College classes can be exhausting. Especially when the curriculum includes climbing a mountain.
This was the case for 10 University of Alaska Southeast students this month. From April 4-17, the Outdoor Studies Mountaineering students climbed up and skied down peaks on and around the Juneau Icefield. The group scaled the north face of Emperor Peak, which at 6,805 feet is the tallest mountain in the Taku Range. The students also climbed on Goat Mountain and Snowdrift Peak.
Assistant Professor and Program Director Forest Wagner led the expedition. Just a year ago, a brown bear attack critically injured Wagner, but he’s made a full recovery.
This mountaineering course is part of the Outdoor Studies program in the School of Arts and Sciences. The class seeks to teach risk management and environmental responsibility to students, especially in “high consequence outdoor settings,” and the high-latitude alpine and ocean environments of Southeast Alaska are ideal for teaching these topics.
Ted Hanrahan offers a fireman’s belay to students rappelling on the terminus of the Herbert Glacier on April 9, after an attempt on Goat Mountain on April 8. (Photo by Forest Wagner)
