NEWS

The ICU Wandervogel Club's 60th Anniversary Expedition to Mount Denali

Update: September 9, 2024

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, ICU Wandervogel Club went on a 20-day commemorative expedition to Mount Denali from May 8th.

Mount Denali is the highest peak in the Alaska range of mountains in the U.S. state of Alaska, with an altitude of 6,190.4 meters. The expedition team from ICU's Wandervogel Club spent three weeks attempting to climb Denali, but had to turn back before reaching the summit due to the worsening altitude sickness of one of the members.

The expedition members were Mr. Daichi Caverly (Senior at the College of Liberal Arts; Major: Anthropology; Minor: Literature), Mr. Yuta Orii (2021 graduate, College of Liberal Arts; Major: Chemistry), Mr. Soichiro Nakano (2019 graduate, College of Liberal Arts; Major: History), and Ms.Hitomi Endo (2022 graduate, College of Liberal Arts; Major: Philosophy and Religious Studies; Minor: Asian Studies).

Comment from Mr. Daichi Caverly, who took part:
Over the course of three weeks, the four of us expedition members walked tirelessly over glaciers, snow and rocks. We climbed the mountain slowly, all four of us connected by a single rope so that we wouldn't fall into the crevasses of the glacier or from the cliffs. As we climbed higher, our bodies became less responsive and it got harder to breathe. However, the view of the Alaskan mountains stretching out below us was always an incredible sight.
The final day for our descent was approaching, and the day of our last chance to reach the summit had come. We crossed the steep slope, which was frozen solid, holding on to the rope. After five or six hours, we had finally made it about one-third of the way to the summit. We were not making as much progress as we had hoped, so we decided to descend after discussing the situation. Although we were unable to reach the summit, it had certainly been the adventure of a lifetime. This was thanks to the ICU Wandervogel Club alumni in Japan and overseas.
It is my hope that the activities of the Wandervogel Club will continue, with the school and alumni looking after the club so that many more ICU students can experience adventures like this in the future.