[Jeff]

Congratulations, Lindsey! 🙌

You will be getting a certificate of achievement and an embroidered patch to commemorate your accomplishment. We typically mail out a batch shortly after the end of the month, so expect yours sometime in early November.

There are tons of challenges in New England, but one that I would consider as a “lifetime” goal is The Grid — you hike each of the 48 4,000 footers in the White Mountains 12 times, once in each month. That's 576 summits–something that most people set as a really long-term goal. Learn more here: http://www.48×12.com/

[Jeff]

You only need to complete six. Most people are hiking Black Mountain in lieu of Mummy — though many have summited.

[Jeff]

I did this as an overnight trip, but carried all my water. There are a couple of ponds, and some streams but I haven’t taken water from them.

[Jeff]

Ah the leaf peepers…

You could totally do these two hikes in one weekend. You can also do Chocorua from the Champney Brook Trail (that's what I did — https://socialhiker.net/hike_log/finished-the-challenge-on-chocorua/)

We stayed at the the Woodstock Brewery Inn in North Woodstock, but then we were there in late August before the leaves turned.

Finished the Challenge on Chocorua

[Jeff]

Hi Kameelah! We have an annual group hike up Mount Baldy scheduled on November 12th as part of the Climb for Heroes. You'll be in good company!

Get the details: Join Team SoCalHiker at the Climb for Heroes

[Jeff]

Great question! The intent is that you hike all six of eithe the original OR the “extra spicy” peaks (or all 12). You are welcome to hike peaks from both challenges, and many of the peaks are “conveniently” locate near each other (ie. Grays and Torrey). But to earn the finisher badge, you must complete all six of one or the other challenges.

[Jeff]

Hi Edda! It's fixed now. Thanks for letting us know, and congratulations on completing the NorCal challenge!

[Jeff]

Lindsey, which three peaks are you hoping to do next?

[Jeff]

Hi Andreea! I've deleted the duplicate hike log. Congrats your your Mount Baldy summit!

[Jeff]

One option I've used is carpooling. If you can split the gas cost with even one other person, you've just reduced the cost by half. Get two or three people and you can end up with a net cost under $1.50/gallon/person.

Not sure who to hike with? Look for hiking clubs on Meetup or Facebook, or check out the AMC. Or heck, start your own! You can also post here in the forums and coordinate with other challengers.

EDIT: I wanted to add that your idea of heading up to do three peaks in a weekend is another great idea. Camping and hiking to save $$.

[Jeff]

Hi Alexis and welcome to Social Hiker! The Six-Pack of Peaks is a great way to train for bigger adventures like Kilimanjaro.

As for the order, when I created the original SoCal challenge, there were just six peaks. They were part of our training for a three week backpacking thru-hike on the John Muir Trail, and were part of our training program (longer, weekend hikes). We hiked them in the order you'll find them on the overview page:

1. Mount Wilson
2. Cucamonga Peak
3. Mount Baldy
4. San Bernardino Peak
5. San Jacinto Peak
6. San Gorgonio

Whether this is “easiest-to-hardest” is open to interpretation, but they are from the lowest to highest.

Since that time back in 2010, we've added six alternate peaks to the challenge for a total of 12. Most of those are a bit easier than the original six.

As for which order you do them in, there are five considerations:

• Hiking distance
• Total vertical gain
• Top elevation
• Permit availability
• Weather conditions

For hiking distance and vertical gain, I recommend that you do local hikes of approximately the distance and total vertical gain first before tackling one of the Six-Pack of Peaks. You can hike in the Santa Monica Mountains, Griffith Park or wherever is most convenient. Note that the total vertical gain does not have to be in one push. You could do “laps” or a “rollercoaster” style hike with lots of up and down. The key idea is that you want to know how your body responds to that distance and gain.

For top elevation, if you haven't hiked above 10,000 feet, that's where most people begin to feel the effects of thinner air. It's also nice if you live at lower elevations to get adjusted a bit over time. They'll actually do this on your Kilimanjaro climb as well.

Permit availability can be a factor for some of the peaks, particularly San Bernardino and San Gorgonio, where they have quotas.

And finally, weather plays a part. Some of the hikes are not passable in winter snow without specialized gear and training, and others are too hot during the heat of summer. Strawberry Peak, for instance, is not one that I would hike on a hot summer day. Sometimes you can mitigate that issue by starting at dawn (or earlier) but it's something to consider.

You've got an exciting adventure planned for next year, and you're asking the right questions. You've got this!

[Jeff]

Man I miss the Sierra Nevada mountains!

[Jeff]

That shot at Tanaya Lake is so mirror-like! 🙌

[Jeff]

Love that shot of sunrise at El Cajon. Any day I get above the inversion layer is a good day. 😉

[Jeff]

What a beautiful dog!

My two labradoodles are powder-puffs. They melt when the temperature gets above 80f. They do much better in cool or even cold, snowy weather.

They have done a number of peaks in the Six-Pack of Peaks Series, including Volcan Mountain (San Diego), Sutton Mountain and Black Butte (Oregon), and Mission Peak (used to be in the NorCal challenge).