Studying at Colorado’s High Mountain Institute

by Lola Pitman ’23, Managing Editor of The Polygon

As the wind rips through my four down puffy layers, 我蜷缩在零度以下的睡袋里, while not losing focus on the voices of my peers. 我的心是饱满的，虽然我的脚痛得悸动，我的手也干裂了. Five months ago, I was stressed and anxious. 为什么，以一个城市女孩的名义，我决定报名参加一所荒野学校?! Yeah, I had done a few canoe trips here and there; I had gone hiking (more like a nature walk) with my family. But who did I think I was, 离开了我所有的朋友和家人，和其他50名高中生一起去了科罗拉多州中部的一所学校?

It was one of the best decisions of my life.

The High Mountain Institute is similar to a college study abroad program, 而是面向美国和欧洲的高中三年级或四年级学生. As stated on the HMI website, “学生们回到家乡学校，对教育充满了热情, experienced in leadership, and more aware of the world around them.“人机交互学院的教育与保利学院截然不同. As a fall student, 我经历了三段校园教育和三次野外探险，这让我茁壮成长，挑战自我. 与老师们的深厚联系让我感到更自在, not just about academics, but also for advice in general.

HMI的学生和老师的互动远远超过传统的方式. HMI老师是背包旅行教练、跑步伙伴、午餐伙伴和导师. 在HMI工作期间，我参加了三次背包旅行. 第一次是16天的梅克山荒野之旅, 在此期间，我们小组由10名学生和3名老师组成，重点是建立露营的基础, risk management, and leadership skills. This trip began on my third day at HMI. I am not going to lie; it was terrifying. I was surrounded by strangers, hiking for miles a day, 但我很快意识到这种野外经历的独特性和价值.

Circle: Connection Under the Stars

在这次旅行中，我被介绍到一个名为“Circle”的HMI订书机.” “Circle” is an evening ritual on expeditions where, under the stars, the group gathers to learn more about their peers. 每个夜晚都以聚光灯开始:每个人有一分钟的时间讲述他们的生活故事, two minutes of round-robin popcorn questions, and then it gets serious. 每个圈子的成员都想问一个有深度的问题. 这些问题包括“你的内部和外部疤痕是什么??到“你生命中有什么困难的时刻值得你感激。?”

At the cost of sounding cheesy, these questions really did work, 让我更深入地了解同龄人和老师的生活. 随着每一次新的关注，一种更大的脆弱感也随之而来, a stronger connection, 在我们第一次探险之后，这种尊重就转移到了校园, and the intense questions didn’t end.

After a month on campus, 我加入了一个由同龄人和教练组成的新小组，在犹他州的峡谷进行我的第二次探险. 在那里，我探索了雪松梅萨峡谷的美景，并承担了更多的责任. I knew virtually nothing about reading a map. 我天真地把它看成一堆山河，而不是一条我可以徒步的路. On the second expedition, 航海成了学生的工作:寻找水源, and investigating an entirely unique ecosystem. 教官在那里只是为了确保你能在6点日落前到达营地. Thankfully, I don’t have many horror stories from this expedition, 但回到校园后，我听说有一组人走错了峡谷，在发现峡谷壁与地图不符后，他们不得不多走了6英里. 这些不幸对于最终允许在第三次也是最后一次探险中独立旅行和决策的成长至关重要.

随着学期的进展，学生被赋予了更多的自主权. With 11 other students, now friends, by my side, we earned this autonomy, 学习野外急救，获得独立旅行资格. 这使我们能够在偏远地区独自导航和生活了10天. 我们的教官在我们后面走了一个小时，每天向指定的学生领袖报到. With our wilderness training, 围绕团队目标和动态进行强有力的沟通, 我们经历了许多人没有机会成功地通过雅各布斯椅子峡谷的背包旅行, Utah, on our own.

学者们离开校园去探险时不会停下来.

将我们的探险知识融入课堂，至今仍令我震惊. 学者们离开校园去探险时不会停下来. 相反，它们是荒野体验中不可或缺的一部分. All of the classes were place-based in nature; we participated in discussions and completed assignments that connected us to Colorado, Utah, and the American West. 教师们不仅在校园里授课，还带领野外探险. As a result, 教师有机会在HMI的所有环境中指导学生:课堂, the residential setting on campus, and the backcountry. 这有助于培养我和我的同龄人与每一位老师之间的联系. They joined in on our late night circle meetings, 分享他们的经历，建立信任，这只有在相互尊重和脆弱的情况下才能实现.

高山研究所野外探险的独特之处将永远伴随着我, 引入对自然的热爱，以及与同龄人和老师的不同类型的联系，这将为我未来的人际关系提供信息. 更特别的是，我在那里的时间是有限的, 让每一次体验都被周围的群山所包围.

Note: This article was originally published in The Polygon’s February 2022 issue.