Fall 2013 HMI Newsletter - High Mountain Institute

HIGH
MOUNTAIN
INSTITUTE
where nature
& minds meet
FALL 2013
What does HMI
Mean to You?
page 3
Alumni Profile:
Honest Food
From HMI to La Saison
page 12
Our Own
Adventures
page 14
1
Part of the
gift that HMI
has given each
of us is the
permission to
take lightly the
things we also
need to do well.
inside this
issue
ON THE COVER: Semester XXXI,
2nd Expedition, Sawatch Range
Above: Sawyer Frisbie, Semester XXXI,
2nd Expedition, Sawatch Range
2 | HMI Fall 2013
3 What Does HMI Mean to You?
5 Alumni Summit Challenge
6 Visiting Teacher Exchange
8 Family Fun Nights at HMI
10 Coffee in the Backcountry
12 Honest Food:
From HMI to La Saison
14 Our Own Adventures
16
18
20
22
Phases of the Moon
Shaping a Sacred Space
HMI 15-Year Anniversary
Alumni News
What Does HMI Mean to You?
By Danny O'Brien, Acting Head of School
I
am glad to be home at the High Mountain Institute. Current students often ask me about my favorite memories from my
first stint on County Road 5A. I have lots of them, of course. I don’t think I’ve yet mentioned, for example, the large bull
that visited our tarp on BLM land in RMS XIV. I haven’t told students about the Upper School Director who asked me what
had happened to his student who had recently returned from a Semester in Leadville. This principal couldn’t believe that the
quiet and timid adolescent who he had sent to HMI was now making powerful announcements in all-school assemblies and
receiving praise from classroom teachers for his participation.
As I tell our current students about
HMI’s past, I find myself eagerly
awaiting the opportunity to boast
about Semester XXXI’s exploits
sometime in the future. The stories
that HMI students eagerly devour help
link the chain of HMI’s history. Even
if students from different Semesters
never meet, these tales bond those
who occupy the same cabins and
classrooms.
Our spectacular Anniversary in June
did my anecdotes one better—
I connected with students and faculty
that made up Semesters before my
arrival in 2004 and during my time
away. I learned over the weekend how
sad I am I did not get to know these
people at HMI (I am working on that
now—please come to one of our
alumni reunions this year!). However, I
also felt part of a kinship that extends
beyond one Semester or point in time.
At the reunion, I was honored to speak
about what being a lifelong part of
the HMI community meant to me. The
most gratifying part of the experience
was the reception the talk received:
many of the 360 alumni and friends
who attended the reunion told me
later that they feel similarly about their
experiences at HMI.
I’ve included excerpts of the speech
so you can read what I think it
means to be a graduate of the High
Mountain Institute. It’s an attempt to
lay out what we all share in common.
But I’d like to hear what you think
too—please email me (dobrien@
hminet.org) with your understanding
of what it means to be part of the
HMI community. I’d love to hear from
you. We’ll publish your responses in
our next newsletter. Now, here are my
words, taken from my contribution to
HMI’s June Anniversary:
…continued on page 4
The stories that HMI students eagerly devour help link
the chain of HMI’s history. Even if students from different
Semesters never meet, these tales bond those who occupy
the same cabins and classrooms.
3
…continued from page 3
Leading expeditions while working for
HMI is some of the most stressful
work I have ever done. Even for a
confirmed extrovert like me, two weeks
of analyst/architecting, spontaneously
motivating, relationship mastering, and
driving was exhausting. On top of this, I
had to remember to stay warm and dry,
bomb proof, navigate by squiggly lines,
be on time, not burn bagels, and to
give feedback in the SBI format.
When I was promoting HMI to
prospective students around the
country, I used to promise applicants
that they would learn more than they
thought possible while at HMI—but
that they would also laugh so hard that
they would forget they were learning.
The best part of that line was how true
it was. When I think about our trip to
Jacob’s Chair in RMS XIV, I remember
playing hours of Animal Kingdom (and
finally, finally—on the last night of the
When you step back a minute
an entire Semester looked an
awful lot like an expedition.
I could go on forever, of course. I’d stop
whatever I was doing to watch Dave
Lembke summit something new in RMS
XVII. I’d make students drop again and
again into the same slot canyon so
Michael Gregory could get his perfect
movie sequence in RMS XXII. I’d admire
Sam Critchlow and Karl Remsen for
making math fun with potato guns and
solar cookers, and I’d be amazed once
again by how convincingly Matt Turnbull
could turn himself into a Pilgrim to
teach about the American colonies.
On expeditions, we taught the
concept of “expedition behavior,”
known as “EB” for short. You exhibit
ideal EB when your actions promote
the strength and success of the
community. You can imagine this is
a pretty transferable skill. In fact, I
remember explaining to students that
they had to know this about EB: “EB
isn’t just about the way to act on an
expedition. EB is life.”
On expeditions, I often shared a
reading with students. Part of it goes
like this:
And it wasn’t just expeditions. When
you step back a minute an entire
Semester looked an awful lot like an
expedition. Life could be consumed by
AMX, cook crews, activities, community
meetings, and drives to Dr. Lisa’s
office. Add the fact that I had to teach
three history classes—there wasn’t
much time in the days for anything else
but HMI.
trip—getting to be the lion for a few
glorious minutes) more than I think
about the stress of three days of
drenching rain.
But it was also so much fun—and I
would do it all again in a heartbeat. We
got to laugh, to celebrate, and to honor
each other for stretching ourselves and
for jobs well done.
would accidently tumble into the moat
on their way to that night’s circle? And
who was I not to laugh at it?
4 | HMI Fall 2013
And while I haven’t forgotten my frozen
feet on the winter expeditions in RMS
XIV and XVI, I also remember the moat
I built around my quinzee to stay warm
and how I forgot to warn kids about it.
Who knew that each of my students
If I had my life to live over, I would try
to make more mistakes. I would relax.
I would be sillier than I have been this
trip. I know of very few things that I
would take seriously. I would be less
hygienic. I would go more places. I would
eat more ice cream and less beans.
Part of the gift that HMI has given each
of us is the permission to take lightly
the things we also need to do well.
Remember, we have to keep up our EB,
so no shortcuts. But we also can brush
our teeth and eat our beans while
being as silly as we want to be. I feel
this is a lesson most out there never
learn, and it makes us HMI’ers better
friends, partners, spouses, parents,
and contributors to the communities
we choose.
Alumni
Summit
Challenge
“Your Semester, Every Semester”
The 2013 Alumni Summit Challenge is officially underway! Your participation in this year’s
challenge is a great way to honor your Semester or Summer Term, your classmates, and your
time at HMI. It is also your chance to support HMI, and every Semester or Summer Term to
come. We hope you will join us again as we celebrate the magic of HMI’s first 15 years, and
help ensure the future of the next 15!
To participate in the Challenge, please visit hminet.org/giving/webforms/donate!
5
Visiting Teacher
Exchange
By Ben Dougherty, Assistant Head of School
H
MI piloted our visiting teacher
exchange last spring when
Jessica Watkin, Master
Mathematics educator from Miss
Porter’s School in Connecticut,
spent three days at HMI working
closely with our math department.
She and our two math teachers
reviewed curriculum design, engaged
in discussions of pedagogy and
best practices in math education,
and she observed classes and
provided feedback while also
engaging fully in the HMI student
experience during her stay. After her
experience, Ms. Watkin reflected:
In the three days I spent at HMI, I was
awed by the beauty of the environment,
moved by the simplicity of the daily
In my role at HMI, I have the
opportunity to travel to different parts
of the country and visit our sending
schools as I join the admissions team
in our effort to tell more students
and families about HMI. I get to visit
lots of schools and meet dedicated
and talented faculty and staff. Each
school has its own culture and its
own pulse. As I enter my fourth year
here, I have been thinking increasingly
about how we can partner with our
sending schools to better support
our students and to enhance and
broaden a professional learning
community that transcends the walls
routine and the students' loyalty to the
program, and impressed with what I
saw in the math classrooms. What a
of any one school. Building even more
collaborative partnerships with schools
and educators from around the country
]
Building even more collaborative partnerships
with schools and educators from around the
country from our varied sending schools will
benefit our students, our faculty and our schools.
treat as an educator to spend three
days watching other educators practice
our craft, to engage in conversations
about the teaching and learning of
mathematics, and to eat plenty of good
food! I flew home to Connecticut with
many things to think about and many
ideas to enrich my own teaching. I also
found myself in an unexpected role
to my girls who have returned from
HMI forever changed and who are
6 | HMI Fall 2013
desperate for someone to listen and
nod and understand a bit about the
place they love so much.
from our varied sending schools
benefits our students, our faculty
and our schools.
]
I hope to coordinate more
opportunities for HMI faculty to visit
our sending schools, to observe
classes and school culture, to
meet with departments to discuss
curriculum and educational theory, and
to engage in the school communities
intimately. Similarly, I would like to
invite more master teachers from
our sending schools, particularly in
the subject areas of math, science,
English, history, ethics and Spanish,
to visit HMI and to work alongside our
teachers on curriculum development,
classroom observation, discussions
of pedagogy and best practices,
and to observe HMI and the student
experience. In addition to the practical
professional development opportunity
afforded to both our faculty and those
of our sending schools by developing
such a partnership, the first-hand
experience and awareness of what
students experience both at HMI and
in their sending schools is invaluable
in creating advocates to support our
students and alumni with transitions
to and from HMI.
The High Mountain Institute attracts
talented and ambitious educators
who invest themselves in developing
innovative and rigorous curriculum and
pedagogy while also fully embracing
all three legs of the HMI stool—
academics, wilderness, and a small,
intentional community. These gifted
educators are often early career
teachers and due to the small size of
our school, most work independently
within their discipline and therefore
have no department to co-develop
their curriculum and their craft
beside. The opportunity to develop a
network of peer educators, to share
their passions and experiences and
to learn from and beside master
educators inspires and challenges
all participants.
If you would like to discuss this
opportunity further please contact
me at bdougherty@hminet.org.
Excellent educators are always hungry for constructive, honest
feedback that will inform their teaching… but it is such a
challenge in busy schools to carve out from the daily routine
the right amount of time and the right kind of structure to
make that happen. That leaves beginning teachers starved for
feedback and mid-career teachers left without the opportunity
to hone their skills of observation and critique. By establishing
this program in March, HMI has found a way to enrich the
learning opportunities for their faculty as well as their students,
to deepen their partnerships with sending schools, and to
share the unique culture and community of HMI with other
educators from around the country.
