Vanessa / 28 / PCT thru-hiker! / The Pacific Crest Trail!!!

“This is me posing on the monument on the very first day of my PCT thru-hike. The southern monument is in Campo, right at the Mexico/US border, and it is tradition for hikers to pose with it before beginning their walk. I’ve been hiking for less than a week and I’m still in awe that I ever looked so clean.”

“When you’re hiking a 12 mile day on the PCT and you have to cross a random road in the middle of the trail you stop and pose and make your friend take your photo. That’s just what everyone does, right? It’s like a rule!”

“Here I am trying to look cool by a stream on the PCT even though I’d spend most of the morning crying while hiking. I do think I succeeded though, I mean I think I look pretty cool.”

Elizabeth and Andy / 22, 20 / Students / Knoxville, TN

“It was a warm Sunday afternoon, we were both off work for once, and we decided to go on a hammock date! This also involved lots of veggie straws and chocolate.”

Stephanie and DeAnna / 30, 26 / Customer Success Manager; Law School and Social Work Student / Brooklyn Botanic Garden in Brooklyn, NY

“There’s a small 2-week window of time when the cherry blossoms are in full bloom in Brooklyn, and my girlfriend, DeAnna, and I braved the long line to take kdrama-inspired pictures. Unfortunately there were too many people and screaming children to get into kdrama poses, but I guess these are still pretty nice.”

Azura / 23 / Arts marketing / Penzance, UK

“This was in January, when I visited Penzance on a family holiday. We were walking along the coast to a nearby village, Mousehole.”

Lex / 18 / Student, Nomad / Austria

“Should I be embarrassed that I dramatically sang the entire The Sound of Music soundtrack while prancing around the summit of an alp and being stared at by tourists? Probably. Am I embarrassed? Nope.”

Emily / 24 / Haida Gwaii, British Columbia and Saskatoon, Treaty 6 Territory

“In the first photo (from a year ago) I am planting trees, reforesting a cut block, alone in nature, isolated from society. It’s been my joyful job for the past several years and this year I decided to take a break from it and try city life. The second picture is my life now – living in a house, with a dog, in a city. It has been a much needed change and a new kind of adventure, though it hasn’t stuck – I’ll be going back into the bush soon, though not to plant trees. These transitions have been much needed, soul filling, confusing, frustrating, wonderful and exhausting, and have had me deeply questioning what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, but last night the northern lights were so vibrant, dancing magnificently above as we walked by the river, and they told me I am exactly where I need to be.”

Rachel Molinari, Bree Peacock, Brody / 27, 29, 5 / Job Seeker, Executive Secretary / Salt Lake City, UT

“We enjoyed people watching in the sunshine at Sugar House Park on Easter.”

Esmé Lloyd-Baldwin / 23 / Web administrator / Malahide, Ireland

“My mum came to stay with me for the weekend and we drove out to Malahide to blow the cobwebs a bit. We walked along the beach and then had chips for dinner by the harbour. I think I need to go to the sea at least once a month to stay sane.”

Torre / 36 / Residential Construction Laborer / Lesbian Lake, OR

“I am at a queer summer camp called illage. There is a lot going on at that event, but one of my partners built this amazing tree house platform overlooking the lake that is perfect for some peaceful down time. Photo by Cee, pretty sure.”

Hilary and Maddie / 24, 26 / Sexual and Repro Health Research Analyst; Editor of all things / Banks of the Schuylkyll River, Philadelphia, PA

“Here we are, last summer and this summer, having evening river picnics on the banks of the Schuylkyll in the middle of Philly.”