SIGEP CLIMBS MT. KILIMANJARO

When Austin Davis, Michigan ’13, set out on the adventure of a lifetime, he made sure to have one of SigEp’s symbols packed away in his gear. And when he reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro, he unfurled SigEp’s flag and displayed the Fraternity’s colors atop the highest peak in Africa.

“I’m really proud of being a SigEp,” Davis said, explaining his decision to bring the flag. “That really does put me in a fraternity of men, not just at Michigan Alpha but all across the U.S.”

While the image of SigEp’s flag atop a 19,000+ foot peak symbolizes the triumph of a Sound Body against a natural obstacle, Davis is quick to mention that the main purpose of his trip was simply to spend some memorable time with his father, James.

“This is one thing my dad has always had on his list,” he said. “Our entire family is very outdoorsy. We love to hunt, fish and go camping. My dad and his friend got together and planned what could easily be the trip of a lifetime and obviously I hopped on board. My sister decided to go as well.”

Davis’ dad boarded the plane to Tanzania with his bucket list on his mind, and his son and daughter seated around him. Another family, close friends who share ties to the University of Michigan, rounded out the party of six. Dealing with the long flight and new time zone paled in comparison to adjusting to new elevations as the pack ascended the mountain. Over five days, the group scaled approximately 15,000 feet, a tall order for recreational hikers who were admittedly short on true climbing practice.

“We’re not avid mountain climbers by any means,” Davis said. “We’ve done a lot of the mountains around Atlanta, Georgia, where we’re from. We’ve done hikes on the Appalachian Trail, but no big name mountains.” That didn’t stop the entire party from reaching the summit in the early morning hours of their fifth day.

Once he returned to Ann Arbor and reflected on his summer trip, Davis had an easy time coming up with the highlight of the adventure. “The best part was getting to see my dad have such a great time up there,” he said. “He loved being there with the family.”

Now that classes have started, Davis will be staying in shape with the rest of his Michigan Alpha brothers. “I feel like we take Sound Body very seriously,” he said. “We have a Sound Body chair who organizes workouts. He actually ran a combine, so we could gauge where we are at the beginning of the year, and then do it again in the winter and once in the spring to measure our progress.”
That commitment to athletics is how the chapter was able to win the intramural sports championship last year, which is a nice trophy to have alongside their Chapter of the Year Award for fraternities in the University of Michigan Greek community.

As far as Davis’ personal goals, he was careful when it came to picking his next one. “I’m not planning to do Everest next or anything,” he laughed. “But I would do this again in a heartbeat.”

Back to the Sound Bite >