‍In February 2023, Los Angeles local and distance hiker, Halle Homel, set out to complete a thru hike of California’s Backbone Trail:

A 70-mile long distance trail that spans the length of the Santa Monica Mountains. She wanted to hike this trail with one goal in mind—to bring awareness to the effects of irresponsible recreation in the mountains she grew up in. With hundreds of miles under her boots across some of our most iconic landscapes and her background as an outdoor educator, she set out to climb steep mountains, descend deep canyons, and navigate the rough terrain of the Santa Monica Mountains to teach about how we can treat our wild spaces better. Because any great movement starts with what we know and love, and for her, that will always be the mountains that raised her.