Wilderness expeditions help HMI students reach their full potential. Each semester, students participate in three extended backpacking and backcountry ski trips in the mountains of Colorado and canyons of Utah.
Our expeditions allow students to unplug from technology and the typical stresses of high school life while connecting with their peers and instructors.
Students go on 3 wilderness expeditions (10-14 days each) during their semester. Early expeditions focus on building backcountry travel, risk management, and leadership skills. As their skills progress, students are given more autonomy, and they might travel and make decisions independently on their final expedition.
Small expedition groups (8-10 students and 3-4 instructors) guarantee a powerful community and team dynamic.
First Expedition (14 days): In the Colorado Rockies, students learn the basics of backpacking, from setting up a tarp to cooking pizzas on a one-burner stove and reading a topographic map.
Second Expedition (10 days): In the canyons of southeastern Utah, students navigate through slot canyons, explore 800-year old Ancestral Puebloan ruins, and learn to work as a team in an entirely different ecosystem.
Third Expedition (10 days): Returning to the canyons of Utah, students put their Wilderness First Aid skills to the test on Independent Student Travel, exploring a new part of this wild landscape.
First Expedition (12 days): In the canyons of southeastern Utah, students learn the basics of backpacking, from purifying water to navigation skills and cooking cinnamon rolls on a one-burner stove.
Second Expedition (10 days): On telemark skis in the snowy Colorado Rockies, students build a comfortable quigloo (snow shelter), ski through fresh powder, and study the science of snow. No previous ski experience is necessary.
Third Expedition (10 days): Back in the canyons of Utah, students put their Wilderness First Aid skills to the test on Independent Student Travel, exploring a new section of this wild landscape.
