Founded in 1995 by Molly and Christopher Barnes, HMI focuses on educating teenagers through interaction with the natural world of the American West and Patagonia, South America.

[1][3] Over that period, Barnes and Peterson conceived of what would become HMI—a college preparatory semester school that incorporates community and wilderness pedagogy central to the outdoor education industry.

[6] The HMI campus has also grown, doubling in size from 40 to 80 acres in 2011, and increasing in number of academic, facilities, and residential buildings.

[13] HMI Semester students partake in two or three wilderness expeditions in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and the canyons of Utah, specifically Bears Ears National Monument.

[1] Expeditions last from ten to eighteen days; students spend a total of five weeks in the wilderness over the course of the seventeen-week semester.

[9] While on wilderness expedition, students complete academic assignments, learn backcountry survival skills, and study leadership theory and ethics.

[14] In keeping with the school's philosophy of collective responsibility, students are expected to complete daily chores that include cooking, cleaning, and chopping wood.