Although the "Expedition 6178 Yuzhu Peak Team," composed of five young survivors of Typhoon Morakot and nine graduate students and led by Professor Hsieh Chih-mou of National Taiwan Sport University and sponsored by Junyue Enterprise, ultimately did not reach the summit, it was indeed a rare and valuable experience for the young people from the disaster-stricken regions. "During the climb, the team members not only developed their independence but also built leadership skills," said Hsieh Chih-mou.
On May 1, Hsieh Chih-mou selected five members from the disaster zones affected by Typhoon Morakot to begin self-training. Each day, they had to carry backpacks and hike for eight hours, run for 30 minutes, and cover five kilometers. They departed on June 26 and arrived at the 5,600-meter base camp on July 2. Unfortunately, they were hit by a snowstorm and could not reach the summit. The whole team returned safely to Taiwan on July 10.
Hsieh said that the main purpose of this 15-day adventure learning program on Yuzhu Peak was to help the children from the disaster areas overcome their trauma, bring the lessons of growth back to their hometowns, and share the spirit of perseverance. They also aimed to apply the leadership skills they learned to give back to their communities.
Kai-ling, a team member from Liouguei Township, said, "Climbing is really exhausting. Even though we didn’t reach the summit, we gave it our all!" Since they couldn’t shower during the climb, when she finally turned on the tap at her hotel in Golmud, Kai-ling was overwhelmed with emotion. “Thank God, I feel so happy. From now on, I’ll cherish everything around me even more.”
Yuzhu Peak stands at an elevation of 6,178 meters. Everyone had to endure discomforts such as headaches and nausea in the thin air. When symptoms of altitude sickness persisted without improvement, the best treatment was to descend to a lower altitude—also signaling the end of the climbing journey.
With nearly 30 years of mountaineering experience, Hsieh Chih-mou said that sending patients down the mountain always felt heartbreaking. But if he had shown weakness and kept them on the mountain, it would have been even more dangerous. Although it was difficult, it was a decision that had to be made.
Zheng-xiong, a young man from Namasia Township—which was severely affected by Typhoon Morakot—remarked with emotion that seeing the sudden weather changes and flooding on the Qinghai-Tibet Highway reminded him so much of his hometown. “At that moment, I really missed home!”