—Jessica Watkin, Mathmatics Faculty, Miss Porter's School
7
n
u
F
>
Family Nights at HMI
By Carrie Mallozzi, Apprentice Program Coordinator
I
n the past few years there have
been several new faces in the HMI
community. I am not referring to the
new students that arrive every August and
January each Semester or the 20 plus
Summer Term students or even the new
faculty and apprentice faces. I am instead
speaking of the babies and now young
children that have become part of the
fabric of HMI. Many alumni will remember
Jack and Porter Barnes gracing the halls
and woods of HMI and delivering treats to
students on project day. For most of HMI’s
history they were the only faculty and staff
children until the arrival of Annie McFee in
2008 (daughter of former staff and now
HMI Trustee, Kate Bartlett). Since then,
eight more young ones have been added to
the ranks ranging from 13 months to five
years with another arrival expected by the
time this newsletter comes out.
HMI students have always loved having
dogs on campus (Zuby, Elphie, Siena) and
now they have the chance to interact with
children as well. Some students have
much younger siblings, babysit, or live on
campuses where faculty children abound.
You can tell immediately how much our
students adore young children by the
swarm surrounding our young visitors
before they can get through the front
door of the Barnes Building.
Several families have decided to capitalize
on this love and attention by attending
meals on campus and weekend events.
Walk into the climbing hall on a Tuesday
night at 5:30 and you can usually find 4-6
kids romping on the climbing mats with
a dozen students before dinner. During
dinner you’ll see high chairs, and teenagers
helping toddlers to eat all of their dinner.
8 | HMI Fall 2013
ved
HMI students have always lo
y,
having dogs on campus (Zub
have
Elphie, Siena) and now they
the chance to interact with
children as well.
These family dinners bring a sense
of community that goes beyond the
classroom and field and allows students
to learn more about the lives of faculty
and staff, and the adults and families
that influence their lives while at HMI. It
also provides a valuable experience for
our children to interact with teenagers
and see where their moms or dads
spend their days.
Recently I took my daughter Hattie on
the train with the “big kids” and not
only did she adore all the attention, the
students were equally excited to interact
with a two and a half year old. She now
insists that we drive by the train on the
way home from day care every day and
points out the bumpy tracks, the red
train, and says, “Momma, I rode train
with big kids.”
As HMI grows older so too will the
children of the faculty and staff. It is
unlikely that many of us will still be
living and working at HMI when our
children are old enough to attend,
but I sincerely hope that Hattie and
her soon-to-be little brother have
the opportunity to understand this
place that has been so special to
both their mother and father (Cooper
Mallozzi, former faculty RMS XI-XX).
In addition to the nine current faculty
and staff children, there are and will
continue to be alumni children added
to the HMI community. We may be
more than 10 years away from having
the first faculty/staff or legacy child
attend HMI (or 5 years if Porter Barnes
decides to attend) and there may be
many changes to the school in that
time (more cabins, new technology,
different faces), but I have no doubt
that the mission and values of HMI
will continue to create meaningful
experiences for kids of every age.
9
Coffee in the Backcountry
By Justin Talbot, Director of Wilderness Programs & Risk Management
H
ot drinks are a staple of
HMI backcountry living and
for many instructors (and
some students) making and drinking
coffee is the pinnacle of the hot
drink experience. On expeditions
coffee is almost always sipped from
the ubiquitous HMI 16 ounce “baby
Nalgene” which fits easily into a jacket
pocket to warm the drinker’s hands as
it cools to a drinkable temperature.
Many instructors get very attached to
the ritual of making coffee and have
perfected their coffee making systems
over the course of weeks spent in the
backcountry.
Just remember, coffee is light so don’t
skimp when calculating the amount you
are going to bring on your trip. Chances
are that your friends who say they
won’t want any coffee will change their
mind when they see how happy you
are. They’ll want “just half a cup,”
so figure out how much coffee you want
to bring and then double it. Next thing
you know your friends will want coffee
every morning---but that’s perfect,
you’ve got extra!
Here are a few of the favorite methods
for making this simple yet rewarding
backcountry treat.
French Press
The one liter French press is an
instructor favorite. The field version of
the French press is typically plastic and
weighs about half a pound. It can fill up
two hearty coffee drinkers and is easy
to clean (unless you let the grounds
sit and freeze). Some people like to
use an insulated mug/French press
system, with the most popular made
by Big Sky Bistro. Insulated French
presses are a great option for winter
trips where you can simply add the
heavy press to your sled.
Cowboy Coffee
When choosing how to grind your
coffee, choose the finest setting
on the grinding machine. Add a few
tablespoons to a mug or small water
bottle, pour in some hot water and let
sit for ten minutes so that the grounds
can settle in the bottom of your vessel.
This method takes some patience,
as drinking too early will lead to a
mouthful of coffee grounds. Cowboy
coffee is one of the best lightweight
and inexpensive options, since you
don’t need to carry anything more
than coffee!
Coffee Sock
Christopher Barnes’s preferred coffee
brewing method in the backcountry.
He has literally made hundreds of
gallons of coffee for himself and his
co-instructors using a coffee sock.
Many instructors have received a
piping hot Nalgene of coffee from
Christopher before getting out of their
sleeping bag. The coffee sock is a
simple porous fabric bag that you
put about a quarter cup of coffee in
and pour hot water through. Google
“coffee sock” for more information
and places to buy one.
Starbucks Via
Simple, but expensive. Via is a blend
of dried coffee concentrate and super
fine coffee grounds which results in a
powder mixture that easily dissolves
in hot water. One serving is good for
eight ounces, so if you want the typical
16 ounces serving bring two packets
per day. Via is one of the best Leave
No Trace options for coffee drinkers as
you don’t need to pack out grounds or
find an appropriate place to disperse
them. Via is also the most popular
winter option for HMI instructors.
Coldbrew Concentrate
For shorter trips coldbrew coffee
concentrate is a good option. To make
the concentrate let a pound of coffee
sit in about two liters of cold water for
24 hours. The resulting liquid is then
passed through a dense filter leaving
a coffee concentrate. A third of a cup
of the liquid concentrate mixed with a
mug of boiling water makes a perfect
cup of coffee. The concentrate can be
stored in an extra water bottle for use
during your camping trip or frozen into
cubes for easy use in the winter.
Life in the backcountry is structured
by numerous yet deliberate systems
which bring us order and efficiency
while we’re away from home. No
matter which method you choose,
making coffee in the backcountry
is one of these systems that
merges front-country life with
backcountry life and brings comfort
and style to our time in the field.
HMI Faculty & Staff share their delivery
system of choice and why drinking coffee in
the backcountry is so great
Ben
Was Press, now Cowboy (getting tougher)
It’s all about camping in style!
LibbeyCowboy
Drinking coffee is a great time to be social and solve
the worlds problems.
Peter
Cowboy / Insulated Press in the winter
Life is good, why not make it better?
TomVia
A great way to jumpstart the day.
Cam
Instant Coffee
I’m not picky.
WhitneyCowboy
How could you not love coffee?
Eliza O
Via
It makes me a better wilderness instructor.
Laura
French Press
Warm, delicious, a good morning ritual.
JustinCowboy
Good views and good coffee, perfect!
Rob
Coffee Sock
Wakes me up for another day of work in the mountains.
11
d
o
o
F
t
s
e
n
o
H
From HMI to La Saison
By Natalie Felice Niksa, RMS IV
12 | HMI Fall 2013
HMI’s program is balanced. No matter
what style of learning one requires,
HMI’s curriculum offers a hands-on
approach which encourages students
to grow and be engaged—whether it is
in the classroom, the backcountry, or
life on campus. I found my niche in the
kitchen at HMI, both crafting meals on
campus for the whole community and
with my tarp group during expeditions.
Although the ‘menus’ we created in the
backcountry never tasted quite as good
on campus, the excitement, shared
enjoyment, and overall happiness
received through cooking and sharing
food sparked a passion that I followed.
In 2001, one year after my HMI
experience, I attended The Culinary
Institute of America (CIA) in Hyde
Park, New York. My journey at the CIA
included 36 months of immersing
my hands, heart, and senses into
a craft established by culture, land,
{
and the ability to express and
share a simple natural pleasure
needed by all—honest food!
HMI's challenges helped me realize my
passion for cooking. The curriculum,
terrain, and weather all required strong
will, daily effort, and an attitude that
could not accept defeat. At HMI, I
learned the value of working with a
team. Whether it was making brownies
without butter, eggs, or an oven, or
sharing that last morsel of a yogurt
covered pretzel, I discovered that food
feeds our spirits, uplifts our attitudes,
and communicates without words
during the most triumphant and fragile
of times. No matter how difficult the
day—whether it was cold hands, tired
feet, or sunburnt lips—the nourishment
received from food and the communion
of sharing meals together united us as
a team, ultimately pushing us to reach
the next base camp.
My husband and I started our company,
La Saison, a specialty foods and
custom events group based in Napa
Valley, California in 2007. Feeding
people is our life. Although it is
difficult to slow down in an industry
that constantly demands the new
trend, it is necessary so that I don't
forget where I have been, what I
have accomplished and who I have
helped along the way. I thank HMI
for introducing me to a new platform
for success, and helping me find my
place in this vast world of possibility.
At HMI, I learned the value of working with a team. Whether it was making
brownies without butter, eggs, or an oven, or sharing that last morsel of a yogurt
covered pretzel, I discovered that food feeds our spirits, uplifts our attitudes, and
communicates without words during the most triumphant and fragile of times.
{
I
remember a distinct moment while
in Leadville, Colorado where time
stopped. The snow was falling,
and I was in Who’s Hall printing my
final paper for History. The moment
was still, beautiful, and full. Something
happened in this moment—I felt
accomplished. While printing my final
paper, I reflected on my moments of
endured challenges, tiredness, and the
emotions of fulfillment, all experienced
within the last four months. At times,
I felt nothing existed except the
present moment.
13
Our Own
Adventures
By Matt Turnbull, History Faculty
errands with the non-existent air
conditioning in Ryan's weathered
Subaru. The 95-degree heat of a hard
western summer foreshadowed a
potentially arduous road trip beneath
determined suns. To make matters
worse, the passenger-side window
only descended via the driver-side
control, which resulted in frequent
requests to "Lower! Lower!" when
gaseous emissions of the human
variety mandated a little extra airflow. I
reminded myself that we do not do the
best things because they are easy and
a little suffering is good for the spirit.
A
lthough I like to claim I work
throughout the year (reading
history books, writing college
letters, etc.), one of the perks of
teaching is that there really is a lot of
time for adventuring to be done in June
and July. This past summer I embarked
on a canoe trip with Ryan Johnson, an
old college friend and 2011 Summer
Term Science Faculty. We ventured
north to Canada for an eight-day
paddling trip that culminated in Great
Slave Lake, the fifth largest and
number one deepest freshwater lake
in North America. After sporadically
planning the trip since January, we
reveled in the perpetual dusk of July
nights at the 62nd parallel.
