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Justin Self

@thisisjustinself

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“Gump”
“Rage, rage against the dying of the light”
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White Pocket was one of those wild card locations we added to the list. First off we needed a high clearance vehicle paired with 4WD to even think about venturing two hours off the beaten path. Second thing was — I remembered reading that the GPS would try to send you on some crazy route that was nearly impassable. After we secured a Jeep and 4Runner rental, I knew the first step was crossed, we just needed to find our way through two hours of sandy/rocky roads. We arrived just before sunset and were blown away. Every direction my eyes were drawn seemed to be a possible composition. The light bounced every which away, and the colors were changing by the minute. We hung around, took in sunset, and waited for the Milky Way to appear above the strange landscape. We finally wrapped things up around 1am and headed back to the car for a gourmet snack. Beenie Weenies, an oatmeal cream pie, and a soggy Chick-fil-A sandwich. Bone-apple-teeth. I also got the best three hours of sleep you could ask for. We woke up before 6am to watch the sunrise and mope around for a bit. Thus knocking out the triple crown at White Pocket (sunset/astro/sunrise).
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#sonyalpha #bealpha #artofvisuals #whitepocket #arizona #arizona🌵 #arizonahiking #igtravel #igdaily #longexposureoftheday #longexpo_addiction #longexposure #longexposure_shots #amazing_longexpo #amazing_longexposure #nightphotography #nightsky #nightimages #milkyway #milkyway_nightscapes #milky_way #sonyphotography #sonyimages #moveshootmove #arizonacollective #roamtheplanet #earth_shotz #earthfocus #eclectic_shotz #roadtrip taken in Arizona by @thisisjustinself

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6 years ago

“I’m pretty tired…think I’ll go home now”

Yesterday concluded my 2,193.1 mile, 146 day, life changing journey on the Appalachian Trail. For months I have envisioned summiting Mt Katahdin, the northern terminus of the AT, reaching this sign and placing my hand upon it. I can’t begin to remember how many times that thought brought tears to my eyes and kept my legs moving. Ive lost a few toothbrushes, a spoon or two, a couple power banks, and maybe a few pounds, but I’ve gained friends, experiences, memories, lessons and who knows what else that will stick with me even beyond this life. I become super overwhelmed with what to write when I sit still and try to convey the thoughts into a short caption from this epic chapter of my life. But for now I just want to say thank you. Thank you to those who followed along with my thru-hike, and took time out of your day to comment/message me, or give me words of encouragement. Even if I didn’t respond…those messages mean more than you will ever know and possibly pushed me that extra mile. Thank you to my friends I’ve met along the way and to those that extended a helping hand. The AT community really is a thing of beauty. Thanks to my friends and family for checking in, sorry you had to worry about my well being. Thank you to my Mom and Dad who sent me whatever I asked for at the drop of a hat, they were always there for me when and if I needed anything. Thanks to one of my best friends Trey for driving my van almost 2k miles from good ole Bama to Maine and documenting my summit, he’s a true warrior. To jump on the AT without hiking for a few months and summit Katahdin is a feat in itself, but to climb most of it one handed with a full camera rig still blows my mind. I hope the hike didn’t kill you too bad. I’m excited to see what’s next, but for now, I’ll be chasing the fall foliage in my van, slowly making my way from the Northeast back south. Y’all be good✌🏼
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#appalachiantrail #appalachiantrail2021 #atnobo2021 #hiking #camping #optoutside #sony #sonyalpha #bealpha #billbrysonisapussy #hikertrash #thruhike #thruhiker #thruhiking #georgiatomaine #katahdin #whiteblaze taken in Mount Katahdin by @thisisjustinself

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5 years ago

As much as I like to sleep, there’s not much else I’d rather do than stay up all night under a night sky like this. I was able to get some sharp results out of my new (at the time) moveshootmove star tracker on this night in the Alabama Hills. For this particular shot I paired it with an 85mm shot of Lone Pine Peak. Im not great at blending photos like this together, but I’m throwing it up on the gram anyways. I hope y’all enjoy.
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If you enjoy seeing the images I have captured and would like to support my adventures, please follow the link in my bio for my print shop!! I start my Appalachian Trail hike in a week, so all sales will help buy food and resupply while on trail.
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#sonyalpha #bealpha #sonyimages #california #alabamahills #milkywaychasers #milkyway_nightscapes #nightphotography #nightlife #nightshooters #artofvisuals #optoutside #usinterior #longexposure #longexposure_shots #amazing_longexpo #earth_shotz #naturalcalifornia #ecletic_shotz #dscvr_earth #roamtheplanet taken in Alabama Hills, California by @thisisjustinself

