Congratulations to the 2015 Six-Pack of Peaks Finishers!

Congratulations to all the finishers of our inaugural Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge!

When I created the Six-Pack of Peaks, it was a challenging personal goal for my girlfriend and I to help us train for our thru-hike on the John Muir Trail. I led group hikes on each of the six peaks — and it turned out to be a popular series for a lot of people. Some do it for the personal challenge. Others use it to train for even bigger adventures.

2015 marked the debut of the official Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge, and I was blown away by the positive response. We had 85 amazing finishers who registered for the challenge and hiked to the summit of all six peaks between January 1, 2015 and October 31, 2015.

Together, these finishers hiked over 6,800 miles and climbed over 2.3 million vertical feet! Most of all, they did something special. There are over 22 million people living in Southern California — but only a few can claim to have hiked the Six-Pack of Peaks, let alone in one season.

The Fundraiser

Yes, we hiked…a lot! We made new friends on the trail. We learned what we were made of and what we could do when we set big goals and committed. But we also raised over $1600 for Big City Mountaineers — a non-profit organization that works with under-served urban youth, helping them learn and grow through epic outdoor experiences. Board member and alum Amy Tam even joined us at the Finisher’s Party and shared how BCM made a difference in her life, and how it continues to do so for so many young people.

I highly encourage you to check out their website to learn more.

The Sponsors

A very special thanks go to this year’s sponsors. They supported the challenge by donating gear for our two big gear giveaways, and really helped us get our first challenge kicked off right. This year’s sponsors included:

• Outdoor Research – Helium II jackets
• JepPaks – Orbiter ultra-light day packs
• Cairn – 3-month subscriptions
• Sierra Trading Post – $50 gift cards
• Yonder – Trucker hats and t-shirts
• Hele USA – Head gear
• The Muir Project – MILE…MILE & A HALF DVDs (and flasks!)
• Princeton Tec – headlamps
• LifeStraw – water bottle with integrated filtration
• Lawton Grinter (The Trail Show) – ‘I Hike’ book
• Scrubba – wash/dry bag

I know you’re probably familiar with many of these brands — and they deserve a look.

The Gear Giveaway Winners

For 2015 we had two giveaways, both selected in a random drawing at our Finisher’s Party. The first giveaway was open to all registrants, regardless of whether they finished or not, and the second was for finishers only. As it turned out, both of our winners were also finishers.

Congratulations to Nindy Pastor and Megan Gibney! 

The 2015 Six-Pack of Peaks Finishers

Here are all 85 finishers for the 2015 Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge (in alphabetical order by first name):

• Aaron Mendonca
• Alexandra Gonzalez
• Amanda Thompson
• Andrew Jackman
• Andrew Valdes
• Angelia Blas
• Brandon Setter
• CeCe Lorthioir
• Chris Perry-Hill
• Christina Franz
• Christina Hinojosa
• Cynthia Tessin
• Dan Hughley
• Daniel Hernandez
• Daniel Minear
• David Fisher
• Debbie Taranik
• Dominique Topacio
• Doug Bredesen
• Editha Yangco
• Elizabeth Luna
• Elizabeth Sevilla
• Emma Johnson
• Eric Sevilla
• Fernando Gonzalez
• Gary Hill
• Harvey Fiji
• Ilana Gustafson
• Iris Morales
• Iva Buis
• Jae Bundang
• Jake House
• James Krise
• Jamie Dufour
• Jason Anderson
• Jason Fitzpatrick
• Jason Sudo
• Jeff Hester
• Jeff Stark
• Jelsomina Elsasser
• Jen Iarossi
• Jenny Le
• Jenny Smith
• Jeremy Via
• Jesse Sanchez
• Jessica Setter
• Jessica Yang
• Jo-Russell Reyes
• Jon Ryther
• Jon Valencia
• Josue Iniego
• Kathleen Miller
• Keith Robinson
• Kim Hicks
• Kristen Combs
• Kristin Seiler
• Kristy Loufek
• Laura Skorich
• Lisa King
• Lori Wolfe
• Manuel Herrera
• Maria Pizarro
• Matthew Adame
• Megan Gibney
• Melissa Maher
• Michelle DeYoe
• Minh La
• Monika Kalem
• Natalie Anderson
• Nate Truax
• Nelly Santacruz
• Nick Wagstaff
• Nindy Pastor
• Pilar Goluch
• Rachael Eckhardt
• Ruben Baier
• Sonja Alli-Casella
• Staci Kirk
• Stephanie Duerfeldt
• Thomas Pena
• Tony Ramos
• Urs Inauen
• Vanessa Villa
• William Dickson

Well done! You are all amazing and inspiring.

The Finisher’s Party

It’s been a real pleasure to follow along with your adventures on Facebook, Instagram and through your amazing hiking logs here on SoCal Hiker. Just looking at what photos you posted here on the Wall of Fame and on Instagram with the #SixPackOfPeaks hashtag, you shared over 1,800 photos of your adventures on these peaks.

I know many of you know each other, or ran into others hiking the Six-Pack during your own hikes. But nowhere were there more of us in one place, at one time as at this year’s Finisher’s Party. We had a slide show, we shared great pizza and beer, swapped stories and celebrated our accomplishment. It was a blast.

The 2016 Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge

So what’s next? Many people have been asking if there will be a 2016 Six-Pack of Peaks Challenge. The answer is… ABSOLUTELY! Early-bird registration will open in December — so you have plenty of time to plan, schedule and hike your Six-Pack of Peaks.

If you want to get your inaugural 2015 Six-Pack of Peaks t-shirt or patch — you can still get yours in the store while supplies last.

It was awesome getting to know so many of you through this year’s challenge, and I hope to see you on the trails next year!