International Women’s Day has always felt like the perfect reason to do what GOAT does best: get women outside together. This year, we celebrated with our Lead the Trail hikes. Two hikes. Two different vibes. One amazing community of women showing up for adventure. Across the weekend, women from all over the Salt Lake area (including a few out-of-towners from Washington and Colorado, too!) joined us to hike, connect, and celebrate International Women’s Day in the best way possible, on the trail.
Day One: Sunrise at Avenue Twin Peaks
We kicked off the weekend early Saturday morning with a sunrise hike up Avenue Twin Peaks.
If you’ve hiked it before, you know it’s one of those trails that delivers a big reward quickly. As we climbed above the city, the sky started shifting from dark blue to soft pink and gold.
Watching the sun rise over Salt Lake City with a group of women who had just met hours earlier felt pretty special.
There’s something about hiking at sunrise that makes conversations easier and connections happen faster. Maybe it’s the quiet morning air or the shared sense that you’re doing something a little outside the normal routine.
Either way, by the time we reached the top, it felt like a group of friends instead of a group of strangers.
And of course, no GOAT hike is complete without food.
After the hike, we headed to brunch at Hash Kitchen, where the post-hike conversations continued over coffee, brunch plates, and plenty of laughs.
Day Two: Midday Hike at Mount Van Cott
On Sunday, which also happened to officially be International Women’s Day, we met for our second hike of the weekend at Mount Van Cott.
The vibe was a little different from sunrise. Instead of early morning quiet, it was bright, energetic, and full of excitement for the day ahead.
Mount Van Cott is a local favorite for a reason. The trail climbs quickly and rewards you with incredible views of the city and the surrounding mountains.
But the best part wasn’t the summit.
It was the conversations happening along the way.
Women shared stories about work, life, travel, and the things that brought them to GOAT in the first place. Some came because they were new to hiking. Some came because they wanted to meet people. Some came because they just needed a reason to spend time outside.
And by the end of the hike, everyone had found exactly that.
Naturally, we continued the tradition with another well-earned brunch at Hash Kitchen.
Why Lead the Trail Matters
The goal of the Lead the Trail hikes was simple: celebrate women by getting outside together.
But weekends like this remind me that GOAT has become something bigger than just hiking events.
It’s a place where women can show up without needing to already know someone. A place where trying something new feels less intimidating. And a place where community forms naturally, one trail at a time.
International Women’s Day is about celebrating women and supporting each other’s growth, confidence, and independence.
There’s no better way to do that than standing on a mountain together.
What’s Next
Lead the Trail weekend was a reminder of why GOAT exists in the first place.
Women want adventure.
Women want community.
Women just sometimes need a place to start.
And if this weekend showed us anything, it’s that when women show up for each other, incredible things happen.
More hikes are already on the calendar, and if you’ve been thinking about joining one, consider this your sign.
We’ll see you on the trail.
