Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge x Way Out Wild

Where Women Rise Together

There’s a moment on every steep climb when everything gets quiet.

Your breath is loud in your ears. Your legs are burning. That little voice in your head starts asking, Why am I doing this?

And then someone behind you says, “You’ve got this.”

That’s Way Out Wild.

We’re a women-led outdoor community based in Southern California, but what we’re really building is not just stronger hikers. It is, stronger women. Women who show up for themselves. Women who choose growth. Women who do not back down when things feel hard.

When we first began integrating the Six-Pack of Peaks into our calendar, it was not about collecting badges or checking boxes. It was about creating a training ground. A container where women could safely push their limits, learn new skills, and build confidence one summit at a time.

The Six-Pack quickly became more than a challenge for us. It became our framework.

We intentionally structure our season around the peaks. We increase elevation and mileage gradually. We teach pacing on long climbs. We practice layering when the wind picks up. We talk about hydration and fueling when the trail gets steep. We review risk management, trail communication, and Leave No Trace, not as lectures, but as lived experience.

Every hike becomes a lesson.
Every summit becomes proof.

We have watched women who once said, “I’m not athletic,” stand on top of Strawberry Peak with tears in their eyes. We have seen women hike farther than they ever thought possible on the 20-mile trail that is Mt San Gorgonio. We have watched new guides-in-training lead sections of trail with shaky hands and huge smiles.

That is why we come back to the Six-Pack year after year. Not because it is easy, but because it works.

For our leadership team, the Six-Pack was not the finish line. It was the beginning. The endurance and discipline we built on those SoCal peaks prepared us for the High Sierra Trail, a multi-day backcountry expedition that demanded logistics, resilience, and mental toughness. We carried more than gear on that trail. We carried belief built on months of training together.

Now we are preparing for even bigger goals. California 14ers. Mountaineering climbs. Expanded backpacking programs. 

And still, we return to the Six-Pack.

Because it is our on-ramp. The bridge between day hiking and bigger alpine dreams. The place where confidence is built in real time.

In 2026, our calendar weaves Six-Pack peaks into our broader WOW programming:

• Strawberry Peak
• Sitton Peak
• Mt Wilson
• Mt Baden-Powell
• Ontario Peak
• Mt San Antonio
• Mt San Jacinto
• Mt San Gorgonio

And finally, we cap it all off with our own flare: summiting White Mountain – a California 14er. Every hike is intentional. Every summit is part of a larger story.

But if we are being honest, what makes it powerful is not the mileage.

It is the in-between moments.

The trail snacks shared at the saddle.
The deep conversations on switchbacks.
The laughter when someone says, “Whose idea was this?”
The quiet hug at the summit.
The woman who realizes she is stronger than she thought.

The Six-Pack gives us structure.
Way Out Wild gives it heart.

We do not hike ahead of each other. We hike beside each other. We pace together. We wait for each other. We celebrate every summit, whether it is your first peak or your fifteenth.

While Way Out Wild was built to create space for women to grow strong together, we also offer coed hikes and training throughout the year. Our coed community reflects the same values we care deeply about: respect, encouragement, skill-building, and shared growth on the trail.

Whether you join us in a women-led container or on a coed adventure, the heart of WOW stays the same. We show up prepared. We support each other. We climb with intention.

Because when women rise together, the summit feels different.

And we are just getting started.

Learn more about our 2026 schedule and upcoming hikes at
www.wayoutwild.org

Nikki Taylor
Executive Director, Way Out Wild