By: The Apo-Office Ladies of the Day (Gracie, with a hint of Kelly & Hannah)

 

It’s close to six o’clock,

And something wonderful is lurking on our desktops

Under the bright light, we see a sight that quickly warms our hearts

They’re living the dream, hiking and biking until they make it

Each Apogee team, adventuring across the globe under the open skies,

We’re mesmerized….

Cause this is an Apogee Thriller! Thriller, alright! And everyone’s doing A’s & P’s and soaking up the sights

You know it’s an Apogee Thriller! Thriller alright!

 

Alright, before we start breaking  into our zombie dance moves, let’s shoot into the Apogee world to see what thrilling adventures they broke into today.   

 

Maine Coast College Essay (MCCE2): They went to the woods to learn, MCCE, things they never never knew before (ike “I” before “E” except after “C”). Oh, MCCE, it’s easy as 1,2,3!  The Jackson 5 would be mighty impressed by the learning curve of this gang over the past week. They’ve been cranking out some stellar essays and college supplements and will be able to share all of their hard work tonight when they read their final masterpieces. A dinner celebration in Portland will wrap up their last evening together – it’s as simple as do, re mi!

New England Mountains & Coast (NEMC2): These river runners were ready to raft the Kennebec this morning! They were able to see the man in the mirror while gazing at the crystal clear water and enjoyed the time to reflect about the wonderful times they’ve had together already. They hiked to Moxie Falls (the highest in Maine at 92 feet) after giving their legs a break in the blow up boats. Gonna feel real good now! Make that change!

Maine’s Downeast Explorer A & B (DEXA2 & DEXB2): The time has come for these explorers to retire their dear backpacks and hiking boots and get in those final embraces as they prepare to shuttle back home. The memories of summiting Katahdin, hiking through Acadia, sea kayaking to a remote Maine island, and treating themselves to a delectable dinner in Portland will sure be hard to top. It doesn’t matter who’s wrong or right, it’s time for these DEXers to beat it, beat it out of Maine back home!  

Costa Rica Language & Service (CRLS2): Goodbyes are never easy, but with a final send off of ice cream and a delicious meal out on the town, we think there couldn’t be a better way to say “adios.” It was an amazing, 13-day adventure of rainforests, sloths, and beautiful coastline. Now, Emily and Thomas are sending their students home with a bittersweet goodbye and many memories to take home.

California Mountains & Coast A&B (CMC2A&CMC2B): The Golden Gate bridge isn’t the only thing spanning across waters, you betcha these CMC2ers will be staying in touch and holding their hiking memories together forever.  Although these California kiddos had to say goodbye to one another, they had such a fun time reflecting on all of their adventures during Apo-family dinners last night that they are definitely more, “see you laters” than goodbyes. Their lonely days are gone!

Montana Service Adventure (MSA2): It was the first community service pit-stop for these cowboys and cowgirls as they spent the day in Helena working with the Helena Community Garden. They spent their service hours getting down and dirty planting some seedlings in the Montana sunshine. This afternoon they grocery shopped and prepped for the next leg of riding which will take them further north towards the stunning Glacier National Park!

Northwest Explorer (NWX2): These Olympic hikers were not stuck in the middle of the woods today, they were out on the trails startin’ somethin’! Not only did they make it to Lake Angeles and Hurricane Ridge, they were also able to snag some spare service in the back country to send along some epic blog pics. Major kudos for the unexpected photos and excellent effort seen from this group!  

Pacific Coast A (PC2A): Our PCA crew took on their longest distance yet – covering a whopping 49 miles! The group is building up their legs, getting in the swing of the Apogee life, and enjoying coastal views for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Served up with a side of salty ocean air and sunshine? Sounds pretty delicious to us here at the office!

Pacific Coast B (PC2B): Dang! These are some fast riders! Once again, we were blown away to get a text from PCB around NOON their time saying they’ve already made it into camp after riding 50 miles. If they continue riding this quickly they’ll make it to San Francisco by the end of the weekend… (just kidding)  

Scottish Highlands Explorer (SHX2): Our friends over in Scotland enjoyed their first well deserved off day, allowing them a chance to explore the surrounding town of Tyndrum and take care of some essentials. From laundry to resupplying, they thoroughly enjoyed the down time and will wake up in the morning refreshed and ready to take on the next adventure – a night of backcountry camping!

Alps Explorer (AX2): With the AC blasting in the office today we couldn’t help but think of AX as they got up close and personal with the Aletsch glacier this afternoon. Although they had to squint due to the sunshine’s glare off of the impressive ice, they still got to soak in the beautiful views surrounding them and were able to weave in some great trail conversation. They’re looking forward to tackling the TMB tomorrow – won’t stop til they get enough!    

Europe Coast to Coast (ECC): These European cyclers may have had a day off in Bolzano but their groove was not dead and gone! Being in a medieval city, they ensured their beauty sleep before going out and exploring the many exquisite churches and cathedrals. Bolzano has captivated them so much, in fact, that they were unable to send in a photo before hitting the Italian hay. With only a few more days left with one another they’ll really have to start savoring the sights and chats as they continue to ride the boogie tomorrow.

America Coast to Coast 1 (ACC1): P.I.E. – Pretty Impressive Eaters! They got some loving, T.L.C. – tender loving care!  Our pie-sponsored cross country cyclists used the power of the 3.14159…to cross the border into Arizona today and hit the 2,000 mile mark! The ride had some pretty challenging hills but after climbing the Continental Divide yesterday they were more than prepared to take on the AZ ascents. We wonder if they were able to strap on any spare pies to their bike racks for a little afternoon hors d’oeuvre?

America Coast to Coast 2 (ACC2): Forget about zombies and howling monsters, these ACC2ers were thrilled to be in alleged UFO sighting territory during their day off in New Mexico. Besides the heavy amount of napping and refueling that kept these bikers busy, they also spent their day exploring Socorro – a town famous for a flying saucer and alien observance in the 60’s. We hope they had some time to practice their moonwalk!