HMI Gap Semester

When I first began thinking of things to do to occupy my time between graduating high school and starting college, going on a three-month backpacking trip did not even cross my mind. In fact, it ended up being a last-minute decision. Of all the things I could have done, never in a million years did I think being outside for an extended period of time would be an experience fit for me. Fast forward two months, I’ve come to realize accepting the challenge of participating in a program that wasn’t necessarily something I wanted to do was one of the most beneficial decisions I have ever made. Appreciating the natural spaces I occupied throughout time along with reaping the physiological and neurological benefits the environments provided changed my attitude.