High Mountain Institute Gap Programs

Testimonials (7)

• I chose to embark on the fall trek 2023 program. I went backpacking in Colorado mountains, Utah canyons, and Patagonian valleys. I had tons of fun getting to know my group on trail and making special moments together. We grew so much as a community and learned a lot about the environment which strengthened our connection with nature. Baking in the field has been a really cool thing to learn. During our trip in the canyons, we decided we wanted to learn how to bake delicious food. Alex one of our instructors taught me and a friend how to make cinnamon rolls! After long, intensive (but fun) work prepping the dough and baking the rolls, we bit into the delicious pastries. And they were so worth the effort and time.

  - Evelyn - November 1, 2024

• HMI challenged me and helped me grow outside of an academic setting. It helped me learn more about my self and my interests to now take into my four years of college!

  - Stella - June 11, 2024

• I learn much better in an outdoor environment. My love of learning absolutely flourished as I got excited about learning the ins and outs of the environments I was getting to live in and be a part of. For instance I was so excited about learning about the geology of the canyons and felt my curiosity about the world expand.

  - Ari - January 22, 2024

• I've come out of this experience with a matured sense of self. My time at HMI has allowed me to better my understanding of who I am, how my experiences leading up to the present have shaped me, and how I can grow into the person I want to become. My confidence in myself has grown exponentially, and I find myself with an increased ambition to seek out experiences that will force me to think differently. Learning about environmental ethics while in the backcountry allowed me to better understand the readings and curriculum, putting myself in the author's shoes.

  - Anton - December 9, 2023

• We hiked everyday and saw amazing views! I met so many people and built lifelong friendships with people here. I learned how to be apart of a healthy community and got to travel to many places! I am able to communicate in healthy ways with people around me and learned how to support myself and people around me. I had lots of time to realize what my passions were and what makes me happy.

  - Abigail - December 8, 2023

• My favorite day on the semester was my 18th birthday where we were lounging about and one of our instructors gave us the idea to dunk in Lago Verde in Patagonia and so our entire group ran into the lake holding hands.

  - Franklin - December 3, 2023

• I’m not usually a very active person, so HMI was a massive change for me. I learned I was capable of things I’d never thought I could do. I learned how I react in tough situations, and got better at i

  - Madeleine - December 1, 2023