We left Spokane, Washington
following two days of sweating through
14 | HMI Fall 2013
We could have chosen a variety of
closer waters and spent less time in
the car, but the isolation of the chain
of lakes that would carry us to the
immensity of Slave Lake tugged us far
north. The road trip, it turned out, was
excellent. Slate gray skies moderated
temperatures across the beautifully
sweeping landscape. We traversed the
Rocky Mountains in Alberta and flew
past hours of golden canola fields.
Farther on, the blooming plants ceded
to the scrubby aspens, birch, and
evergreens of the taiga forest in the
Northwest Territories.
Two and a half days of determined
driving brought us to Yellowknife, the
capital of the Northwest Territories
on the north arm of Slave Lake. We
caught a ride up the Ingraham Trail,
literally the end of the summer road,
and dipped our paddles in Tibbit Lake.
We meandered through pristine waters
in a flattened, stubby landscape, eerily
barren from a recent fire. The burned
out trees belied traditional notions
of scenic beauty, but provided fine
homes for wildlife; within an hour we
spotted a moose and her calf on the
shore. Later from camp we watched
two bald eagles patrol the skies above
their massive nest, which was perched
like a turret on the highest gnarled
tree in the neighborhood.
An assortment of terns, gulls, eagles,
hawks, and loons kept us company
in the marked dearth of human
companions. Disembarking at a small
island for lunch, we got up close
and personal with a loon when she
exploded from the water next to our
canoe. We had inadvertently sidled up
to a nest and the bird was none too
happy. Her chick, plumy and brown
with youth, skittered across the rock
to seek shelter, while the mother
chortled maniacally, beat her wings
at full breadth, and thrust her snowy
chest out of the water. Her agitation
was profound and provoked our hasty
retreat. We clambered back into the
canoe and shoved off, less intimidated
than impressed by the vigor of the
loon's defense. After a last glance
into her blood red eyes, we paddled
on.
More numerous and less haunting
than the loons, the gulls and terns
exhibited a no less persistent
paranoia of intruders, dive-bombing
the canoe when we neared their rocky
roosts. Though they inevitably pulled
up before colliding with our heads, my
ds, the
If you are going to the beach, the woo
it, roll
swamps, or the wilderness, really get into
will
in it, and get rid of all the protection that
re you
separate you from fully appreciating whe
d, and
are. Become alive, not removed and insulate
teach your children to do the same.
Survival for Children
— Tom Brown, Field Guide to Nature and
great fear was that, as I craned my neck
to admire the magnificence of natural
flight, a winged trooper would lighten
its load and land a well-directed fecal
attack.
The threats of thrashing loons and
screeching gulls paled in comparison
to the specter of desanguination by the
squadrons of mosquitos that hounded
us on swampy portage trails. Clad in rain
jackets and head nets, we trudged gear
and boat through dense forests a few
times each day. The arched cave of the
canoe on our shoulders became a sauna
that left us drenched beneath our bug
armor. We became necessarily efficient
at reaching shore, strapping buckets
and dry bags into the boat, and paddling
vigorously into windy open water to shed
interloping mosquitos from our backs.
Cheap rubber boots proved to be our
most valuable gear. They kept us steady
on slippery rocks and defended us
against the muck of the swampy portage
trails. Inevitably, though, the muck won
out and we became mired in knee-
high sinkholes as brown, chunky liquid
spilled over the tops of the boots and
submerged our feet. The muck was dark,
thick, and meaty—the tangible embrace
of the earth on our bodies. Mosquitos
buzzed, feet squelched, sweat rolled,
and muscles ached. It felt wonderful.
The calm blue waters and soaring eagles
were magnificent and I took note of their
beauty, but it was being run off by loons
and gulls and in the muckiest, sweatiest,
most bug-infested moments, with gravity
pressing the canoe into my shoulders
and the mud sinking beneath my feet
that made me feel most integrated into
the environment.
This, I think, is one of the ways to
truly feel a connection to a place. It is
liberating to abandon civilian anxieties
about comfort and cleanliness and
immerse oneself in a landscape. In
being driven off by pure animal instincts
and embracing the muck and the mire
of the land we allow ourselves to move
toward more meaningful experiences.
We commit to becoming subjects of our
interactions with nature, senses open
to the touches, smells, and sounds
of a place, rather than objects moving
across space, gazing through a screen at
detached panoramic images.
After a certain number of HMI trips,
it can be easy to lose that sense of
immersion. The wilderness can instead
become a workplace and the landscape
a setting for class. Great Slave Lake
took me out of that routine and allowed
me to experience the process of knowing
a place in ways I do not often relish
in as an instructor. Immersing myself
into a new landscape, disconnected
from the checks, plusses, and deltas
that command my attention during HMI
expeditions, reminded me of the joy of
the adventure. In turn, it refreshed my
focus on helping students shed the
insulation of daily life in order to more
fully appreciate the places through which
we travel: the personal and professional
satisfactorily integrated.
Maybe I can consider my northern
adventure a bit of "work" after all.
Phases of the Moon
By Peter Kernan, Mathematics Faculty
16 | HMI Fall 2013
S
emester XXXI started with a full moon.
For most, this was an auspicious
and warm welcome to Colorado. The
Semester has since experienced a second
full moon on a brisk Thursday night—
a radiant glowing orb in a clear night sky.
Two more full moons will rise before this
group of students departs HMI. Each moon
cycle is a reminder of passing time and one
of the many tools that help us reground and
focus during our busy Semester.
Recently, the students played a full mooninspired game of capture the flag around
8:15 pm, two days after the full moon, still
with enough lingering light to illuminate
the darkness. Students were hooting and
hollering after a long week of academics
and were mostly occupied with expending
their reservoirs of physical energy. Their
energy and enthusiasm demonstrated a true
testament to the wildness and connection
to nature one feels when experiencing a full
moon, especially at 10,000 feet. After the
game around 8:45 several students paused
before re-entering the artificially brightened
spaces that become our existence postsundown. We watched in awe as an orangered, mostly illuminated moon bridged the gap
between horizon and sky.
"I think moonrises are my favorite!" said
Jennie Yoors.
"Wow, that just made my week!" agreed
Caroline Grip.
with the question on hand is hard to shake.
One of the things I appreciate most about
our students and their relationship to the
moon is summarized simply: They are
observant and they are curious!
"Why haven't we seen the moon all
expedition?"
Sleeping under the stars, our students begin
to notice natural cycles. Why is the night
time on this expedition so much darker
than the first? Students ask questions and
are struck by the complexity of the natural
world. Experiences like this are a trigger for
larger questions, and a deeper consideration
for many aspects of our world that we take
for granted.
"How do you know when the moon is going
to rise?"
"I thought the moon was only visible at
night! Why can I see the moon during the
day?"
Sometimes it might take an the initial hook
to capture a student's interest, such as
pointing out an observation that tests their
understanding, but soon they are perplexed,
attempting to resolve dozens of questions
about the moon's phases and how it can
impact the lives we lead. Although the
places we most often inhabit occlude
our senses from the cycle of this natural
phenomena, the moon does have an impact
on our lives. At HMI we are fortunate to
Each moon cycle is a reminder of passing time
and one of the many tools that help us reground
and focus during our busy Semester.
A lesson I learned from a math education
guru, Dan Meyer, this past summer is that
while teaching he strives to achieve three
things surrounding perplexity. He wants
himself and others to capture perplexity,
share perplexity, and eventually resolve
that perplexity. Engagement arises from
perplexity and once students have captured
interest in an idea or concept, engagement
spend so much time under the night sky,
whether out in the wilderness or simply
walking to the cabins at night. I hope that
when our students return home, as they
do now, they will continue to settle into
bed and inquire about the perplexity of the
natural world, aiming to unravel mysteries
and ask questions of that which is right in
front of them.
17
Shaping a sacred space
By Rob Backlund, Science Faculty
What makes a building more than just a manufactured space? What experiences need to occur
to turn a physical space into something more with meaning and memories? How does a building
transform from being just a building and into a sacred space?
ince coming to HMI I have
pondered these questions. Where,
among the nine buildings that
dot the Lodgepole Pine forest, would
I find a sacred space that would
become something more than just
infrastructure? The answer came much
more quickly than I anticipated, at the
start of my first semester (Semester
XXVII). The reason for this, I now
realize, stems back to experiences
that have shaped my sense and
understanding of a sacred space.
S
“He lives in a yurk,” I hear my mother
state to a friend over the phone. I
instantly assume that whomever she is
talking to, has never heard of a “yurk”.
“Yes, a yurk in Kelly, Wyoming. It is a
glorified round-house,” she explains
to her friend who asks for a “yurk”
description and location.
The phone conversation ends. I feel
obliged to tell my mother that my home
is not a “yurk” but a yurt.
I have come to realize that a space is sacred
not only by shape, but more importantly by the
summation of experiences within it.
“Oh, a yurt,” she replies. “Yurk, yurt,
what’s the difference?”
I internally grumble that there is a huge
difference, but say nothing.
My yurt in Kelly is a space where I have
great memories. The anecdote provided
by my mother, however, is an example
of the difficulty that occurs when one
tries to describe their sacred space to
others, especially when it is essentially
defined by a shape; a circle.
Prior to becoming a faculty member
at HMI, I lived in a canvas yurt, 20
feet in diameter, in Kelly, Wyoming.
This yurt sits on the edge of the Gros
Ventre River, near the base of the Teton
Mountain Range. Yes, it is a round
building, but more importantly it is one
of the most special spaces in my life.
A yurt, rondavel, and ger are a short
list of the different names for round
structures inhabited by humans
dotting the globe. These round, semipermanent structures originate in
Central Asia and their history dates
back more than 3,000 years. Round
structures eliminate the terms house
and corner, and in my opinion instantly
become home. The walls of a yurt are
at most an inch thick. They are usually
supported by a latticework of wood
that responds to any and all blowing
wind. The roof can sound like a roll on
a snare drum when rain falls. One can
18 | HMI Fall 2013
In Semester XXV the yurt was replaced by the
beautiful octagonal Stuen Hall, and it is this space
on campus that I now consider sacred.
look through the glass dome at the
apex of the roof, and track the path of
the sun, the moon, and the night sky.
The temperatures of the seasons are
not masked by this humble structure
allowing one to live with the phenology
of the seasons.
Prior to Semester XXV, the answer
to my earlier questions about the
buildings of HMI may have been
more immediately evident, as
a more authentic yurt stood on
campus. Many remember the old
HMI yurt, where apprentices once
lived, and many a circle was held
with the school community.
However, as the HMI community grew,
the students, faculty and staff could
not all fit into the yurt comfortably for
a meeting or circle. In Semester XXVII
the yurt was replaced by the beautiful
octagonal Stuen Hall, and it is this
space on campus that I now consider
sacred. Even though it is structurally
different in size, shape, and materials
from a yurt, I have come to realize that
a space is sacred not only by shape,
but more importantly by the summation
of experiences within it.
