On this episode I have Pacific Northwest based trekker, peak bagger, outdoor adventurer, founder of the Yakima Valley Trekkers, and the voice behind the Hikes And Mics Podcast, Ivan Orozco, join me on the show. We chat about his  first hiking memories, the origin story to creating the Hikes and Mics Podcast, top trails in the Pacific Northwest, hiking hacks & tips, experiencing a Star Wars / Mandalorian inspired group trek in Los Angeles, creating Yakima Valley Trekkers & hosting...

On this episode, I release the full recording from our second ever live podcast show. It was filmed at the Just Trek Podcast 4 Year Anniversary celebration on Sat, April 6th at the Happier Camper Outdoor Showroom + Happier Cafe here in Los Angeles. The guest panel featured SoCal Hometown Heroes such as Karla Amador (founder of @52hikechallenge), Cris Hazzard (creator of HikingGuy.com), Anjelica Avella (Lead Protagonist / Story Producer in the film “Forward”), and myself as the moderator. We...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, peak bagger, outdoor content creator, and solo world traveler, Tomasa aka @iamoneness11, join me on the show. We chat about her first hiking memories, her top mountains in California, top international treks, hiking hacks & solo travel tips, what sparked her passion for solo adventuring, her love for Cotopaxi the outdoor brand, the importance of solo exploring, her intense volcano experience, her international travels to Iceland & Banff,...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, peak bagger, outdoor adventurer, dancer, marketer, entrepreneur, restaurant owner of Sampa, and member of the Just Trek Crew, Jenny Valles, join me on the show. We chat about her first hiking memories, her top SoCal mountains, hiking hacks & tips, intense Death Valley storms, exploring an ancient lake, unforgettable Eastern Sierra summer trip, utilizing the Great Outdoors as an entrepreneur, traversing from the dance community to the outdoor...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, backpacker, writer, plus size outdoor explorer, diversity & inclusion advocate, hiking guide, and community leader, Anjelica Avella aka Adventures with Anjelica, join me on the show. We chat about her first hiking memories, what sparked her passion for backpacking, the debut of her film documentary "Forward" at the Coast Film Festival, her top SoCal hikes, hiking hacks & backpacking tips, the 5 peak challenge in the San Gabriel mountains,...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, outdoor adventurer, solo world traveler, award winning international speaker, self defense expert, creator of Outdoor Defense, and CEO of Girls Fight Back, Nicole Snell aka Adventures of Nik, join me on the show. We chat about her relationship with nature growing up in the desert, the origin stories to creating Outdoor defense and Girls Fight Back, the importance of solo adventures, her top California hikes, outdoor safety strategies & defense...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, outdoor adventurer, content creator, travel blogger, diversity + inclusion advocate, and founder of "Hike N Color" hiking group, Joshua Walker, join me on the show. We chat about his journey moving from the South to the West Coast to chase the LA dream, his trail name origin story, our serendipitous encounter on Cucamonga Peak summit in the San Gabriel mountains, the concept of over access to our local mountains, dancing on the trails, his personal...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, outdoor adventurer, certified California naturalist, permaculture practitioner, herbalist, and founder of Inner Garden Wellness, Jaskrit Bhalla, join me on the show. We chat about how a profound international hiking experience impacted her as a pre-teen, how she became obsessed with the plant kingdom, how working at a regenerative farm deepened her relationship to the natural world, the origin story to creating Inner Garden Wellness, top SoCal...

On this episode I have California based trekker, outdoor adventurer, community leader, and founder of iconic hiking groups Everyone's Hike & Dodgers Blue Hiking Crew, Carlos Berruz, join me on the show. We chat about his outdoor awakening at Griffith Park, the origin story to creating his two hiking groups, mobilizing several thousands of Angelenos into the Great Outdoors, hiking tips & advice, his current observations of the SoCal hiking scene, top California hikes, the NorCal...

On this episode I share the unforgettable community collaboration group hikes that we hosted during the month of May 2023. I felt compelled to do a solo episode as it was quite the action packed month filled with many full circle moments. I had the opportunity to co-host a group hike to Sandstone Peak with the outdoor writing legend Casey Schreiner (Founder of Modern Hiker), a 4 peak challenge in the San Gabriel Mountains with beloved hiking groups LA Trail Killers, OutAdv+, and SweatSoGuud,...

On this episode, I release the full recording from our first ever live podcast show. It was filmed at the Just Trek Podcast 3 Year Anniversary celebration on Sunday, April 2nd at Party Beer Co. in Los Angeles. The guest panel featured local legends Robert Martinez (creator of Parliament of Owls), Mary Forgione (former editor at LA Times The Wild),  Daisy Martinez (founder of Wellness on the Trails), and myself as the moderator. We chatted about what makes the LA + SoCal Great Outdoors so...

