HMI Trek The sun rises over Rifle Gap, and it’s time for trek to once again ride. After a quick birthday celebration for our very own Noah (which will end up spanning 3 days and many many cakes) we hopped in the “Big Momma” bus and headed West. After a 6 hour bus ride with […]
HMI Trek Writtten by Kiran and Bernadette: It’s Kiran and Bernadette! After our transition days following the Sawatch expedition we had the skills and knowledge to craft our own 8 day ration for the next portion of our semester in Rifle Gap State Park. Our adventure began in a bus headed West. Driving along the
HMI Rock Written by Caitlin and Ellie Hi, it’s Caitlin and Ellie! Coming out of an intense transition in Leadville, where Nichola baked us bread, we packed the trailer and drove to Rifle to food shop. We started our time in Rifle reviewing top rope climbing skills, then progressed to mock lead climbing at the
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
I am writing this just as the stars peek out and the 12 of us get ready for our last night spent in Chile. The anticipation of going home alongside the memories of the past three months are bubbling up in the Coyhaique hostel tonight. We’ve been recounting moments of laughter and struggle, and thanking
Rosa and Amelia are here to talk about our last expedition together. As a culmination of everything we’ve learned about living in the backcountry this semester, the students worked together to plan one final trek, led by our fearless Student Expedition Leaders, Nora and Sophia. This expedition was an opportunity for the nine of us
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
