HMI Gap Semesters: Adventure, Conservation & Leadership in Wild Places

Truly amazing program! I really enjoyed the backpacking, climbing and rafting trips. The community is very inclusive and the instructors are super supportive. I loved how anyone can come from anywhere and get a great education in outdoor skills and learn from the leadership, community, and environmental studies curriculums. One of the most impactful times of my life. If you're someone who isn't sure what you want to do, this program really opens up a ton of opportunities and interests. Would return for a second semester.

The places we got to see were incredible, but more important than that was the community we built. Every single person I met here taught me so much. HMI gave me the opportunity to refine my leadership skills and develop technical skills such as navigation and backcountry cooking. Some days were certainly more challenging than others, but I never felt SO challenged to the point where I could no longer continue. There was an impressive variety of landscapes, including the Sawatch mountain range in Colorado, Bears Ears National Monument in Utah, and the Grand Canyon and KOFA Wildlife Refuge in Arizona. I would enthusiastically recommend this program to anyone looking for adventure on their gap semester.

I loved this program, the people here, and the memories that I’ve made over the last 80 days. I liked how we started off in the Sawatch Mountain Range and were quickly introduced to the new lifestyle in the backcountry that we were all nervous to adapt to. With the support of our instructors and our new peers, we were able to learn and quickly master backpacking, cooking on whisper light stoves, and how to care for ourselves in the best way. The environmental studies curriculum throughout this course was informative, educational, and
extremely thought provoking. I enjoyed every lesson and hearing how my peers’ own environmental ethic developed throughout the trip. I also really enjoyed the leadership and community building lessons and learned a lot about my own leadership style and what I can do better to be a better role model for others in the future. I loved backpacking, rock climbing, canyoneering, and rafting with the 9 other people on my trip and getting to share those new experiences for me with other people who were just as excited as I was to be doing them. The bond and lasting memories that I’ve created with people at HMI are ones that I’m without a doubt going to take with me after this program is over. I learned so much about myself and am so thankful that I got to have this life changing experience that I can always look back on.

I chose HMI because I knew I loved adventuring in the outdoors, and I wanted an outdoor experience that I was confident would help me with backcountry as well as interpersonal skills. I ended up having the time of my life. I climbed one of the tallest mountains in the continental US, I rock-climbed in canyons, and I slept on a raft floating down the Grand Canyon. I also made great friends, had great discussions that stemmed from a well-developed Environmental Studies curriculum. Highly recommend!

Doing HMI gap was the best decision I could’ve done for myself, both for my mental health and self growth. I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone and learn more about my identity, sense of self, and who I want to become. I’ve become more interested in the world and people around me. I’ve also learned to appreciate myself and those around me more. HMI has profoundly changed me, and I couldn’t recommend it enough. The environmental studies curriculum was engaging and the skills I’ve learned—both technical and emotional—are irreplaceable.

Coming into HMI, I had no idea what to expect. I’d never rock climbed, spent a night in a tent or cooked for other people. I was also a bit nervous because I’d already done three years of college, and I knew most of the other students would be younger. But the experience was everything I could have asked for and more. We built an incredibly close community, got to experience so many amazing places and just had so much fun. I’d never laughed more in my life than I did over the 80 days in the program. I learned so much about functioning well in the outdoors and rock climbing. For those looking to develop their rock climbing skills, this is the program for you. We climbed in many top climbing destinations and were able to accommodate a wide range of skill levels. But overall, the highlight of the program for me was definitely the people. A big focus of the program is building a strong community, and we spent at least an hour each night talking about highlights and lowlights of the day and sharing our appreciation for others, among other things. I left the semester feeling quite sad to leave the group I’d developed a deep attachment to, but extremely proud of all the personal and community growth that had occurred during the semester.

My experience at HMI gap was incredible. I made the decision to go because I couldn’t make my mind up about college, and it was the perfect choice. I got to explore my limits in a safe supportive environment and learn all the skills to launch my own personal climbing journey after the program. I learned so much about the ethics of dealing with all of the land in the American west while living on that soil. I met some of the best people I know, and I felt it was one of the best learning and growing environments I’ve experienced, I would definitely recommend to anyone who’s looking for an adventure.

I came to F-Rock having done only a minscule amount of top roping, and I didn’t even know that lead climbing existed (I thought there was only top roping or free soloing). I was met with an amazingly supportive community of 9 likeminded peers, where we were thrown straight into the fire on a 8 day backpacking trip in the Sawatch Mountains. While the hiking and the heavy packs challenged us all, I felt very well equipped by the Instructional team, between learning how to pack my pack, plan our meals, and stormproof our stuff. After the backpacking, we embarked on a tour of some of the most iconic and world class climbing areas in North America. Limestone sport climbing in Rifle, huge walls of sandstone and crack climbing in Indian Creek, Mixed climbing around Moab, a trip south to the Cochise stronghold to learn how to multi pitch, and then a mostly student led expedition to St. George Utah. I went from knowing nearly nothing about climbing to understanding how to safely climb in many different situations, how to read guidebooks and use the internet to find climbs, and how to evaluate fixed protection to keep yourself safe. By the end of the program I had become confident leading sport climbs, multipitching, and even leading trad climbs. There was excellent mentor shop from both the more experienced students and the instructional team. I feel like this program has equipped me so well to continue climbing in my personal life, and has helped me learn other life skills, like how to shop on a budget, coexist with different people, and lead my peers effectively. I cannot give it enough praise, if you have any interest in climbing and/or seeing the American Southwest do yourself a favor and choose this program.