Engaging, Enriching, and Totally Epic

I came to HMI Gap with absolutely no backpacking experience and left feeling confident I could backpack by myself for weeks and love it. The community we created through the curriculum and the instructors left me laughing endlessly, even in times of struggle. It is probably the most special community I've ever been a part of. My instructors were there to push me, but also to support me whenever as well as being great friends. The expeditions were not easy--but completely rewarding and the places I hiked are some of the most beautiful places I've ever been. I really liked that an environmental studies course was also incorporated because it brought us awareness about what was going on and being said about the places we were backpacking through. In the end, this program pushed me more than I've ever been pushed, which let me leave the most confident I have ever been in myself. It might not always be Type 1 fun, but you'll look back on it as an experience of a lifetime.