On this episode I release the "Best of Just Trek: Mixtrek Volume 2" in celebration of the podcast reaching the 3 year anniversary milestone. This second compilation features the best stories and moments that I have ever heard on the show from our cast of special guests. Featured in this compilation are Robert Martinez (@Parliament0f0wls), Casey Schreiner (@ModernHiker), Veronica Castro (@SweatSoGuud), Jeff Hester (@TheSoCalHiker / @SixPackOfPeaks), Jen Yonda (@LA.Skate.Hunnnies), Victor...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker & backpacker, nature spiritual teacher, world traveler, outdoor entrepreneur, and founder & Chief Hiking Officer of the 52 Hike Challenge, Karla Amador, join me on the show. We chat about how divorce and a spiritual moment on Mt. Whitney birthed a global hiking challenge, the origin stories of the 52 Hike Challenge and the evolution of the platform, her top 3 SoCal hikes, impactful finisher stories from the challenge, hiking hacks for day...

On this episode I have LA based trekker & backpacker, flautist & naturalist, experience curator, community leader, eco-musicologist, and Co-Founder of Feels Like Floating, Noah Klein aka Noah the Naturalist, join me on the show. We chat about his love for the Santa Monica mountains, his epic adventure hiking the 67 mile Backbone trail, the origin story of the "Feels like Floating" weekly outdoor art series, becoming a certified naturalist, curating legendary music experiences in...

On this episode I have THE SoCal hiker, outdoor adventurer, peak bagger, backpacker, community leader, co-host of the Almost There Adventure Podcast, founder of SoCal Hiker Blog, and Chief Adventure Officer of the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge, Jeff Hester, join me on the show. We chat about how a mountain bike accident sparked a national hiking challenge, completing the John Muir Trail twice (30 years apart!), the origin stories of the SoCal hiker blog and the Six Pack of Peaks Challenge...

On this episode I have LA based trekker, peak bagger, outdoor adventurer, solo world traveler, Korea Town Run Club member, mindfulness advocate, community leader, and  founder of the LA Trail Killers, Victor Martinez, join me on the show for the second time (he last appeared as our EP 37 guest on the show). We chat about him quitting the corporate life and solo world traveling through South America, celebrating the 5 year anniversary of LA Trail Killers in the Angeles National Forest, his top...

On this episode I have LA based trekker, outdoor adventurer, community builder, wellness advocate, and founder of @SweatSoGuud, Veronica Castro, join me on the show. Veronica has been blessing the outdoor scene with her wellness group hikes and is a female community leader we should all pay attention to. We chat about her very first hiking memories, scrambling up the Hollywood Sign, the backstory behind creating SweatSoGuud, incorporating wellness into group hikes, her partnership with...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, off trail explorer, wildlife photographer & videographer, artist in residence for the Angeles National Forest, and creator of the youtube channel Parliaments of Owl, Robert Martinez, join me on the show. Robert's videos have been viewed by millions in the country and his work has brought awareness to the thriving animal life we have in our local LA mountain foothills. We chat about his first major wildlife encounter, the bustling animal activity...

**PATREON EXCLUSIVE CONTENT!**  For episode 52, I am switching it up and sharing an exclusive piece of content that was released to the Just Trek Patreon subscribers a few months ago. On this show, I share the first ever episode of my new podcast series entitled "Trek Talks" which has currently only been available to the Just Trek Patron community. Trek Talks is a raw and candid perspective of my outdoor adventures and what makes these episodes unique is that I record myself along with...

On this episode I have SoCal based trekker, rock climber, ultra trail runner, peak bagger, and mountaineer Cisko (@hikerfighter / @behindthesherpa), join me on the show. We chat about the backstory behind his mysterious face mask, how an unnamed peak in San Bernardino sparked his outdoor journey, his top 3 mountains in California, tips and advice for long day hikes and peak baggers, honoring life and death in the San Gabriel mountains and Eastern Sierras, climbing for Nemo, hiking to fight...

On this episode I launch the inaugural series "Best of Just Trek: Mixtrek Volume 1" in celebration of reaching 50 episodes of the show. This compilation series features the best stories and moments that I have ever heard on the show from our cast of special guests. Featured in this first compilation are Will Mattox aka @Tacoslayers, Victor Martinez (@latrailkillers), Daniel Zhu (@danielzhustance / @stanceelements), Complexion (@thefuturebeatsshow), Daisy Martinez (@elementsofdaisy), Mary...

On this episode I have LA based trekker, outdoor adventurer, environmental activist, native plant enthusiast, Author of “Day Hiking Los Angeles” and “Discovering Griffith Park”, and founder of Modern Hiker, Casey Schreiner, join me on the show. We chat about how the view of the San Gabriel mountains sparked his outdoor journey, the concept of place attachment in relation to landscapes, the origin story and evolution of Modern Hiker throughout the years, advocating for more LA park lands, his...

On this episode I share my insane adventure of experiencing Death Valley National Park for the first time ever. It was the most wild weekend I've ever had in a national park and quite possibly in the great outdoors. This immensely intriguing park is a land of extremes - it is the largest national park in the country, home to the Badwater Basin which is the lowest point in North America, and Death Valley has the hottest temperatures recorded in the world. Myself and the Just Trek Crew...

On this episode I have LA based trekker, roller blader & skater, outdoor adventurer, wellness advocate, community organizer, and founder of the LA Skate Hunnies, Jennifer Yonda, join me on the show. We chat about how Jen’s desire to be in nature led her from the East Coast to the West Coast, the backstory behind creating the LA Skate Hunnies, her top places to skate and favorite hiking trails in Los Angeles,  tips & advice for newbie skaters & bladers, hosting a Palms Springs...