High Mountain Institute

I’m so happy I chose HMI for my gap semester. It was such an amazing experience and I got to visit beautiful places with a great group of people. My group got to backpack through Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. We went through mountains, canyons, and deserts. I had never backpacked before coming to HMI and I did not feel held back at all. I now have the skills to go on personal backpacking trips because of everything I’ve learned at HMI. The instructors are very supportive and the people make the trip what it is.

Coming to HMI Gap was the best decision I have ever made! Specifically, I was a part of the Fall Traverse section. During those two and a half months, I got the opportunity to travel all throughout the Southwestern United States and hone my backpacking, rock climbing, and leadership skills. Being in the backcountry allowed me to push myself, both physically and mentally. I also met the people who became my best friends on this program. Overall, I would highly recommend the HMI Gap program to anyone who loves the outdoors, community building, and becoming the best version of themself.

Truly amazing program! I really enjoyed the backpacking, climbing and rafting trips. The community is very inclusive and the instructors are super supportive. I loved how anyone can come from anywhere and get a great education in outdoor skills and learn from the leadership, community, and environmental studies curriculums. One of the most impactful times of my life. If you're someone who isn't sure what you want to do, this program really opens up a ton of opportunities and interests. Would return for a second semester.

The places we got to see were incredible, but more important than that was the community we built. Every single person I met here taught me so much. HMI gave me the opportunity to refine my leadership skills and develop technical skills such as navigation and backcountry cooking. Some days were certainly more challenging than others, but I never felt SO challenged to the point where I could no longer continue. There was an impressive variety of landscapes, including the Sawatch mountain range in Colorado, Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, and the Grand Canyon and KOFA Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. I would enthusiastically recommend this program to anyone looking for adventure on their gap semester.

I loved this program, the people here, and the memories that I’ve made over the last 80 days. I liked how we started off in the Sawatch Mountain Range and were quickly introduced to the new lifestyle in the backcountry that we were all nervous to adapt to. With the support of our instructors and our new peers, we were able to learn and quickly master backpacking, cooking on whisper light stoves, and how to care for ourselves in the best way. The environmental studies curriculum throughout this course was informative, educational, and
extremely thought provoking. I enjoyed every lesson and hearing how my peers’ own environmental ethic developed throughout the trip. I also really enjoyed the leadership and community building lessons and learned a lot about my own leadership style and what I can do better to be a better role model for others in the future. I loved backpacking, rock climbing, canyoneering, and rafting with the 9 other people on my trip and getting to share those new experiences for me with other people who were just as excited as I was to be doing them. The bond and lasting memories that I’ve created with people at HMI are ones that I’m without a doubt going to take with me after this program is over. I learned so much about myself and am so thankful that I got to have this life changing experience that I can always look back on.