A life changing and amazing experience

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.