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Alta revels in everything about California and the West — with penetrating investigative articles, clever essays, vivid photos and smart reviews. Alta's podcast digs deeper into the pages of the magazine to bring our stories to life.

Nov 20, 2019

Burger King, loneliness, binoculars, and camp coffee; it was all part of Nick Neely's quest to better understand California. 

Neely is a California-based author whose book, Alta California, chronicles his 12-week hike from San Diego to the San Francisco Bay. Neely followed the (nearly) exact footsteps of Gaspar de Portola and his 1769 overland expedition of soldiers and priests intent on claiming California for Spain and establishing the West's Catholic mission system. Neely's journey—as chronicled in his book—was a transformative experience. He joins the Alta podcast to discuss that and more.