A trek through extraordinary places

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.