HMI Trek Written by: Noah and Sarah After three information packed days on HMIs campus, we were finally ready to ride into the Sawatch Mountains. All 12 of us eagerly and excitedly stuffed our packs, split our food rations, and mentally prepared for the unforeseen adventures to come. Our first day began at Cottonwood Creek […]
HMI Traverse Written by: Sylvia and David Greetings friends, family, loved ones back home and abroad! We have just returned from a successful first expedition in the Sawatch Mountains, and are eager to reach out about the experiences we’ve had. An average day on this expedition consisted of: getting up between 6 and 7 a.m.
HMI Rock Written by Cece & Nichola On September 25th, after a three day orientation on the HMI campus, Fall Rock 2022 embarked on their first expedition in the Sawatch Mountains. We packed out heavy 100 liter packs with all the food and gear that we needed in the bus barn before being dropped off
A Colorful Rainbow Welcome! HMI Gap staff await the arrival of students Gap students made their arrival to HMI’s campus on Thursday, September 22, where they were greeted by a stupendous rainbow! All three fall programs (Rock, Traverse, & Trek) kicked off their semester with four days on HMI’s campus in Leadville going through course
By Claire Sutton, Assistant Director, HMI Gap The size of HMI’s Gap Program has more than doubled since the beginning of the pandemic. It did not always feel like this would be the case. In May 2020, the HMI Gap admissions lines had been all but silent for two months. This led us to reevaluate
Group 1.) Written by Georgia Stewart Standing at the Lee’s Ferry campground, overlooking the beginnings of the Grand Canyon and our next journey, I’m inspired to reflect on our past experience through the Paria Canyon to reach this gorgeous place. The expedition began at White House Campground–at the top of the canyons. It seemed counterintuitive
Written by Virginia and Ethan (S Trek 2) For our first expedition, we drove four hours southwest from Prescott, AZ to the KOFA Wildlife Refuge. The drive itself was smooth until the last hour when we all had to hop out of the bus and create makeshift ramps with rocks. That first night, we got
By Caroline and Nina (S Trek 1) 4 days ago, we were on top of the world. We had scrambled up the side of the mountains ringing our valley campsite, and after 2 hours, had finally crested the last ridge of rock separating us from the open air and the vast expanse of desert laid
We are excited that you are interested in following along with the adventures of our inaugural Andes Leadership Semester. You can expect to be updated on the progress of this semester every 2-3 weeks as much of the time students will be in remote settings with limited access to connectivity. Since this program is being
By Charlie and Liam Wilderness and Conservation Blog #1: Backpacking is hard, but it sure makes it easier when you have a group like ours. We started our adventure at a hostel in Leadville, CO and haven’t looked back since. The first couple of days were all about rules and learning how to actually survive