Semesters now begin and end in
Stuen Hall, as they once did in the
HMI yurt, and in common between the
two buildings is the shape of the first
experience that any and all new to HMI
will have in it; circle. Circle is a time
for students and faculty members alike
to express their thoughts, emotions,
and stories. It is a time for reflection,
contemplation, and listening. The
bonds created through listening and
speaking at circle help to create each
strong, unique HMI community.
What makes the old HMI yurt, Stuen
Hall, and my own yurt so special, is
that the simple structure allows for
simple reflection. In an HMI community
meeting, everyone can see each
other as we all sit in a large circle
together. Similarly, in my own yurt back
in Kelly, Wyoming, my life and space
is contained within one simple circle,
and I can comfortably enjoy the whole
space at once. Ultimately, it is the sum
total of experiences in a place which
defines its importance and gives it
meaning. This is how I came to know
the circle as sacred, and how I have
learned to recognize and cultivate the
sacred as I move through my life.
19
HMI 15-Year Anniversary
Thank You for Joining Us!
O
n June 7-9, 2013, the
High Mountain Institute
celebrated its 15-Year
Anniversary and bid farewell to our
founders, Christopher and Molly
Barnes. Over the weekend, we
welcomed back more than 225 alumni,
40 former faculty and apprentices,
as well as dozens of other family
members and friends of the school.
From start to finish, the campus was
alive with nostalgia for the past and
excitement for the future. The weekend
began in HMI tradition with a bonfire
on Friday night, Saturday was filled with
activities including summit attempts,
fly-fishing, a fun run, and walks down
Harrison Avenue in Leadville. Everyone
reconnected in the late afternoon for a
square dance, barbeque, and music.
20
From start to finish, the
campus was alive with
nostalgia for the past and
excitement for the future.
Whether alumni were returning to
Leadville for the first time in 10 years or
had stayed since the end of Semester
XXX, everyone came back to find the
spirit of the HMI community stronger
than ever. Only now, this community
has grown. As Terrence Word (RMS XVI)
remarked at the bonfire, “Now we are all
alumni from the same Semester.”
Thank you to all of our guests and
well-wishers for such an inspirational
weekend. We look forward to sharing
the next 15 years with you!
21
alumni
news
FALL 2013
RMS I
Hello again, RMS 1! Back in June, a handful
of us had a grand ol’ time representing the Old
Geezer Crew at the HMI 15-Year Anniversary.
It was entertaining to be lumped in with the
most recent RMS alumni (some of whom are
precisely half our age) and to wander around
campus, gaping at the changes since we were
students (electricity in the cabins, student
bathrooms, a climbing wall). Overall takeaway
was how lucky we were to be part of such a
grand adventure! The crew there was Leah
Chubb-Silverman, who still lives in
Portland and somehow has the exact same
looks and dry sense of humor that she had at
16, and had photos to show off her adorable
son, Teddy; Matt Walker, who lives with
his wife in New York and makes documentaries,
and who also has acquired both glasses and
an I’m-a-grown-man look of wisdom about him
at some point in the last decade; Eli (Liz)
Robinson, who is, if anything, even more
herself – tiny and quirky and hilariously upfront
– than ever, and who brought her partner
(Callie) from their home in Texas; Jessica
Parker, who landed a pretty fabulous gig
making custom ceramic growlers (in addition
to raising her two kiddos); Christina
Davis, who gets the prize for coming the
furthest for the Anniversary, having basically
ended her stint guiding adventures in Africa for
the event, and flew back to life in the states
a mere 72 hours before rolling into Leadville;
and yours truly, Alexa “Bo” Holleran,
who spent the summer farming and potting
before launching onto the midwifery track with
an expedited Nurse Practitioner program at the
University of Vermont. My wife, Brenda, also
came along, and whole-heartedly approved of
the crew; the eight of us all rented a Leadville
log cabin together, complete with hot tub under
the stars. If you weren’t there, we missed you,
and I promise we spoke about YOU specifically
as we reminisced…and especially about
Angie Herring, who was getting married
that week, and Charlotte Blau, who
was in her last few weeks of pregnancy, and
22 | HMI Fall 2013
who became “the proud owner of a tiny pet
human”, Hazel, later in the summer. Congrats,
Angie; congrats, Charlotte; congrats, Molly &
Christopher; and a heartfelt ‘cheers’ from us to
you, HMI at 15!
— Alexa “Bo” Holleran
(alexa.holleran@gmail.com)
RMS III
It was so great to see Phoebe
Chadwick-Rivinus and Stephen
Fantone at the 15-Year Anniversary and
going-away party for Molly and Christopher.
Emily Garai is living in Atlanta and is
now licensed as a psychologist in Georgia,
and she started her own private practice in
June. She also got engaged to her partner,
Erin Rakestraw, in early September and they
are planning a wedding in Massachusetts
for September 2014. Lindsay O'Steen
got her doctorate in 2011 and is working full
time as a physical therapist in Maryland. She
spends her free time volunteering for the fire
department in Clarksville and finished her
training as an EMT, fire fighter and public safety
diver this past year. She will be celebrating
her second wedding anniversary to her wife
Brooke Robbins in October. Finally, Dave
Barahona and his wife (Denaye) are
expecting a little boy in December! Super
sleuthing on Facebook also revealed that
Zoie Watson Saunders recently
welcomed a new baby boy into her family as
well. RMS III please email me with updates any
time! I hope all of you are well.
— Samantha E. Wilson
(samantha.e.wilson@gmail.com)
RMS V
Clara McDowell Gordon is
finishing up her first year of the Physician
Assistant Program at Tuft’s Medical School
and reports that she is surrounded by intense,
mind-bogglingly awesome people. Dan
Schieffelin just finished up a year in
Antarctica seeing the southern lights, watching
penguins, riding his fat-bike and working
on the Joint New Zealand/American Search
and Rescue Team (JSART). He now plans to
spend 6-8 weeks riding said fat-bike around
New Zealand. Meghan McDonald
Michael lives in Dallas with her husband
and is finishing up her last year of anesthesia
residency. Catherine Smith is still in CO,
working in the outdoor industry and serving as
a Trustee on the HMI Board. She loved seeing
Maggie, Yasmine, and Lilli at the 15-Year
Anniversary! Other big news: she became a
parent to a hilarious little red headed daughter,
Tobin, in December of last year. Tarquin
Alexander Thornton-Close is in
San Francisco and just got promoted to Fitness
Manager at 24 Hour Fitness, and thus is the
head of the training department at one of the
bigger gyms in the city. Aside from that, he’s
been training for some natural bodybuilding
competitions for the past six months (hilarious
experience). Ashley Albright Green
left Vancouver Island a couple of months ago,
following her hubby to the “Energetic City” (aka
Fort St. John). It’s a boom town (Oil, Hydro,
Wind – you name it) with typical boom townness. She’s been exploring the surrounding
wilderness, but is a bit nervous about the -40
temps in the winter. Jeremy Loeb lives
in Sacramento and does some design and
marketing work at a local engineering firm
while working (slowly) towards an Engineering
degree. He is also getting hitched in Maine
next month (and juggling all the fun logistics
of planning a long-distance wedding), getting
into road biking and triathlons, gardening,
teleskiing in Tahoe and playing with his dog,
Tucker. Rosalie Osborn is teaching 8th
grade Special Education at a Quaker school
in Brooklyn. Last summer she rented a cabin
in Vermont and studied the environmental
history of Appalachia in Asheville, NC. She
returned home this summer to an extremely
surprising marriage proposal from her boyfriend
of almost 7 years, so rocking a sweet diamond
ring is basically all she does now. Yasmine
Kohli Fordham just finished her degree
in Sustainable Development. She has been
organizing a lot of events for work, including a
major conference for Tides and the Nonprofit
Centers Network at the Colorado Convention
Center in Denver. She also came out for HMI’s
15-Year. Katie Reynolds is hiking the
Pacific Crest Trail. By the time this goes to
press she hopes to have finished her epic
journey in British Columbia and be taking a
West Coast Victory Tour before heading back
east to continue grad school. Samuel
Huntington lives in Brooklyn and
manages an electronics recycling warehouse
where the public can bring their unwanted and
broken electronics to be refurbished, reused,
or at least recycled in an environmentally
sensitive manner. Basically, he’s WALL-E. I,
Amy Mahnken, still live in New Orleans
where I will be getting married in less than
three weeks. If anyone would like to come visit
the New Orleans area (and you really should)
let me know and I’ll teach you the best way to
eat a beignet (it’s not difficult but, as with all
things, practice makes perfect).
— Amy Mahnken (amymahnken@gmail.com).
RMS VII
RMS VII had a fantastic turnout at the 15Year Anniversary! Carissa Look, Erik
Levy, Aimee Wessel, Marion
Pierce, Rebecca Flint D’Elia,
Whitney Leonard, Jaime van
Pelt, Shelley Goerdt (Brunjak),
and myself (Sam Timberg) turned up at
10,200’ to celebrate HMI’s past by sending
Molly, Christopher, Porter, and Jack off in style
while toasting a future that promises another
15 years and beyond of incredible experiences
and lifelong friendships! As always, RMS 7
has big things going on! Meeya Sakura
is expecting her fourth son (her second)!
Meeya says, “We will now be a happy family
of 6 not to forget the only other girl, Jade our
doggie.” Shelley got married, changed
her last name to Goerdt, started school
again (go to Youtube and watch the amazing
“Lakewood High School Lip Dub 2013 - Roar”
that Shelley’s students worked on!), and
she is working on a masters for curriculum
development! Jacque Hastings is
making a move to the Big Apple from Grand
Cayman! She also travelled in Copenhagen
recently and says “it’s beautiful, super forward
thinking about eco and social responsibility
and has great pedestrian areas, history, and
food.” Speaking of moving to NYC, Rebecca
and her husband Paul have traded the
Colorado mountains for the big tall buildings
of NYC. She will be pursuing an M.Ed. in
Counseling. Erik celebrated his birthday in
Las Vegas in August where he bonded with 5
Europeans over great conversation about, life,
the universe, and futball until 8AM. In other
big news, Erik and his wife just purchased
their first home and Erik has taken a job with
a law firm in Minnesota where he represents
a growing number of small businesses by
helping them grow and anticipate challenges.
Sam James has been working as the
sales manager for Simms Fishing Products, a
Bozeman MT based fishing apparel company.
The job is the perfect blend of professional
challenge and personal pleasure (aka he gets
fish all the time). Amanda Dooley
has lived in Switzerland for two years now
working as a freelance editor/writer and as
a nanny. She is working towards a Masters
in professional writing and had a great time
catching up with Carrie Sessions,
who was in Geneva for an internship with the
UN Environmental Program. Carrie is in grad
school at University of Washington where she is
getting a dual degree in public administration
and environmental policy. Whitney
Leonard had an absolute blast at the 15Year Anniversary. From Leadville, she headed to
Montana for the summer, where she interned
for the Indian Law Resource Center. Whitney
is back on the East Coast for her second
year of Law School at Yale and somehow still
finds time to enjoy some bluegrass music, go
running in the woods, and to go biking with
Emily Kaufman – who just moved to New
Haven! Jamie and her husband Mike bought
a house in DC and Jamie has transitioned
her job from HR to IT and loves the new role.
