Social Adventures — Conversations from the Trail

What happens when a simple hiking challenge becomes the starting point for something bigger? In this episode, I’m joined by Carolina Montero and Nikki Taylor from Way Out Wild, a community focused on helping women build confidence, connect with others, and grow through outdoor adventure. We talk about how they’ve used the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge as more than just a hiking goal—it’s become a po...

Rob and Kristin DeCou made a decision before their first child was born: adventure would be a family value, not just a vacation. They're now at 56 of 63 U.S. National Parks, with just the remote Alaska parks standing between them and completing the mission. Host Jeff Hester sits down with these longtime Six-Pack of Peaks community members to talk raising outdoor kids, managing screens on the r...

Since 2018, Brandi Rubin has been climbing peaks, facing fears, and discovering what the mountains reveal about strength, patience, and self-trust. In this episode of the  Social Adventures Podcast , Brandi joins Jeff Hester to share her journey through the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, a standout 2025 season completing four regions, and how an unexpected injury changed—but didn’t end—her relations...

In this episode of the  Social Adventures Podcast , Jeff Hester sits down with ultra-runner, author, and barefoot peak bagger to explore the powerful intersection of endurance, mindfulness, and the mountains. Kenneth is the author of , a deeply personal account of completing the legendary Catskills Grid—climbing all 35 Catskills high peaks in  every month of the year . Along the way, he discovered...

What happens when a simple hiking challenge turns into a life-altering journey? In this episode of the  Social Adventures Podcast , Jeff Hester talks with  Carol “Cheer” Coyne , a thru-hiker who went from the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge to completing hiking’s Triple Crown—the Pacific Crest Trail, Continental Divide Trail, and Appalachian Trail. Carol shares how long-distance hiking transformed her...

San Diego’s hiking scene goes far beyond beaches and popular summit trails. In this episode of the  Social Adventures Podcast , Jeff Hester talks with  Chris Griffith  and  Susie Kara Slater , two hikers who have explored nearly every corner of San Diego County. Both are finishers of the demanding  San Diego 100 Peaks Challenge  and the  Sierra Club 100 Peaks List , and they’re the co-authors of t...

Trail magic is one of hiking’s most powerful traditions — unexpected kindness when you need it most. In this roundtable episode, Jeff Hester is joined by Derek Loranger, Curt Cragg, and Neenah Spellman to tell the story of the legendary  Muir Taco Hut  — a multi-year trail magic tradition serving fresh tacos and cold beer deep in the Sierra Nevada. They share origin stories, logistics, mishaps, em...

On this episode, we head deep into Patagonia with longtime friends and Social Hikers community members  Carisa and Janice —two hikers whose chemistry, courage, and curiosity made this adventure unforgettable. Together we relive our week in  El Chaltén , exploring world-class trails, tackling a  Via Ferrata  for the first time, braving late-summer snowfall, walking on the  Perito Moreno Glacier , a...

In Episode 2 of  Social Adventures — Conversations from the Trail , Jeff is joined by  Jason Parks , a six-time Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge finisher (Bay Area + Lake Tahoe) who summited  Mount Kilimanjaro  in February 2025. With Jeff heading to Kilimanjaro in just two months, this episode goes deep into what to pack, how to train, what really matters on the mountain, and what first-timers should —...

Why do we climb? In this episode of Social Adventures: Conversations from the Trail, Jeff sits down with 10-year Six-Pack of Peaks Legacy Challenger Philip Yoho — a hiker who has completed at least one challenge every year for a decade, and seven challenges in 2025 alone. Philip shares how he went from a miserable first hike on San Jacinto to becoming one of the most consistent and inspiring membe...

Welcome to the very first episode of Social Adventures — Conversations from the Trail, a podcast that celebrates the stories, motivations, and experiences that connect us through the outdoors. In this opening episode, host Jeff Hester—founder of Social Adventures, Social Hiker, and the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge—shares the origins of the community, the inspiration behind the podcast, and what lis...