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 his first ever group hike, the Pacific Northwest vs Southern California outdoor scene, a magical wildlife encounter, and the one outdoor experience he would relive all over again.

Follow Ivan on https://www.instagram.com/hikesandmics and https://www.instagram.com/yvtrekkers/

Support Just Trek on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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 chatted about each of their impactful work in the community, their most meaningful outdoor adventures / nature experiences, what the community each has cultivated has taught them, and the one must do experience that any outdoor enthusiast should at least do once.  After the group discussion, we opened up a live Q&A to the audience so that everyone could join in on the fun and ask the guests their own questions. The overall group panel talk was inspirational, impactful, informative, entertaining, and a blast of time.

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Filmed at the Just Trek Podcast 4 Year Anniversary 4.6.24

Watch Youtube version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iyo5fdGGj4Q

We'd like to thank our sponsors:

Cotopaxi - https://www.cotopaxi.com/

KEEN - https://www.keenfootwear.com/

52 Hike Challenge - https://www.52hikechallenge.com/

Parch - https://drinkparch.com/

Juneshine - https://juneshine.com/

Easy Rider - https://drinkeasyrider.co/

Tony’s Chocolonely - https://tonyschocolonely.com/us/en

Event was in partnership with Happier Camper, Happier Cafe, and Tada Coffee. 

Use code “TADAATREK” on https://happiercamper.com/ for an exclusive upgrade to any camper purchase. With this code you receive and choose one of two options 1) Full-shell Gel Coat of any standard color (Mojave Sage, Palms Springs Yellow, Venice Breeze, Topanga Turquoise) valued at $1,500.00 or 2) $1,500.00 of Adaptiv Credit towards a custom made-to-order camper.

Follow our guest panelists on instagram www.instagram.com/lovekarlamador,  www.instagram.com/52hikechallenge,  www.instagram.com/hikingguy_com, and  www.instagram.com/adventureswithanjelica

Support Just Trek on Patreon www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

View photos from the discussed hikes on https://www.justtrek.net/explore

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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, Mount Baldy winter wonderland adventures, and the one outdoor experience she would relive all over again.

Follow Tomasa on https://www.instagram.com/iamoneness11/

Support Just Trek on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want t send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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 community, being the owner of a Filipino American restaurant in LA, her perspective of being apart of a hiking/adventure group, and the one outdoor experience she would re-live all over again.

Follow Jenny Valles and Sampa on https://www.instagram.com/jennyvalles

https://www.instagram.com/sampa.la

Support Just Trek on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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, summiting Mt. Kilimanjaro, unfortunate encounters on the trails, her special connection with Karla Amador & the 52 Hike Challenge, the transition from thru-hiking to settling back to everyday life, empowering women + men of all shapes and sizes to get outside, and the one outdoor experience she would re-live all over again.

Follow Adventures with Anjelica on https://www.instagram.com/adventureswithanjelica

Support Just Trek on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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 tactics, thru-hiking Mt. Whitney, Exploring New Zealand, her Yellowstone National park adventure, and the one outdoor experience she would re-live all over again. 

Episode Sponsor:

Cotopaxi is an outdoor apparel brand known for their high quality outdoor essentials. They create sustainable products to fight extreme poverty, inspire adventure, and move people to do good. Their social impact strategy focuses on global poverty alleviation, and they strive to employ responsible sourcing and manufacturing practices throughout their supply chains. Check out their gear & outdoor apparel more on ⁠https://www.cotopaxi.com/⁠

Follow Nicole Snell on https://www.instagram.com/adventuresofnik/

Follow & Visit Girls Fight Back on ⁠https://www.instagram.com/girlsfightback ; https://www.girlsfightback.com/

Support Just Trek on Patreon ⁠https://www.patreon.com/justtrek⁠

Shop Just Trek merch on ⁠https://www.justtrek.net/shop⁠

Listen to more podcast episodes on ⁠https://www.justtrek.net⁠

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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 experience as a black hiker in the outdoor space, his top SoCal hikes, hiking tips & tricks, his unforgettable Mount Whitney adventure, his journey as a hiking influencer + content creator working with world renown brands, his mission to help diversify the great outdoors, and the one outdoor experience he would re-live all over again. It was an honor to have such a talented content creator and major advocate for diversifying the outdoors on the show. It was not only an incredibly entertaining episode, but a movie like conversation that had alot of depth and different perspectives for us to all learn from and take with us moving forward in our outdoor journeys.

Episode Sponsor:

Cotopaxi is an outdoor apparel brand known for their high quality outdoor essentials. They create sustainable products to fight extreme poverty, inspire adventure, and move people to do good. Their social impact strategy focuses on global poverty alleviation, and they strive to employ responsible sourcing and manufacturing practices throughout their supply chains. Check out their gear & outdoor apparel more on https://www.cotopaxi.com/

Follow Joshua Walker on https://instagram.com/joshyoutrippin

Follow Hike N Color group on https://www.instagram.com/hikencolor/

Support Just Trek on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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 hikes, reconnecting with the land, what community means to her, our collaboration group hike in the Santa Monica Mountains, her favorite native plants, her unforgettable European travel adventures, and the one outdoor experience she would re-live all over again. Jaskrit is making quite the impact in the SoCal community with her in depth knowledge and unique offerings from plant identification nature walks to transformative roundtable dinners, and much more.

Follow Inner Garden Wellness on https://www.instagram.com/innergarden/

Visit Inner Garden website on https://www.innergarden-wellness.com/

Learn more about Friends of the Wild on https://www.friendsofthewild.club/

Support Just Trek on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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 outdoor scene vs the SoCal scene, and the one outdoor experience he would re-live all over again. Carlos' social platforms are far reaching and he is a most beloved figure in the SoCal outdoor community that EVERYONE KNOWS. He changed the landscape of LA/SoCal group hiking and it was an honor to have such an impactful community leader on the show.

Follow Carlos Berruz on https://www.instagram.com/everyoneshike/, https://www.instagram.com/dodgersbluehikingcrew/, https://www.instagram.com/a_lot_of_miles_and_smiles/

Support Just Trek on Patreon https://www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek

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, a #WeHikeToHeal sunset trek to Echo Mountain with the powerful spirit Karla Amador (Founder of the 52 Hike Challenge), and even had a collaboration with the Spotify for Podcasters team around the topic of community building. Co-hosting these adventures with some of the most inspiring leaders in the outdoor community was powerful & impactful and what makes it all extra special is that each individual was a previous podcast guest on this very show. Enjoy my trek reflections as I take you along with me on these epic outdoor adventures.

Follow our collaborators on IG: https://www.instagram.com/modernhiker/, https://www.instagram.com/latrailkillers/, https://www.instagram.com/sweatsoguud/, https://www.instagram.com/_outadvplus_/, https://www.instagram.com/52hikechallenge/

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Support Just Trek on Patreon www.patreon.com/justtrek

Shop Just Trek merch on https://www.justtrek.net/shop

View photos from the discussed hikes on https://www.justtrek.net/explore

Listen to more podcast episodes on https://www.justtrek.net

Want to send me a message? Email me at [email protected] or DM on Instagram @just.trek