My time at High Mountain Institute was truly amazing. I learned how to be a successful, confident leader through various leadership opportunities. Each day we had a “leader of the day” who would communicate with our instructor team to create a plan for the day. This taught me how to make decisions with input from a large group, and schedule my day. I also learned how to climb in various areas with different styles and pieces of protection. We saw incredible landscapes, hiked so many miles, and made friendships that will last a lifetime!

Having had an older sister who enrolled in an HMI Gap Semester four years prior to my doing so, I thought I had a relatively strong idea of what I was walking myself into upon arriving at the Denver International Airport. In some ways, my presumptions held true: I learned a lot about living in the outdoors, and far, far more about myself in the process. However, the ways in which I’ve grown from doing HMI feel distinct from the ways in which my sister grew from doing it — and they certainly feel different from the ways in which other kids on my own program have grown, too. I think one of the most beautiful things about an experience like HMI is that, on one hand, each group gets to reap the benefits of bonding to each other and to past groups through some sort of shared experience, and yet, each individual who passes through it will have an experience that’s still special to themselves. What I’d tell someone applying to HMI is this: you may be enticed by this experience because you think it will help you grow, and you’re almost certainly correct in that assumption. But you may end up growing in a lot of ways you didn’t expect to, especially if you free yourself of your preconceived notions about changed that SHOULD occur. Just sign up, pack your things, and let some HMI magic happen to you. You won’t regret it!

Here are the 5 most valuable things I’ve learned here:
1. One of the scariest and most exciting parts of adulting is having experiences that no one from home will be able to understand.
2. However much effort and passion you put into a community, you will get back out of that community- and even more importantly it will help you realize the impact that community has had on you.
3. There is great beauty and power in silence. Being away from internet access, social media, and music has been one of the most eye-opening experiences.
4. Being scared or fearful of something is all the more reason to accomplish it (or at least try to).
5. Achieving your own goals is incredibly rewarding, but even more so, celebrating each others accomplishments is even more fulfilling.

I chose HMI Gap initially because I had already done HMI’s Summer Term as a high school student and had a fantastic experience that left me wanting even more. Ultimately, 80 days on HMI’s Gap Trek program ended up being some of the best 80 days of my life. Starting in my beloved home state of Colorado and then spending extensive time in the amazing, wild landscapes of southeastern Utah and Chilean Patagonia, our time backpacking was beyond wonderful. I got to see lots of beautiful places; learn valuable skills in both backcountry living and also leadership and social interactions; get to know a fantastic group of peers and excellent instructors deeply in the extensive time spent living and traveling with them; got to deeply appreciate the value of time spent in nature away from technology while also learning and discussing how to give back to nature in turn; and so much more that is deeply intangible and special. I would recommend this program highly to anyone even remotely interested in any or all of those aspects. It made for a really memorable and brilliant part of my gap year.

HMI was one of the most challenging and rewarding things I’ve ever done. I learned plenty of hard skills and challenged myself physically, but also learned leadership, self advocacy, and communication skills and got to practice them in a safe environment. I saw the most incredible places I could imagine and came away from the course proud and with some new friends. This course pushed me beyond what I thought I was capable of and forced me to grow in ways I didn’t expect but am very grateful for.

I believe the Rock Gap Semester program with the High Mountain Institute is a perfect program for someone looking to take a rock climbing focused gap program. Throughout the program there is so much exposure to different kinds of climbing as you can boulder, sport climb, trad climb, and go multipitch climbing. I think the program does a great job of giving the students the freedom to climb and push themselves in ways that no other program that I have personally seen gives you. There is also so much novelty with the areas and climbing as you visit Colorado, Utah, & Chilean Patagonia.

If you want to learn some basic hard skills (how to pack a pack, plan a ration, set up a tent) while also learning soft skills (giving and receiving feedback, how to be a good leader, how to manage conflict), then this program is for you. We talked a lot about how this program compared to NOLS, and I feel like this was more chill in a good way. The instructors were great and ready to help anyone having a tough time. Sometimes the safety procedures felt stifling, but we gained more independence as the program progressed.

I enjoyed my time at the High Mountain Institute for the first half of my gap year. As someone with minimal exposure to the wilderness, I came to the High Mountain Institute with the intention of pushing and challenging myself. I did exactly this while cultivating an appreciation for the outdoors I hope to bring back home to friends and family. Each day featured structure and routine ensuring we were busy while still leaving adequate time for relaxation and entertainment. Thanks to HMI, I’ve seen breathtaking views and developed a new hobby, rock climbing.