Amazing Experience

The High Desert Center was a wonderful experience for me. In the weeks before leaving for HDC I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be better than I could have ever expected. I wanted a program that would allow me to spend time in nature, make friends, gain confidence, and travel. I feel like I really loved every aspect about the program. I had really unique life experiences that I feel like have allowed me to grow as a person and also have a lot of fun. I look back on the past few months and can’t believe I met these amazing people. Everyone I met was so warm and welcoming, making me feel like a part of the HDC and Paonia community from day one. As someone heading to college next year, I feel like it prepared me to live and travel on my own, increased my confidence, and taught me a lot about life. Some of my favorite highlights are seeing the constellations for the first time and practically every night there, backpacking in the West Elk, roadtripping to different towns like Patagonia and Tucson, exploring Goblin Valley in Utah, and staying with host families in Mexico. I feel like at HDC I participated in some amazing group actives each day while also having time to explore Paonia and the other places we camped in, expand my hobbies, make excellent food, and form connections with people from all over the world.

In terms of cons, I didn't include any in the review because I think there are things I could say are cons about the program; however, the negatives and positives of the program are completely dependent on the people in the group and how you decide to operate as a group and what you decide to do while you're there.