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5 years ago

Tales From The Smoky Mountains
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72 miles of the Appalachian Trail travel through The Great Smoky Mountains. I always questioned the “Great” that’s added into this title, but not anymore
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#appalachiantrail #greatsmokymountains #nationalpark #nationalparkgeek #hiking #thruhike #trektheat #whiteblaze #moodygrams #folkgreen #folkscenery #wildernessculture #green #summer #backpacking taken in Great Smoky Mountains by @thisisjustinself

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2 years ago

Day five of posting a green photo each day for the month of July. With the Appalachian Trail being dubbed “The Green Tunnel” I couldn’t hold off too long without adding the following images. These were taken on the same morning in Southern Maine some 1,900 miles into the trek. Maine is the last state of the thirteen you hike through along the trail so crossing from NH to ME is very surreal. You know the journey is coming to an end, you want to finish so bad, but as soon as you do, you miss it.
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#appalachiantrail #thruhiking #hiking #sonyalpha #bealpha #greentunnel #maine #moody #folkscenery #folkgreen #wildernesstones #agameoftones #green #summer #backpacking #whiteblaze #appalachianmountains #footpath taken in Maine by @thisisjustinself

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2 years ago

I took this somewhere in Washington on the Pacific Crest Trail. One of the few foggy days I had and it was giving me Appalachian Trail vibes for sure!!
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#thruhiking #hiking #sonyalpha #bealpha #washingtonstate #pacificnorthwest #pnw #pnwonderland #pacificcresttrail #foggy #moodygrams #trekthepct taken in Washington State by @thisisjustinself

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2 years ago

PCT Week One Highlights
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Part 2
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The desert views continued
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#pacificcresttrail #pct #pct2023 #pct2023thruhikers #pctthruhike #thruhike #hikertrash #hikertrashforlife #hiking #thruhiking #california #trekthepct #backpacking #mexicotocanada by @thisisjustinself

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3 years ago

PCT Week One Highlights
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Part 1
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Some highlights from my first week on the Pacific Crest Trail. I did a terrible job of posting photos from the AT, so let’s see how I do this time around. I’m taking my first zero today which means I’ve had time to look through and edit a handful of photos.
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#pacificcresttrail #pct #pct2023 #pct2023thruhikers #pctthruhike #thruhike #hikertrash #hikertrashforlife #hiking #thruhiking #california #trekthepct #backpacking #mexicotocanada by @thisisjustinself

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3 years ago

First day on the Pacific Crest Trail was a success!! I had a great stay at Scout and Frodos after flying from Birmingham to San Diego. Then we boarded the shuttle for an hour ride to Campo, where the southern terminus sits. Got a fairly late start, so we logged just under twelve miles. I made a few new friends and we were treated to a really great sunset for our first night on trail.
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#pacificcresttrail #pct #pct2023 #pctthruhike #thruhike #thruhikung #hiking #camping #california #pctnobo #nobo #mexicotocanada #sony #bealpha #a7riv #trekthepct #trek #hikingsucks taken in Campo, California by @thisisjustinself

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3 years ago

Wasn’t sure if I’d make it out this year, but here we are!! It’s going to an interesting and unforgettable journey along the Pacific Crest Trail this year. Let’s go!!
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#pct #pct2023 #pctclassof2023 #pacificcresttrail #california #mexicotocanada #pctnobo #nobo #backpacking #hiking taken in Campo, California by @thisisjustinself

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3 years ago

Take the long road home. This is one of those random, back road, pull over to the shoulder type of finds. Sometimes they turn out to be my favorites, it’s not over shot and you don’t see it all over the gram. Sometimes getting lost turns out in your favor.
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#sony #bealpha #sonyalpha #sonyimages #folkscenery #the_folknature #wilderness_culture #wildernessculture #wildernesstones #outdoortones #fallfoliage #autumn #october #fallcolors #vermont #vermontfoliage #vermontfall #vermontlife #travelandleisure #theoutbound #roamtheplanet #optoutside #eclectic_shotz #earth_shotz #northeast #newenglandfall #newengland #newenglandlife taken in Vermont by @thisisjustinself

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5 years ago

Late post, but just a little update from the trail. This was the sunset we just took in from Lake of the Clouds hut which sits at a touch over 5,000’. We are 1.4 miles from the summit of Mount Washington, so hopefully we have decent weather for the trek. This has to be one of the best sunsets I’ve ever seen. Currently 333 miles left to Katahdin.
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#trektheat #appalachiantrail #appalachia #appalachianmountains #thruhike #hikertrash #hikertrashforlife #appalachiantrail2021 #atthruhike #atthruhike2021 #hiking #camping #newhampshire #whitemountains #atnobo2021 #georgiatomaine #backpacking #sonyalpha #bealpha #artofvisuals taken in Lakes of the Clouds by @thisisjustinself

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5 years ago