They are headed to Mexico in November for
some Scuba diving and long runs around Isla
Mujeres. Jenn Raines just returned to
Boulder (where luckily her house is only slightly
damp from the recent flood) from three weeks
in Greece with her boyfriend’s family, which
was gorgeous and relaxing. On top of being the
Marketing Coordinator for a luxury Asian tour
operator, Asia Transpacific Journeys, Jenn just
graduated from 2 years of study at Bauman
College as a holistic Nutritional Consultant
and is going to start freelance writing
soon. Carissa recently graduated from
Georgetown with a Master’s in International
Affairs and spends time running around the
National Zoo. Aimee is likely moving to Paris
for a job at the Pasteur Institute. She gave a
talk at a science conference in Switzerland last
month and will be defending her dissertation
November 11th (after which she is planning
a celebration trip to El Salvador!). Marion
had seven “unschooled” teenagers living with
her this summer as interns for her partner’s
program at The High Desert Center for
Sustainable Studies. Marion is also training
for a marathon, teaching at an alternative
school, and milking goats in her free time. As
for me, Sam Timberg, I am off to travel
in SE Asia with my girlfriend, Whitney, for the
month of October before starting a new job in
November. I will, along with one other guy, be
starting a new wine importer, Meridian Prime,
from the ground up. The wines will be from
South Africa, France, and Argentina to start and
I will be building our sales team, the portfolio,
and travelling to see our partners all over the
world! There was a big push during the 15-year
Anniversary to set up a reunion in 2014. I’ll
keep you posted!
— Sam Timberg (SamTimberg@gmail.com)
RMS IX
I (Charlie Eichacker) find myself
writing for a weekly paper in Burlington,
Vermont, after studying journalism for one
quick and dirty year in NYC. This past summer
I interned for a weekly paper in Ellsworth,
Maine, where I had the great pleasure of
working alongside Izzy Weaver’s mother.
Carolyn Loeb is getting lots of free
meat and veggies as a farm apprentice in
Rupert, VT. She lives in a cabin in the woods,
throws pots, and plays in the White Mountains
whenever possible. Further north, Molly
Nowack has worked in a range of outdoor
education roles. Now she lives in Burlington,
working as a server and figuring out how to
work on farms. She finds it “pretty bizarre
to be in a city.” Liza Cohen is now in
Boston, getting used to office life and reflecting
on a great summer that whisked her out to
Colorado, where she saw a mountain unicyclist.
She also attended the wedding of Sophie
Newbury Berglund. Also in Colorado,
Bern Kenneally is just plugging away
at her mechanical engineering PhD, “being
a geek and writing lots of computer code.”
Emily Chase still lives in the Pittsburg
area, working in the finance department for a
logistics company and spending lots of time
taking care of her two-year-old dog. Across the
pond, Phil Quinn is getting his MBA at
the HULT International Business School. The
program will be taking him to Sao Paulo at the
23
same time as the World Cup and to NYC next
summer. Sam Garfield is as adrift as
ever, working on a military transport ship based
out of South Korea after getting his unlimited
chief mates license this past summer. He also
used the warmer months to make a nice slow
sail down to Bermuda.
— Charlie Eichacker (ceichacker@gmail.com)
RMS XI
We would love to include news
from RMS XI. Please email Cameron,
cdphillips@hminet.org, with any news
or if you are interested in helping us as
your class coordinator!
RMS XIII
Christina Clark had a great
time representing RMS XIII at the 15Year Anniversary in June with Taylor
Verderame, Erica Coren,
Elizabeth Sinclaire and Phil
Thurner. Otherwise, she still lives in Boston
with her girlfriend and works as a social worker
for a community service agency, handling
adults with severe and persistent mental
illness (which is stressful, but never boring!).
The summer was filled with car camping, a
wedding in Tahoe, and just being outside. Eva
Luderowski’s life is back to normal
after being displaced by Hurricane Sandy.
She works as a lab manager in a Behavior
Neuroscience lab at Rockefeller University,
but looks forward to greener pastures (Med
school?). This March, she visited a friend in
Alaska, where she played with 2-week old
sled dog puppies, snowshoed in Denali and
saw the northern lights. Taylor got a new
job at West Elm’s corporate office in Brooklyn,
and is learning a lot about retail and interior
design. She hangs out with Elizabeth and Erica
as often as possible, and is training to qualify
for next year’s marathon. Phil is doing a
zillion different things in the video production
industry, but nothing specifically exciting. He is
happy to report that he survived the Boulder
floods – none of his stuff was destroyed,
although his basement got 2 feet of water.
Next time he will be prepared with a floatation
device. Eric Bernstein quit his job in
Boulder and moved to DC for an internship
at a security think-tank. After a humbling 4
months, he had a stroke of good fortune and
joined a much more engaging Middle East
think-tank, which is now focused on the Syrian
24 | HMI Fall 2013
Crisis. He sees Jo Yecies a couple of times
a month, and just caught up with Nathan
Brand, who is starting Med school at Mt.
Sinai in NYC. Ben Wilkofsky interned
with a consulting firm in India this summer, is
set to graduate from Columbia in December,
and already has a few job options on the
table. Jo is working and going to school
at American University in DC. She is now a
supervisor in her billing office and will graduate
with a Master of Science in Finance in May.
This summer was spent on the road, visiting
Colorado, Jackson Hole and Yellowstone – with
Chicago and Oxford on the horizon. Erica
is in NYC and recently transferred jobs to
advertising at Women’s Wear Daily. She had
a great time at the 15-Year Anniversary in
June (“the campus is really swanky now”),
and is looking forward to getting together with
folks in NYC soon! Sam Finkelstein is
still performing in the circus and is currently
working on a new “straps” act. After recovering
from elbow surgery in Germany, he spent time
with his girlfriend in Brussels, and is now on
tour in the US with a company called Cirque
Mechanics. KassiE Garfield works
at an awesome manual orthopedic physical
therapy clinic in Portland, ME. This summer she
sailed to Bermuda with her brother in 20 ft.
swells and 45 knot winds. Last weekend she
randomly saw the one and only Frances
Chase! Elizabeth Sinclaire is
doing a Post-Bacc at Columbia and thinking
about becoming a Nurse Practitioner or an
Occupational Therapist. She also had a great
time at the 15-Year Anniversary and looks
forward to seeing everyone that couldn’t make
it soon. Reunion in NYC in January?
— Elizabeth Sinclaire (e.sinclaire@gmail.com)
RMS XV
Sam Barber works for Ben Edmund at
Portland’s finest microbrewery: Breakside.
They put their heads together to create the
most delicious beer ever brewed for the
15-Year Anniversary: the Jack & Porter. Liz
Ceperly is in her 2nd year of a Geology
Masters program in Buffalo, NY. She studied
the Brooks Range in Alaska and camped out
there on a frozen lake taking sediment cores
of the lakebed. Lucia Cowles lives in
Chapel Hill, NC and works in a bookstore/bar.
She just ran a marathon and can no longer
walk up stairs. Kristin DeLuca works for
a high-end Italian menswear company in NYC
and just moved to Brooklyn. She and I would
love to hang out with any XVers who come to
the city! Patti Echeverria is in LA
making digital things, training to become a pro
surfer, and meditating a lot. Rich Freund
lives in Santiago, Chile and will be there for
another year. He teaches Business English
and tramps all over the Andes. Paul-Bob
Stapell lives in Denver and loves it. He
currently works for Fedex Express but will soon
be transitioning into full-time "geotechnical
project management.” Charlotte
Friedman is a grad student at USC in
LA, getting a Masters in Social Work. She
interns at a locked-in mental institute in
Compton, working with schizophrenic patients.
Lindsay Guerin and Hannah
Orcutt both live in Jackson, WY and
spend as much time outdoors as possible.
Currently, Lindsay is spending a month in
Thailand. Hannah teaches at a nonprofit child
care/special education/Head Start center in
town. Mark Hammes is a tree-climbing
arborist in D.C. He’s been building a cabin
(mostly on his own!) on his farm in Floyd, VA,
and it’s almost ready to take on the winter!
Lacey Huber works at her family’s
winery in Leesburg, VA (Stone Tower Winery).
They’ve just finished harvesting for their 2013
vintage, which promises to be a stellar year.
Peter Kernan has the best job of them
all. He works as Math Faculty at HMI and is
the proud owner of a house in Leadville. Ali
LePage recently moved to Florida and really
enjoys her job as a paralegal. She is getting
married next June! James McKenna
never forgot how fun our HMI cook crews
were. He prepares delicious meals as a line
cook in a San Francisco restaurant. Neil
Ritterpush also lives in San Francisco
and spends a good deal of his time climbing.
Keller Morrison is the ultimate ski
bum: he lives in Dillon, CO and works as a ski
instructor at Keystone. However, he’s a smart
ski bum, and will soon start tutoring Biology
at CMC. Clara Rubin-Crump is in a
Marine Affairs Ph.D. program at the University
of Rhode Island. In her free time she works
as a volunteer firefighter and EMT. O’Mara
Taylor still lives in Philadelphia, working
for an environmental consulting firm. She
has also been enjoying volunteering with an
HIV/Hep C testing organization. Julia Van
Den Bergh lives in Morristown, NJ as a
pharmaceutical analyst. She climbs all the
time (this is a theme in our semester) and just
finished her first triathlon. And as for me, Ray
McGaughey, I still love my job: New York
City tour guide via walking/bike/bus/food. A
major highlight of the past year was making
it out to HMI for the 15-Year Anniversary and
seeing so many familiar faces. Stay in touch!
— Ray McGaughey
(ray.mcgaughey@gmail.com)
RMS XVII
Peter Wilson recently relocated to
Boston for a teacher residency program. In only
a year, Peter will be a teacher. Before relocating
to Boston, he had been living in Denver. He
spent the summer leading a backpacking trip
in Alberta. Molly Dougherty, like
Peter, is also teaching. In August, she started
as a film teacher in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Molly loves teaching, and is very happy to
be back in the DC area. Auri East and
Jack Fields were both apprentices at
HMI last year (Auri for Semester XXIX, Jack for
Semester XXX). Auri worked as a raft guide in
Durango this summer, and is currently biking
home to Florida. Jack is wandering the West,
making occasional stops to climb. Claire
Maggiotto lives in Boston, working as
a research assistant studying sudden infant
death syndrome. She was recently accepted
to medical school and will be heading there
next August. Claire also reported that John
Harwood just graduated from Bates;
Gordon Matthewson is living in a
treehouse; and Reid Pierce is finishing up
his senior year at Colorado College.
