Today marks ten weeks since the start of the HMI Fall Semester and we are pleased to report that we have so far not had a positive COVID-19 case on our campus. After arriving on August 17, students spent four days on campus before heading into the wilderness on their first backpacking expedition. All students were […]
A student’s account of the first two “climbing basecamps” in the Rock Climbing & Conservation Semester. Written by: Clara Mizock An excellent second expedition has come to a close. We’ve taken the next step in our climbing progression by diving headfirst into sport climbing and dipping our toes into traditional climbing. This leg of our
A student reflection of the time Wilderness & Conservation 2 spend at their basecamp near Moab, UT. Written by: Cole Norsworthy You wake up to one or two bright stars remaining in a dark blue sky. You turn over in your sleeping bag. To one side is your family. You’ve spent days that feel like
Three groups of High Mountain Institute Gap students, our largest Gap cohort ever, arrived in Leadville, CO on September 20th, 2020. Students traveled via both plane and car, and prior to the semester start we encouraged all 36 students to quarantine for two weeks and get a COVID-19 test (and negative result, of course) prior
Written by: Aden, Sedi-Anne, Declan, Perrin, & Grant Group A: The phrase, “It’s 5:45, we missed our alarm!” echoed off the canyon walls on a brisk morning as sixteen foggy eyes poked out of their sleeping bags and began to pack. The cold air of the moonlit desert was misleading as we all knew the
From Outside Magazine: College Kids Are Flocking to Outdoor Education Programs by Sara Harrison When 19-year-old Sabine Blumenthal first left college, she was in denial. Like the rest of her classmates at Haverford College in Pennsylvania, she was sent home in March as the COVID-19 pandemic began to spread across the United States. Even though she was stuck
Written by: Cate, Mia, Juliet, Maryam, and Sophia Morning Exercise (AMX): AMX kicked off at HMI last weekend, September 5th-6th with two optional runs. The students of HMI got used to the roads with some lovely runs to Beaver Ponds, the two-mile route. Then, on Monday the 7th, we started off the usual AMX schedule
Written by: KK, Ella, Geonna, Maya, & Mariema Group A, or as they called themselves, “The A Team,” led by Dylan and Amy, began their expedition through the Colorado Sawatch by passing through Twin Lakes, Colorado and arriving at Independence Pass. After a lesson on how to properly put on a 90-liter pack (which many
We were very pleased to welcome the students of Semester 45 to campus on Monday, August 17th. After four days of orientation and wilderness preparation, students departed on their 16-day First Expedition on Thursday, August 20th. Prior to the semester start, all 49 students quarantined for two weeks and received a negative COVID-19 test result.
We are pleased to announce the successful completion of our modified 2020 summer program: the HMI Summer Expedition. Summer Expedition was a success and a great learning experience for our school. Seventeen high school students participated in two two-week backpacking expeditions in our nearby Sawatch Range. By all accounts, students built character, laughed, made memories,
