Jeff Hester is a hiker, backpacker, and adventurer. While preparing to thru-hike the John Muir Trail, he had the idea to create the SoCal Hiker blog to document his preparation. Now, it has grown into an adventurers’ community and offers detailed guides and tips for the best hiking trails throughout Southern California and the Western United States. He also started the epic Six-Pack of Peak Challenges and is a host on the Almost There Adventure Podcast.

In this episode, Jeff shares some of his favorite hiking stories, gives tips on essential gear to bring on your hikes, reveals what it means when you find “trail magic", and gives advice to others wanting to create adventure blogs.