— Allison Guzy (allisonguz@gmail.com) and
Claire Maggiotto (cmaggiotto@gmail.com)
RMS XIX
Carrie Cecil is working as an
archaeologist in Bismarck, North Dakota.
Her plan is to continue working for the next
year before heading to grad school to get
her Master’s degree in Archaeology and
Cultural Resource Management. Addie
Davis graduated from the University of
Wisconsin-Madison with a degree in History
and African Studies. After spending the
summer coaching sailing in New York, Addie
moved to Washington, D.C. to participate in
the White House Internship Program. Emily
Faxon graduated from CC with a degree in
Anthropology. She now works for Lululemon
Athletica as an educator/pant folding guru
in Denver and takes classes for occupational
therapy prerequisites and graduate school.
Chelsea Deick just moved to NYC to
start a PhD program in Cellular, Molecular, and
Biomedical Sciences at Columbia University.
Lydia English graduated in June and
jumped right into a yearlong internship with
the Chicago Botanic Gardens. She spent
the summer in rural Minnesota, looking for
the elusive narrow leaf purple cone flower
(Echinacea angustifolia) as part of research
on habitat fragmentation in tall grass prairie.
Sam McBride is studying at the Corning
Museum of Glass to become a lampworker/
hot glass artist. She graduated from Eckered
College and will probably be moving to the
northeast quite soon.
— Emily Faxon (emilyfaxon513@gmail.com)
RMS XXI
Will Potter is studying at Middlebury
and worked for Twitter this summer. TJ
Callahan is at school in Troy, NY and will
graduate in the spring with a Bachelor's in
Computer Science and a Minor in music. Over
the summer he worked on an open source
android app to help people with diabetes get
used to tracking their carbs and blood sugar,
and he had a great time at the Anniversary
in June! Mackenzie Gurrola is
at Colorado State University, living with two
HMI alumni (Caitlin Kuczko, RMS XXIII and
Jacob Bryant, RMS XXV). A recent trip include
a family outing to Cancun and an amazing
return to Leadville for the 15-Year Anniversary!
Ben Breckenridge is a senior at
St. Lawrence with Merrill Clerkin,
Becca Doll and Claire Munson.
Ben is graduating in December and headed
to Rome to work for an apartment rental
business. Merrill worked for American Councils
for International Education in Washington,
DC this summer and plans to use her Asian
Studies and Education degrees in order to
return back to China to mold young minds in
the classroom. Brendan Buckland is
a senior at GW and is writing a senior thesis
on the historical memory of resource conflict
and its effects on the national imagination in
the case of Bolivia and Chile. On top of that,
he’s interning at the Amazon Conservation
Association in Dupont Circle. Mo Yang
graduated from college and spent her summer
in China. She hopes to go to Detroit and
make a difference in the real estate market
there. Carter McFarland worked
on a twenty person Type 2 Initial Attack hand
crew for the wildland fire season. He will
graduate in the spring from the University of
Montana with a BA in Sociology and an option
in Criminology. Andrew McCue just
the HMI
fund
On average, 40% of HMI
students receive financial aid
which makes their participation
in an HMI Semester, Summer
Term, or High Peaks Adventure
possible. Each and every year,
the HMI Fund provides dollars to
help make an HMI experience
available to every student
excited about and deserving of
a unique and transformational
educational experience. Every
contribution, small or large,
makes a difference in providing
financial aid and in supporting
the talented faculty that make
our programs run. Thank you all
for your generosity and your faith
in the mission and vision of HMI.
25
Leah's
Recipe
Black Bean Soup
(adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook)
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 stalk celery, diced
2 sweet potatoes, diced
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup tomato sauce
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp basil
dash of cinnamon
dash of cayenne
1 bay leaf
4 cups water
1 can black beans
2 cups kale,
torn or cut into bite size strips
In a medium stockpot, sauté onions, garlic, and celery in olive oil over
medium heat until onions are translucent. Add sweet potatoes and salt,
and continue to cook for 4-5 minutes.
Stir in remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to
simmer for 25 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are tender.
Remove bay leaf, and serve warm.
26 | HMI Fall 2013
returned to the University of Vermont after
spending a year in Paris. He is very happy
to be playing squash and ultimate Frisbee,
all while writing his senior thesis on French
intellectuals under the Occupation. William
Thacker is pursuing a life of music and
law at the University of Tennessee. He hopes
to be a lawyer for musicians, or a lawyer for
environmental policies. He just went on his first
run in over two years after a terrible injury to
his left leg resulting in paralysis of his left foot.
Olivia Fantini is a Women’s and Gender
Studies major at Carleton College, about to
start a senior thesis researching means of
teaching sexual violence prevention to high
school boys. She also works at the Gender
and Sexuality Center on campus, captains one
of the women's Frisbee teams, writes slam
poetry, and picked up the ukulele this year!
Tom Conover is at The University of
the South: Sewanee with Emily Blau. He
spent the summer as a restoration ecologist for
a land-trust devoted to preserving the native
landscape, and was personally responsible
for the maintenance and restoration of two
preserves totaling over 300 acres. Geoff
Long is majoring in Software Engineering
and minoring in Technological Entrepreneurship
at McGill University in Montreal. A couple of
weeks ago he climbed Mount Kilimanjaro,
and soaked up the guide company’s “five star
camping” option (especially in light of the
taxing effects of altitude change). Sylvia
Parol is finishing up her double major in
Professional Writing and Management with
Creative Design at Worcester Polytechnic
Institute. She recently discovered that she
would like to make a career out of her music
hobby! Rebecca Smith became an aunt
to the most adorable niece, studied abroad
in Thailand and worked at HMI during the
summer. She is focused on enjoying senior
year and finding a job after graduating from CC.
— Ian Tullis (iansladetullis@gmail.com)
RMS XXIII
Graham Landy spent last summer
training for and competing in the Red Bull
Youth America's Cup in which he represented
the United States. He's glad to be back at
school studying history. Seldy Gray
finished a wonderful summer working
at Good Morning America and is now in
London studying Television Production and
interning with the BBC. She hopes to spend
next semester in Madrid studying Spanish.
Rachel Whaley spent the summer
working at an elementary school in Chicago
and is excited to spend her fall quarter in
Paris, learning French and exploring the city!
Tyler Gump is interning at a children's
autism center and taking graduate Psych
courses in Westborough, Massachusetts. If he
survives the internship, he'll hopefully return
to Hamilton College in the spring and win a
NESCAC lacrosse championship. Merrin
Meltzer is back at the University of
Delaware for her junior year after spending
last year traveling in India and working at
a domestic violence shelter in Guatemala.
Caitlin Kuczko is attending Colorado
State University where she is assisting in a
pilot study of laboratory animal enrichment at
CSU, and living with HMIers Mackenzie (XXI)
and Jacob (XXV). This summer she interned in
Philadelphia at Penn Vet Working Dog Center
where she trained detection dogs. Cassie
Ali is living in Tasmania, Australia. She has
been traveling around the mainland, playing
with wallabies and going to classes at the
University of Tasmania. She will return in
December to finish her junior year in Denver.
Nicolette Kril is at the University of
Pittsburgh double majoring in Anthropology
and Finance. She spent the summer in
Manhattan interning at Barclays Wealth and
Investment Management for their Financial
Crimes team. Arianna Vierczhalek
is in Denver studying mechanical engineering.
She spent the summer in a lab looking at
MRI's and backpacking and such. Eliza
Green is studying Chemistry and playing
lacrosse at Carleton. She spent her summer
(first one without a major hiking trip) doing
research at Carleton. Chris Chang lives
in Quito, Ecuador studying ecology and biology
in various ecosystems around the country. This
winter he will return to the University of Denver
to continue working on his Environmental
Science degree. Benjamin Schwartz
is studying at The School of Business and
Economics at Lehigh University working
towards a major in Supply Chain Management
and minor in Business Information Systems.
He is in the Kappa Sigma fraternity with
Robbie Hugin and Sam Horstmann (RMS
XXIII). Alycia Martens is studying
at Berkeley's Haas School of Business and
recently joined the school's marketing case
competition team. She's excited to study
abroad in Berlin this spring. Megan
Morrow spent the summer working for
the Baltimore Electric Vehicle Initiative learning
about electric vehicles in the city. She is now
in Copenhagen studying Sustainability at the
Danish Institute. Alanna Krowiak is at
Connecticut College, where she is designing
a major in Narrative Psychology and doubling
with Philosophy. She LOVED the Anniversary!
Nick Gannon is taking a break from
double majors in Neuroscience and Arabic
to study English at Trinity College Dublin this
fall. He enjoyed his time in Leadville this
summer, particularly hiking in the Sangre de
Cristos and helping Molly move with Alanna
and Ari. Caroline Leahy is living in
Cambridge, MA and studying History and
Science at Harvard. She spent the summer
taking Organic Chemistry and is extremely
happy to be done. Sachi Twine is
studying at Yale, where she's an Environmental
Studies major concentrating in Resource Use
and Sustainability. Sachi interns with Urban
Resources Initiative, a nonprofit that plants
street trees and promotes urban forestry.
She is also prepping to study architecture
at the Danish Institute in Copenhagen this
spring. Sally Caruso is at Middlebury
College studying Studio Art and Geography.
This summer she had a residency at the San
Francisco Art Institute and had her first gallery
show. Ben Capelin is at Colorado College,
still deciding whether to major in Environmental
Science, Philosophy, English, or Sociology. He
is currently studying Existentialism in Paris
and thinking about the importance of old
people in a young person's life, whether or not
to talk more, and how to buy a motorcycle.
Nick Flynn is studying Development
Economics and Spanish in Buenos Aires,
Argentina. He enjoys the empanadas, dulce
de leche and an occasional copa de Malbec.
Abby Barnstone is at Pitzer, majoring
in Psychology. She is also working in the
admissions office, teaching slam poetry to 18year old incarcerated men, and is the president
of Pitzer Promotions (aka the Pitzer swag club).
Lara White is enjoying NC State in Raleigh
where she is majoring in Political Science
and minoring in Environmental Science. She
is also interning with the Court of Appeals
in downtown Raleigh. Lane Peterson
is currently in Munich, Germany, where she
is studying German language for the year.
Jules Heckbert is studying Mechanical
Engineering at the Rochester Institute of
Technology. He recently joined the SAE Baja
racing team and has been tutoring engineering
courses with the New York Higher Education
Opportunity Program. Alex Trautman
is majoring in Computer Science at Carleton
College. He spent the summer in SW Colorado,
and he hopes to win a Frisbee national
championship at the end of the year. He is
currently trying to woo a National Geographic
photographer and find an internship in extreme
sport photography.
