A couple of weeks ago, we wrote about an odd trend that seemed to be cropping up on social media: people being naked in the great outdoors (which you should totally read. Gripping stuff.)

What was intended to be an off-hand “oh, look at that” piece quickly bloomed into another great article. Specifically, this one.

The very day after we posted, the MTNBabes were brought to our attention.  A quick look at their site shows a whole heap of ladies around the world (over 750 to be more precise) willing to get outdoors, climb the highest peak around, then take their clothes off for a photo. The main “wolf pack” has awesome nicknames like BoomBoom, Banana, Awkward Wolf, and Intensity MC, the last of which we got in contact with (real name: Maddie Crowell).

“Essentially we are all about inspiring chicks to get outside and experience the freedom of the wild,” Maddie says, currently in Colorado for a streak of, well, streaking. Her aim is to be the first to stand, proud in the clothes Mother Nature gave her, on top of all 58 mountain peaks in the state. (Side note: you can check out her updates on her blog.)

“We love adventurous spirits and believe that being a little outdoor crazy is better than most alternatives. Also, we know that standing naked on a mountain top is the definition of freedom and helps people understand what it means to be alive.“

The first “official” MTNBabe photo was taken in 2011 on top of a classic Colorado 14er: Long’s Peak. “We were initially inspired by the “Buffalo Girls”, a group of local Telluride women who really know how to slay the mountains.  After discussing the current Y generation, we decided that there was a lack of female participation in outdoor recreation. We  decided that chicks these days needed something to inspire them to get off the couch and get outside; thus MTNbabes was born.” It’s a great story about that first day, the fledgling effort of mtnbabes.

Some of the comments of these photos are along the lines of “Why won’t you turn around?”  Which is missing the point. This isn’t about being sexual. This is about empowerment, about freedom, about feeling simultaneously big and small in this insane world we live in. Taking control of it, by succumbing entirely to it, is a feeling that can’t be replicated most places. And so, the Wolf Pack continues to inspire.

Follow the girls on Instagram @mtn_babes_ to brighten up your day.