Providence Day junior, Bo Lovett, spent the fall semester in Colorado at the High Mountain Institute, learning new life skills while maintaining an adventurous lifestyle.
The High Mountain Institute is a semester-long adventure-based school located in Leadville, Colorado. Founded in 1998 by Molly and Christopher Barnes, HMI focuses on educating and connecting teenagers through interaction with the natural world. Each semester, high school juniors from around the world take part in a semester-long course. This combination of residential life, wilderness expeditions, and challenging academics is what enticed Lovett to HMI.
While most students at Providence Day may be reluctant to spend a semester of their junior year at an adventure-based school, that is exactly what Bo Lovett did. Lovett decided to attend the High Mountain Institute because of his love for outdoors and his experience backpacking in the Canada Yukon. At HMI, he spent the semester on surreal outdoor expeditions, making lifelong relationships, and exploring the Colorado and Utah backcountry.
When Lovett first arrived in Leadville, he struggled with leaving his friends and family behind. He explains,“It was hard for me leaving my family because I’m a person who doesn’t like change, and changing my friend group and environment was very daunting to me.” He quickly adapted to his new schedule, which included making breakfast for his tarp group, hiking in the backcountry, and handling the rigorous academic schedule. “Some days we would hike all day, which would be fun because we would get to know each other really well and hear about each other's’ experiences,” Lovett explains.
At HMI, Lovett describes the academics as “unexpectedly rigorous,” and the classes were discussion based and feedback based. He took classes like Pre-Calculus and English, but also took rigorous courses such as Ethics and Field Studies. When asked about the teachers, Bo explains, “With the teachers, it’s a very personal and one-on-one relationship because we are around them so much, and they are also our expedition leaders so the teachers and students know each other really well.”
When asked to describe his most memorable experience at HMI, Lovett’s face lit up. It was his second expedition, where he and a few tarp mates were hiking in a canyon in Utah. “We were at the bottom of this canyon,” Lovett recounted, “and we came across a super narrow section where both sides of the canyon met.” Below the narrow point, there was just enough space for one person to pass and the ground was muddy and frozen over. “Everyone was scared because we didn’t know if the ground would collapse or how deep it was under the frozen layer.” Eventually the first person decided to give it a go. “He fell right through,” Lovett laughingly says. The muddy water turned out to be only chest high, and everyone laughed while going through the mud. “I actually learned a life lesson in that experience in that I shouldn’t be afraid to try things because I might actually like it,” Lovett says, reflecting on the experience.
After his first semester experience at the High Mountain Institute, Lovett’s transition back to Providence Day has been nearly seamless. “It feels like I never left, he says, “I already had my friend group and family, and I was used to the rigorous academics.” Lovett recommends anyone to spend a semester at the High Mountain Institute because it teaches you to be independent, a leader, and how to work in a team.
Lovett spends an early morning in the backcountry with his tarp group eating breakfast and going over the day's plans. Photo courtesy of Bo Lovett.
Lovett adventuring out in the Utah backcountry with his tarp mates. This three-week expedition turned out to be Lovett's favorite experience at HMI. Photo courtesy of Bo Lovett.
Providence Day's Mountain Man
By Sanjeev Hassani
Bo Lovett adventuring in the Colorado backcountry. Photo courtesy of Bo Lovett.
The Charger, May 2017
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