— Alex Trautman (trautmaa@carleton.edu)
RMS XXV
Alex Potter worked for a moving
company in the Boston area this summer and
spent weekends hiking in the Adirondacks. He
is looking forward to his second semester at
Middlebury. Kat Geppert interned this
summer in Georgetown at FairWinds Partners,
a domain strategy-consulting firm. Kat is
rooming with Elizabeth Benedict at
Colorado College and just declared herself an
Education major. She spends her free time
practicing yoga, working at Taylor Elementary,
and lifeguarding at the CC pool. Elizabeth
spent the summer working at Camp Aloha in
Fairlee, Vermont. Back at CC, she is taking a
class abroad about the origins of Greek theater
and will be living in Athens, Greece for a
month. Mary Anne Bodnar spent her
summer assistant teaching at a public school
in NYC and participated in the Bates Dance
Festival. Mary Anne is now back at Bates
where she is a Math and Dance double major
and an Arts and Leisure editor for the school
paper. Hallie Skripak- Gordon
worked at a dude ranch in Laramie, Wyoming
this summer, riding horses and socializing with
guests. She is thrilled to be back at Hamilton
College so that she can resume her periodic
dinner dates with fellow XXV friend, Louise
Owens. Jamie Safran finished her
first year at CC, where she helped develop the
new rock climbing program and pioneered the
first school sponsored ice climbing trip. She
also got a job with a local climbing company
as an ice and rock climbing guide, making her
the only female ice guide with the company.
She lived in Boston this summer, working at a
local rock gym and doing hot yoga. Louise
Owens took an EMT training course in New
York City this summer and watched Netflix
with Mary Anne Bodnar. She is very excited to
return to Hamilton College, where she will be
part of the Hamilton College EMS, a co-leader
of the organization Challah for Hunger, and
a regular stalker of Hallie Skripak-Gordon.
Zoe Stoenner is at American University
studying Public Communications and working
27
Emy Takinami and Talia Zisman (RMS XXV) ran
the Mount Greylock Half Marathon together this
summer
as the deputy national communications
coordinator for RHA. This past summer
she interned at a leading fashion PR and
production firm and traveled a lot. Nathan
Schmidt is at Amherst, balancing his time
between Science and Education courses.
Nathan has unofficially adopted a nine-yearold little brother who he has the privilege of
babysitting twice a week. His name is Ari and
he's far smarter than Nathan. This summer
Pete James worked on a cattle ranch
outside of Bozeman, Montana and volunteered
with a conservation trust, while fishing in
his free time. At Middlebury, he is planning
to major in English and is a member of the
Middlebury Snow Bowl Ski Patrol. Ryan
Campbell went on tour with his acapella
group (The Spizzwinks) to Asia this summer
(China, Hong Kong, Thailand and Myanmar).
He also worked in SoCal as a Social Media
and Communications intern at a Christian
ministry for college students called Cru. Jack
Duchin worked all summer leading canoe
trips at a YMCA camp in Minnesota, including
week-long trips to the Boundary Waters.
Jack is now going to school in Montana and
currently using his ski setup so he can hit rails
all year round. Emy Takinami ran the Mt.
Greylock half marathon with fellow RMS XXV
alumni Talia Zisman this summer. Emy is
at UVM for her second year, and is a Women
and Gender Studies and Psychology double
major, the director of the pottery program,
and a research assistant in the Neuroscience
department. Robby Kuster worked
at Kingswood Camp through the summer
and took classes at a local college. Now at
Davidson, he is on the Ultimate Frisbee team
and plays drums in the Jazz Band. Ally
Roach is studying Finance at UCONN and
28 | HMI Fall 2013
is very involved in the business fraternity at her
school, Delta Sigma Pi. She had an internship
at a pension administration firm over the
summer and missed XXV and HMI every day.
Sarah-Strain Hunter spent her
summer at Denison developing the university's
Sustainability Fellows program, where fellows
educate residents on sustainability in all of
its facets. She is majoring in Political Science,
minoring in Arabic, and hopefully spending
next semester in Amman, Jordan! Hanna
Dethlefs attended the 15-Year Anniversary
in Leadville last summer. She also worked
on a remote ranch and vineyard located in
the Canyonlands of SE Utah. She is now at
UPenn, rowing on the crew team and working
at EMS. Laura Hansen is at UC Boulder,
double majoring in Psychology and Sociology
and is applying for research positions. Laura
volunteers at the Boulder homeless shelter
and hikes as much as possible in her free
time. Toni Hall was just accepted into the
Rubenstein School of the Environment and
Natural Resources at UVM and continues to
hike in her free time. Hallie (Woody)
Woodberry spent her gap year studying
History of Art and English at the Uppingham
School in England. Woody is beginning her
freshman year at Dartmouth and plans to
major in Environmental Studies and then
attend veterinary school. Lee Junkin spent
his summer removing invasive plants from
a pond in Wayland, MA and fishing on Cape
Cod. Lee also did a nine day backpacking and
fly fishing trip in Wyoming before returning to
CC. Laura Messenger lived in Buenos
Aires this summer doing an internship with
an anti-human trafficking organization. Laura
interviewed the families of girls who had gone
missing recently and helped them find legal
help or support groups. She also traveled
to Patagonia to do some hiking and cross
country skiing. Glenys Hunt waitressed
in Baltimore and then spent the last week of
summer road tripping through the Carolinas,
Tennessee and Kentucky. She is taking classes
for her Anthropology major, DJing for Grinnell's
radio station and riding at a local barn.
at St. Lawrence University. Bryan was a camp
counselor this summer, and Katie joined the
outing club and plans to hike 4 peaks for the
31st Annual Peak Weekend. They can’t wait for
Isabella Caliandro to join them next
year! Isabella and Arielle GordonRowe are taking a gap year spending this
semester in France and Italy. They are doing
the Tour du Mont Blanc and then living in
Chamonix. In the spring, Isabella plans to hike
the AT and Arielle will be skiing in Jackson Hole.
Ben Buckles and Kelsey Hoekstra
are having a great time at Middlebury. Ben has
picked up Portuguese, plans to study abroad
in Brazil Junior year, and joined the mountain
club! Kelsey is going to do crew and lifeguard
at Middlebury. Celeste Murtha is
playing lacrosse for Colby College and loves it.
This summer she worked as a camp counselor
and at a bakery. India Bushnell worked
as a surf instructor for little kids this summer
and is at Bennington College in Vermont.
Aaron Cass Boyes is at the University
of Denver studying Mechanical Engineering.
He is also considering joining the Cycling club,
which does competitive road and mountain
biking. Justin Gump is attending Union.
He hasn’t gone on a single hike since HMI.
Alessandra Laurent started school
in Paris. Cody Smith attends St. John’s
College in Santa Fe, and is learning Ancient
Greek. He’s gone on a couple of night hikes in
the hills of Santa Fe. Gavin Arnold is
currently in Voss, Norway at Folk High School,
where he is doing a program that focuses on
sports and outdoor life. Next year he will be
going to Skidmore. Natasha Hampton
worked at an advertising company in Boston
this summer and has officially moved back to
England! She feels so lucky to have friends
— Kat Geppert
(katherine.geppert@coloradocollege.edu)
RMS XXVII
Anna Weiss is at Oberlin and is taking
a fencing class. Kinori Rosnow and
Gil Young are also attending Oberlin.
Bryan Bohaty and Katie Eaton are
Mary Loomis, Sam Fox, and Scott Berkley
(not pictured; RMS XXVI) got together in
Vermont in September
from all over the world. She is attending
University of East Anglia and studying English
Literature. Arianna Carley and Jake
Bazillian are attending University of
Michigan. Arianna spent the summer in Spain,
and Jake hopes to visit fellow Semester
XXVIIers at Colorado College this winter.
Lukey Walden, Kuba Chandler,
Andrew Allison-Godfrey and
Dylan Kingsbury are all doing a NOLS
Semester in the Himalayas this fall. Lukey and
Andrew will attend Colorado College as Winter
Starts, Dylan will start at Middlebury as a
Feb, and Kuba will continue his gap year and
start at Colorado College in 2014. Leslie
Dinkin, Colleen Orr, Andrew
Obernesser and Andrew Meyer all
attend Colorado College! They have met many
HMI alums here. Colleen plays lacrosse for
CC and she and Andrew O. joined the Outdoor
Recreation Club and are in the same class this
block. Leslie hangs out in the ceramics studio
and Andrew M. is enjoying his class, ‘Searching
for Islamic Order’. They can’t wait for Andrew
A-G, Lukey and Kuba to get here!
— Colleen Orr (colleencameronorr@gmail.com)
RMS XXIX
Sara Wolf worked at Camp Tawonga in
Yosemite this summer, and is now tap dancing
and hiking in the Adirondacks. Christian
Lehner went to HMI’s 15-Year Anniversary,
and then traveled in Nicaragua for 5 weeks.
He spent the rest of the summer washing
dishes, and has recently begun taking MMA
classes. Michael Harmon went on a
two week road trip to Colorado with a couple
of his buddies! He also is working on a
Kickstarter with his brother, raising money to
make a film about ‘the outdoor experience’.
Mary Crockett is attending the Alaska
Pacific University Early Honors program, and
is majoring in outdoor studies! HMI gave her
confidence to start college at 17 and help
her understand what she wanted out of life.
Karina Wohlhieter taught math
at an inner-city middle school this summer,
and is playing field hockey and running the
Outdoor Club at Taft. Lela Gannon went
on a three-week long NOLS rock climbing
course in the Winds this summer, and is now
a member of her school’s varsity cheer team.
She is also the submissions editor of her
school’s literary magazine. After HMI, Becca
Surprenant spent three weeks exploring
India. Back at Miss Porter’s, she is now the
head of the Community Service Club, a Senior
Editor for the Yearbook, and is leading trips for
the Outdoor Program. Chelsea Cohn
worked at J Crew this summer, and spent the
rest of her days competing in horse shows.
She also hosted a three day Semester XXIX
reunion at her house, and is currently involved
in her school’s Young Democrats Club, World
Issues Charity Club, and Admissions Club.
Michaela Caplan worked at a nonprofit organic farm during the summer, and
completed a WFR course in New Hampshire.
She is now running cross country at school.
Duncan Wheeler taught robotics and
engineering design to middle schoolers over
the summer, got his rescue diver certification,
and hiked in the White Mountains. Elliott
Wieler worked a genetic research lab this
summer. He is now applying to the US Air Force
Academy. Léne Epp recently returned from
a six-week long backpacking trip through the
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Now she is
taking a gap year in Switzerland working as an
Au Pair and spending her free time exploring
nearby countries. This summer, Sam Blair
was one of five high school students in the US
who was able to travel to Greenland with the
National Science Foundation to do research
on climate change. Anna Balderston
worked on a CSA farm this summer, is
running cross country and is Co-Student
Body President back at Hotchkiss. Henry
Fulghum spent a month in India, living
in a Himalayan village farming and working
on infrastructure issues. During this stay he
learned Hindi, Ladakhi, and accomplished
more than 140 hours of service. He is
running cross country at his school, and is a
Senior Leader working to make the freshman
transition into high school easier, as well as the
Co-Head of the Student Awareness Committee.
