I cannot believe we have FIVE trips ending today – time flies when you are having fun! It was a day of bittersweet goodbyes, warm hugs, and far-flung travels! 

“How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard” – Winnie the Pooh

TBH (to be honest), this quote made me bat an eye, but my friend Winnie is completely right. Until next time CRM, NWXA, NWXB, NWXC, and PC! Also, hello VLC!

JIC (Just in case) you didn’t get the memo, I’m going to incorporate some acronyms and lingo into today’s blog! Even if you think you are SUPER HIP, I’m hoping I can teach you one thing to impress your tween/teenager.

Skip to a Specific Trip: CI, NEMCA, NEMCB, CRM, CS, DEXA, DEXB, VLCA, VLCB, CRMC, CMC, AKMCA, AKMCB, NWXA, NWXB, NWXC, PC, ACC1, ACC2

Cape Cod & the Islands (CI)

CI’s last full day was spent well with a ferry ride to Boston and an afternoon of touring the city. How SIC (which translates to cool, sweet, awesome)! They celebrated with a final dinner and their final A’s and P’s – wishing them a great night with memories that will last forever! 

What did the fisherman from Boston say to the magician?

Pick a cod, any cod

Ferry ride!

 

New England Mountains & Coast A (NEMCA)

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain! A rainy day won’t get NEMCA down, especially with a shopping trip to the LL Bean Headquarters! Their afternoon included a trip to the bowling alley to see whether Anna or Duncan would walk away with the leader bowling crown. Then they celebrated with a final dinner to commemorate a week’s worth of fun!

You HAVE to get a picture with the boot or it didn’t happen, amiright?

New England Mountains & Coast B (NEMCB)

Someone once told me rain is just confetti from the sky, and I have to wonder if it was for our NEMCB’ers showing off their bowling skills. Let’s talk about TFW (that feeling when) you bowl a strike after previously not hitting a single pin. Following bowling, Savannah, Giuseppe, and co enjoyed their final dinner in Freeport! 

 

Colorado’s Rocky Mountains (CRM)

Last night, CRM celebrated on Pearl Street in Boulder with some tasty Ben and Jerry’s. We hope you enjoyed your time exploring the incredible Colorado mountains, rivers, and everything in between. Wishing you safe travels – au revoir! 

Where’s Waldo? Can you find Harrison? 

Caribbean Service (CS)

And they all exclaim “OMG!” or I imagine CS did as they enjoyed today’s ferry ride with fantastic views of Puerto Rico and El Yunque. They will spend the next several days on Vieques, a Caribbean island off the coast of Puerto Rico. Fun fact: the oldest tree on the island, which is a ceiba tree, is more than 300 years old!

Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEXA)

They drove to Baxter State Park to begin day 1 of their backcountry excursion! Enjoy! On a side note, did you know that Percival P. Baxter was the governor of Maine from 1921 to 1924? He enjoyed fishing and vacationing in the Maine woods throughout childhood and wanted to create a park for people of the State of Maine.

Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEXB)

Jack, Kia, and their stellar crew threw on their rain jackets this morning to hike The Bowl (featuring a lake) and summit Gorham Mountain. Following, they returned to camp to prepare for their sunrise hike tomorrow. ICYMI (in case you missed it), they have unlocked beast mode (which refers to a state of performing difficult activities, with power, skill, or determination).

 

Vermont to Lake Champlain A (VLCA)

Woo hoo! Welcome VLCA! We can’t wait to share about the adventures that Frances, Mikey, and company will go on! We know today promised to be full of introductions, name-games, and the first night of many under the beautiful skies of Vermont. We know this squad will be the GOAT (greatest of all time)!

Vermont to Lake Champlain B (VLCB)

Yay, the time has finally come! Ellie, Miles, and their new biking crew are ready to rock and roll and start their first day of biking tomorrow. Today was filled with get-to-know-you games, introductions, and van games extraordinaire! We hope you sleep well and dream of pastures, maple syrup, and blue skies! Just to note – maple syrup tastes highkey better when in Vermont (“highkey” means “a lot” or “much”, while “lowkey” means “not really” or “secretly”).  

 

Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)

Cue Chasing Waterfalls by TLC… today our lovely leaders Finnegan and Maeve took their crew on a beautiful day hike where we hope they found some waterfalls! YP (Yes please)! Last night they drank fresh squeezed sugar cane juice and ate homemade chocolate and platano maduro (which are cooked bananas)! Also, now that they’ve returned from the ecolodge, we have pictures to share with you!

California Mountains & Coast (CMC)

Getting pumped for the backcountry! Today, CMC was the perfect example of the Apogee’s cardinal rule: 5 P’s (Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance) as they prep for their next couple days exploring Yosemite, which promises to be one of the highlights from the trip! We cannot wait to see all the pictures and remember, our fellow backcountry buddies, LNT (Leave no trace)!

Alaska Mountains & Coast A (AKMCA)

If we were in the time period from 2010 to 2012, we might refer to the Alaskan backcountry as swaggy (very cool), but I would advise using this world sparingly. You could be accused of being cheugy (which means trying too hard or out of date) and I’m trying to help everyone here. Today, Julian, Mandy, and their team returned from the backcountry! Congrats!

Alaska Mountains & Coast B (AKMCB)

Will they see a moose IRL (in real life)? Maybe, since AKMCB is headed to the backcountry tomorrow! Today, they prepped, resupplied, and did laundry (Can I get a woot woot?)! Meg, Zach, and squad, we wish you a charming backcountry expedition!

Northwest Explorer (NWXA)

They grow up so fast! Another day, another amazing group’s time has come to an end. NWXA, we hope you enjoyed your last night exploring the great Seattle and having your final A’s and P’s. Drive and fly safe – adieu! 

TTYL (Talk to you later!)

Northwest Explorer (NWXB)

“Goodbyes are not forever, are not the end; it simply means I’ll miss you until we meet again.” NWXB, we know your leaders Emmaline and Jonathon will miss your laughs, smiles, and company! These memories will last a lifetime and don’t forget about the wonderful hiking GORP (good ol’ raisins and peanuts) you made. Goodbye for now – please take care. 

And to clarify, GORP is more than raisins and peanuts – you can customize it with pretzels, PB M&M’s, cinnamon toast crunch, or pretty much anything else you want!

Northwest Explorer (NWXC)

“Sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful.” — Buddha

I’m 100% sure NWXC got to experience some unbelievable sunsets on this trip of a lifetime. Hoping this crew got some big bear hugs from everyone whom they can now call family. Adios!! 

Pacific Coast (PC)

Biking across the Pacific Coast FTW (for the win)! Last night, PC celebrated their hard work and dedication in San Francisco. We can’t believe the day has come for everyone to leave and we know Ajed, Nellie, and Alex will miss each and everyone dearly. Farewell!  

 

Hang loose!

America Coast to Coast 1 (ACC1)

Rest day and almost halfway done, no cap (totally true, no lie)! After 95 miles yesterday, we expect they had an easygoing and restful Sunday to get those legs ready for tomorrow! We wonder if we have any yogis on this trip to teach the group some stretches (I have an inkling Mark and Grace have something up their sleeve!).

America Coast to Coast 2 (ACC2)

YOLO! (You Only Live Once)! This acronym is definitely fitting for our ACC’ers as they are crushing it in Texas! Nicole, Christian, and their crew biked over 80 miles today and in the lovely picture below, the sun truly illuminates them! I wished I looked this good biking!! Keep up the good work!