Canada.

It’s the people you meet. The days that break you down. The moments that build you back up. The ridiculous things that happen when you’ve been living outside for months. And the version of yourself you meet somewhere along the way.

A huge THANK YOU to every hiker who stopped, stood behind the mic, and shared a piece of their journey with us. ❤️

And thank you to @obozfootwear for giving The Thru-Hiking Podcast a home at PCT Days and helping us capture these stories.

🎧 More voices and stories from the trail are coming to The Thru-Hiking Podcast. Stay tuned!

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Think you can do better?? Let us know below 👀👇 And stop by The Trek booth tomorrow! Amazing Day 1 y’all!

@onxbackcountry

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🥾🏔️ MEMBER SHOUTOUT: MICHAEL! 🏔️🥾

We have to give a HUGE shoutout to one of our incredible Anytime Fitness members, MICHAEL, who is currently taking on the adventure of a lifetime — hiking the Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico all the way to Canada! 🇲🇽➡️🇨🇦

If you were around the gym before he left, there’s a good chance you saw Michael putting in the work every day on the StairMaster… with a GIANT backpack strapped to his back. 🎒😂 Now we all know exactly what he was training for!

We’re so thankful that Anytime Fitness got to be a small part of Michael’s preparation and, even more importantly, that we got the chance to know him. Following his journey and watching all that hard work pay off has been absolutely incredible.

Michael, you are truly an inspiration! 💪❤️ We’re cheering you on every step of the way and having so much fun watching you crush this incredible goal.

Keep climbing. Keep exploring. Keep making us proud. 🏔️🥾

We can’t wait to welcome you back home — although after hiking from Mexico to Canada, we promise we won’t make you get back on the StairMaster right away. 😂

GO MICHAEL! Your Anytime Fitness family is rooting for you! 💜🔥 @michaelinstagrant

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Out of the archives + some big birthday chaos

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Life update: thriving and 34

The years keep passing and each year they keep getting better. 33 I will always remember as the year I hiked the state of California! I am grateful to be surrounded with so many precious friendships, kindness from strangers, and nature as I continue my journey back home.

Thank you for the birthday wishes from my friends and family. Thank you to those who showed up for me on trail to make my day special. It makes the trail feel like home 🫶

"I've come to know that memories Were the best things you ever had. The summer shone, beat down on bony backs. So far from home, where the ocean stood down dust and pine cone tracks"

#pacificcresttrail #thruhike #nature #birthdaybaddie

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