Stay in touch, Semester XXIX!
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The High Mountain Institute (HMI) is an
academic and wilderness semester school
for high school juniors, accredited by the
Association of Colorado Independent
— Henry Fulghum (mrparsley@gmail.com)
Schools. We offer a 4-month long HMI
Faculty
Semester each fall and spring, a 6-week
Stephen and Doe Hatfield’s
family had a blast at the HMI Anniversary in
June. Beyond that, they had a great summer
of exploration in the Pacific NW with their
daughters Hanna (6) and Thea (4) - including
their first bona fide backpacking trip. They
have enjoyed the sudden transition to fall,
going for hikes and picking chanterelle
mushrooms. Stephen and Doe will celebrate
their 10th anniversary in October and are
gearing up for the Bellingham Trail Marathon
in traditional and outdoor education for
Summer Term, and an Apprentice Program
recent college graduates. We also offer
a 2-week summer program for 7th &
8th graders, the High Peaks Adventure.
Finally, HMI offers wilderness medicine
courses, avalanche awareness training,
and provides custom programs for select
schools and programs.
29
Members of Semester XXX met up in NYC for brunch with former Dean of Students, Rebecca D’Elia
in November. After teaching at HMI last year,
Billy Corbett moved to Hanover, NH,
got engaged, and started working as an
admissions officer at Dartmouth. Julia
Stifler thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail
with Katie Reynolds. They started on
the Mexican border and almost five months
later reached Canada. They ate more ramen
bombs than they can count, using their plastic
orange spoons from the HMI gear room, of
course. Kirk Phelps and his wife, Sharon,
are farming in NH with their sons Forest (2)
and Joelle (1). Sharon leads the missions
ministry at their church, and Kirk continues
to teach sailing and springboard diving at a
nearby summer camp. Hans Estrin and
Zoe Parker are adventuring and teaching
in Kazakhstan. The Tien Shan mountains are
huge and they can see them clearly from their
6th floor apartment in Almaty! They spend
weekends exploring them, honing their picnic
skills (people are really serious about picnics
there), and practicing their Russian. Karen
Prazar and her partner Cecilia were
married during a fabulous weekend at Camp
Huckins in Freedom, NH. In attendance were
Katie Reynolds and Julia Stifler, who took a
break from the PCT to come join them. Karen
and Cecilia relocated to Dover, NH after a
ten day drive across the country in a Subaru
filled to the brim. Sara Russell works
at the Watershed School teaching Anatomy/
Physiology, Physics, and Outdoor Skills. She
30 | HMI Spring 2013
is excited to teach a traveling Marine Biology
and Conservation course in May, but in the
meantime loves the Front Range and its ample
opportunities for trail running, biking, and
climbing all year long! Johanna Mickle
is permanently back in the Kootenays near
Nelson, British Columbia with her husband
Jon, son Wiley and their dog George. They
are homesteading their off-grid property and
living in a yurt. Audrey Kruse is in her
second year of graduate school in Flagstaff,
AZ, studying invasive tamarisk trees. She has
led some great backpacking adventures in the
Grand Canyon and river trips on the San Juan
in the last few months.
Apprentices
Kate (Botham) Hilton (IV) lives
in Lyme, New Hampshire, with her husband
Andy, 18-month old son Hans, and black Lab,
Jethro. In July they enjoyed an visit from Doe
Hatfield (IV) and her daughters, Hanna and
Thea. Kate works as a Director of ReThink
Health and coaches teams and organizations
to develop leadership to transform the health
of regional communities. Kate and Andy are
excited to welcome a second son in March
2014. Lander Purvis Cooney (VIII)
writes that her daughter Juniper Helen Cooney
was born March 15th, 2013. She was sad to
miss the Anniversary, but was busy figuring out
her new life, fueled by toothless smiles, spit up,
and lots of coffee. Steve Alexander
(X) and his wife, Marianne, welcomed Arlo
Owen Alexander into the world on April 21st.
He is a bundle of joy and a great addition to
the Alexander clan! Steve, Marianne, and Arlo
are now in Jamaica for 3 months while Steve
researches the human dimensions of marine
conservation and management for his PhD,
which is based in the University of Waterloo in
Canada. Charles Brown (XII) returned
to Indian Mountain School as the Director of
Faculty, where he teaches, coaches, and works
in a dorm. He will start his work on his Masters
in Private School Leadership at The University
of Pennsylvania in an executive program
starting in July. He and his wife Lisa are
expecting their first child in March! Elliot
Schottland (XVII) is in medical school
at Stony Brook University on Long Island. He
hasn’t had much time for camping but still
uses his headlamp from HMI to read before
going to sleep every night. Eve Gasarch
(XVII) is still plodding through the PhD process
in Boulder, teaching Ecology and measuring
alpine plants. She looks at plant community
response to altered snow and nutrient
(nitrogen and phosphorus) conditions both
along a "natural" elevational gradient and as
part of a long-term experimental manipulation.
John Winston Cochran (XVIII) lives
in Boise, Idaho. He finished his accelerated
BSN program in the spring and got his first
nursing job in downtown Boise on a Rehab
unit. He has 3 days on, 4 days off, and lots
to do in his free time! Lindsey Yost
(XVIII) works for NOLS both in the field and
as the Program Manager for NOLS Northeast
(operating summers in the Adirondacks). This
program was started up under the guidance of
Ann Schorling, another HMI apprentice. Kate
Braemer (XX) had a successful and safe
first summer of directing a summer camp. She
lives outside of Philly near her family with her
husband and dog in a home with an open
guest room! Oren Gersten (XXI) is in
his third year of med school in Seattle. He has
been exploring the Cascades in his free time
and trying not to drink too much delicious
Seattle Coffee. Harrison Buck (XXI)
got married on September 21st. He and his
wife, Mallory, recently moved to Providence, RI,
where Mallory is getting her masters at RISD.
Harrison still runs his business, BuckNaked
Visual Works, doing video and photo work for
a wide array of clients. He had great summer
filming and traveling with The Infamous
Stringdusters, and is now preparing for 5 weeks
in NYC working on the set of an independent
film. Ashton (Fink) Snyder (XXII) lives
with her husband in NW Montana between
Glacier NP and Banff in British Columbia. She
works as a residential specialist for Chrysalis,
a Therapeutic Boarding School. Her husband
teaches math at the school and they look
forward to a full winter of skiing at Whitefish
Mountain and Fernie! Ashley Allen (XXII)
got married this summer and in attendance
was MaryClaire McGovern (XXII
apprentice and current math faculty), Amy
Tabakin (XXII apprentice), and Cooper
and Carrie Mallozzi. She then moved to Vail
to teach 4th grade at Vail Mountain School.
Lucy Guarnera (XXIII) enjoys spending
time with her baby, Sammy (Samuel Thomas,
born 6/15/13), and just got a baby backpack
so she can take him on the trail! Aunge
Thomas (XXIII) was recently promoted to
the Dean of Students for The Traveling School.
She is still based in Bozeman, MT. Eliza
O’Neil (XXV) is the Residential Life faculty
at HMI. She enjoys hanging out with students
and contemplates getting a puppy on a daily
basis. Clare Smith (XXV) is in her second
year of teaching at Stratton Mountain School,
a winter sports academy for elite skiers and
snowboarders. With plenty of skiing in the
winter and hiking and biking the rest of the
year, the Green Mountains of Vermont are a
fine place to be, exploring the many trails with
her new puppy, Penny. Kay Sherwood
(XXVII) lives in McCall, Idaho and works as
the Director of Admissions at the Alzar School.
Amie Fleming (XXVIII) works for Greenbelt
Alliance in San Francisco as their Development
Coordinator. In her free time she began working
for a nonprofit called the Outdoors Empowered
Network, which helps groups in cities across
the country offer outdoor leadership skill
courses and gear libraries so kids can get
outside. She has a great time exploring SF
and backpacking in mountains nearby. Elle
Emery (XXIX) lives in Denver and is working
towards her Masters in Educational Psychology
and completing her Colorado Teaching
Licensure. She teaches middle school science
as an intern in the Stanley British Primary
Teacher Preparation Program. Auriona
East (XXIX) had an awesome spring and
summer raft guiding in Arizona and Colorado.
After the rivers dried up, she and her older
brother headed out on a two-month bicycle
tour from Colorado to Florida. She’ll spend the
winter there brushing up on her Arabic and
getting ready to teach somewhere in the Arab
World next fall. Josh Cherner (XXIX) is
teaching at the East Bay School for Boys in
Berkeley, CA. He's teaching 6th grade Math and
Science...and PE. He misses life in Tahoe, but
thoroughly enjoys being back in the Bay Area.
Caroline Lowe (XXX) is at home in the
Northeast subbing at local schools, studying
for the GREs and thinking about grad school.
At the end of this summer she road-tripped to
Memphis, biked through TN, AR, and MS, and
then drove back to CT from Mississippi. All told
she’s been in 21 states plus Washington DC
in the past 5 months. Catherine Klem
(XXX) teaches math at The Island School,
though she is having a difficult time giving
up the attire of the wintry mountains. She
continues to wear scarves and cardigans in the
heat of The Bahamas and, luckily, her co-worker
gifted her a neck fan to keep her cool.
founders
fund
Thank you for supporting HMI and helping us grow the HMI Endowment! With your help, the Founders
Fund exceeded our campaign goal to raise over $2 million and will continue to grow in years to come.
We are grateful for the unhesitating support of many, and the affirmation that HMI is and will continue
to be a unique and transformative educational experience. We, too, know that HMI has a vibrant future
ahead, and we look forward to continuing to share our journey with you.
31
HIGH MOUNTAIN INSTITUTE
Post Office Box 970
Leadville, CO 80461
TEL 719-486-8200
ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED
HMI Program Calendar
Register by calling 719-486-8200 x107 or by visiting www.hminet.org
AIARE Avalanche Level II
Avalanche Refresher
HMI Summer Term
January 2 – 5
$435/$515 (with lodging)
January 11
$95
June 23 – August 3
$8,950* (financial aid available)
AIARE Avalanche Level I
Wilderness First Aid & CPR
High Peaks Adventure
January 3 – 5
$330/$390 (with lodging)
April 7 – April 9
$285 (includes CPR & all lunches)
June 29 – July 13
$3,375* (financial aid available)
Wilderness First
Responder Recert
Wilderness First
Responder
Lake County
Backpacking Trip
January 3 – 5
$295/$355 with lodging
May 28 – June 6
$710/$910 with lodging
July 21 – July 27
(call for details)
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