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A Six-Pack of Peaks

SoCalHiker Six-Pack of Peaks

Big adventures require proper preparation. All the cool gear in the world won’t get you up the mountain if you neglect the two most important pieces of equipment: your brain and your body. Whether you are tackling a big peak like Mt. Whitney or a long trail like the John Muir Trail, you need to arm yourself with knowledge and the trail smarts to handle the unexpected. And your body needs to be physically prepared for the strain of long, steep miles at altitude.

When I developed my training plan for the John Muir Trail, it included several weekday conditioning hikes, longer weekend hikes, weight-bearing hikes and most importantly, hikes at higher altitude with substantial elevation gain.

As I researched my options, I settled on a series of six peak-bagging hikes, each progressively more challenging and all within a couple hours drive from anywhere in Southern California. These six peaks provided great preparation for the JMT, but they are also perfect  for hikers training for Mount Whitney or other big adventures.

The SoCalHiker Six-Pack of Peaks

With that in mind, I organized a series of hikes called the Six-Pack of Peaks. Here they are, in sequential order:

#1 - Mt. Wilson

Distance: 14 miles
Elevation: 5,713 feet
Vertical gain: 4,200 feet

#2 - Cucamonga Peak

Distance: 11.6 miles
Elevation: 8,859 feet
Vertical gain: 4,300 feet

#3 - Mt. San Antonio (aka Mt Baldy)

Distance: 10.2 miles
Elevation: 10,064 feet
Vertical gain: 3,900 feet

#4 - San Bernardino Peak

Distance: 16.5 miles
Elevation: 10,649 feet
Vertical gain: 4,702 feet

#5 - Mt. San Jacinto

Distance: 11.4 miles
Elevation: 10,834 feet
Vertical gain: 4,689 feet

#6 - San Gorgonio

Distance: 17.3 miles
Elevation: 11,503 feet
Vertical gain: 5,840 feet

It adds up to 27,108 feet of elevation gain over 82 miles!

The first year I led this with small groups. I had anywhere from 7-11 friends with me on each hike. And we brought along an actual 6-pack to toast the completion of each hike.

Take the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge

Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge SeriesAre you up to the challenge? Register for the Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. We now have challenges across the country, giving you an opportunity to flex your adventure muscles and explore new mountains.

You can feel good about signing up, with a portion of your registration going to support Big City Mountaineers.

Sign-up today!

 

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