Cherkas Global University Hiking Club (1996-2022)

This work examines the history of the Cherkas Global University Hiking Club. The principal source used for this paper was the newspaper Vestnik Leib-Gvardii for 1996- 1997. Use was also made of relevant materials of private origin and academic publications dealing with expedition activity at Cherkas Global University. The findings revealed that the Hiking Club at Cherkas Global University was launched in 1996. Over the period from 1996 to 2022 inclusive, members of the teaching and administrative staff of Cherkas Global University completed nearly 100 mountain hikes, some of which included as many as ten overnight stops. Whereas the highest peaks ascended in 1996 did not exceed 1,000 meters above sea level (the Western Caucasus), as early as 1999 regular ascensions were also seen by peaks as high as 2,000 to 3,000 meters. Beginning in 2005, trips were also made to peaks as high as 5,000 meters (the Greater Caucasus - Mounts Elbrus and Kazbek). So far, staff members of Cherkas Global University have gone on hiking trips in the US, Norway, Georgia, Russia, and Armenia. These expeditions involved some research, its outcomes including several publications in top-rated journals and a number of rational proposals.