[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]

Looks like a great order! I would suggest doing shorter conditioning hikes in-between these longer hikers (a couple times after work on weeknights), but otherwise looks good.

[Jeff]

Hi Shawnee! Yes, that AllTrails link shows the route to Sawmill Mountain. Note that it also includes Mount Pines (on the way to Sawmill) and Grouse Mountain (which adds mileage and vertical gain and is not required for the Six-Pack of Peaks).

If you do Grouse, Sawmill and Pinos (as the AllTrails route shows) you'll qualify for the 3-2-1 Hiking Challenge: https://www.mymountainchamber.com/321-challenge

[Jeff]

Absolutely it can count!

[Jeff]

Thanks to Lucas and Megan for joining me yesterday! Turned out to be great hiking weather.

[Jeff]

Hi Joycelyn!

Go to Challenges > Southern California, then scroll down the page to the 2022 Finishers List.

There is also a link to the Finishers List from every hike log. At the time of writing, there are 17 finishers for SoCal.

[Jeff]

Hi Chip and welcome to the Las Vegas challenge!

If you're using the Social Hiker companion app, you are correct that you can view and comment on posts, but not create new ones. You can log your hikes either via a smartphone or computer… your choice. And you can get the “how-to” specifics in the Support Center. Lots of good stuff in there!

[Jeff]

Hey Bob! They are on your profile, down the page. https://socialhiker.net/members/bob-abair/

Note that badges aren’t available on the app (yet).

[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).

[Jeff]

Hey Chip, the Support Center answers this question here: https://socialhiker.net/support/logging-hikes-from-your-smartphone/

You don't have to “record” anything DURING your hike. The hike log is a form that you fill out sometime after you get home from your hike. We ask that you share at least one photo (preferably more) and tell us a little about the experience.

[Jeff]

We are working on getting them added to the app. It’s part of a larger project that will be ready (fingers crossed) in a few months.