We love Day 5. For many of our trips in the field, these next days are the sweet spot. The nervousness of trip beginnings (new faces, new places, new names) peels away and gives over to what Apogee is all about. Our Apogee students have made new friends, they are doing incredible things, and they are loving it — the photos speak for themselves!
Skip to a Specific Trip: AKMCA, AKMCB, AXA, AXB, CCM, CI, CRM, CRMC, CS, DEXA, MCCE, MCJ, NEMCA, NEMCB, NWX, PC, PMC, VMA, VMB
Alaska Mountains & Coast A (AKMCA)
Today our AKMCA’ers hiked the glorious Mt. Baldy and ate lunch at the summit. They had a “true Alaska moment” by having a snowball fight at the summit… in June! After hiking back down, they’re using this afternoon to get prepped for their upcoming backcountry backpacking section.
Look at those amazing views! Not to mention Leader Alex’s sweet hat…
Alaska Mountains & Coast B (AKMCB)
Team Alaska took to the sea today, kayaking to their campsite for the night in Resurrection Bay. Looked to be an awesome paddle, with an eerie fog surrounding the mountains — weather that seems fit for a place named Resurrection Bay. After camping there tonight, the group will paddle back to Seward in the morning. Lookin good, AKMC!
Alps Explorer A (AXA)
Ze Matterhorn! AXA shredded their way over to Riffelalp, the (ze) great Matterhorn looming in the background (it is the backdrop of every photo!). The stunning views coupled with some fun and entertaining riddles and trail games made for an epic day of hiking. We are jealous of their picture perfect weather!
Alps Explorer B (AXB)
AXB started off their morning in a manner perfectly befitting the European countryside — breakfast with goats grazing a few feet away. Fueled up, the group started hiking the Sunnega trail right outside of Zermatt, taking in views of the Matterhorn and the surrounding mountains. For lunch, they stopped at Lake Leisee (you should look it up – it’s stunning), before trekking back down to meet up with AXA for some good ole’ hangin’ out and games.
California’s Coastal Mountains (CCM)
‘Yak ‘yak ‘yakkin’! Kayaking, that is… CCM took in the beautiful views of the coast from their boats today, as they cruised through Tomales Bay together. Word from leader Zach is that it was an awesome day out on the water, and they’ve got the photos to prove it! We also hear that there was a sweet birthday celebration to be had today – and they’ll top it all off with a chance at seeing some bioluminescence in the water tonight. This blog writer is jealous!
Cape Cod & the Islands (CI)
Nantucket day, let’s gooooooo! These young Cape Codders took their biking talents over to Nantucket for the day. After ferrying there this morning, they had a beautiful ride to the beach, as well as some ice cream “biking incentive.” They took an evening ferry back to Martha’s Vineyard where they will settle back into camp for some dinner and evening fun.
We love a good stair photo… with the classic Cape Cod shingles, too!
Are all those pizzas for you, leader Otto?
Caribbean Service (CS)
Bienvenidos a Puerto Rico, servicio Caribeo! Today our Caribbean Service students touched down in San Juan, then made their way east to their accommodations in the beachside down of Luquillo! Already looking forward to seeing pics of them mid-service project tomorrow! Vamonos, CS!
Getting dinner ready at the house!
Sneaking in with a pic just before press time – our flight delay warriors! Welcome to PR!
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains (CRM)
CRM saw four golfers on their Ute Trail hike today! What’s that? Oh. Sorry. CRM saw four GOPHERS on their Ute Trail hike today. It was a beautiful day, and they enjoyed some great views as they ate lunch out there. After the hike, they drove over to their new campsite and settled down for some dinner and games. All is well on the Western Front!
Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)
Costa Rica, here we come! Today our CRMC’ers touched down in the beautiful country of Costa Rica. After some homemade burritos at the airport (courtesy of leaders Maddie and Charlie), our group set off towards the Pacific Coast and the lush Manuel Antonio National Park, where they’ll begin their adventure with their first hike. Bienvenidos, CRMC!
Maine Coast College Essay (MCCE)
MCCE took a trip to the foggy Pemaquid Point last night and wrote essays with the ghosts there (apparently the ghosts were unhelpful — they kept telling them to write on “light refraction” and “nautical calibration”). Being in such a historical spot, the group talked some about Maine history, as well as the current challenges the Wabanaki people experience in the state. Today, they wrote more and did peer edits, followed by an afternoon visit at Bates with admissions officer Jared (pictured below), and some ice cream “writing incentive” (also pictures below). The evening promises a delicious dinner and a birthday celebration! Woo!
Maine Coast Junior (MCJ)
Hiking and biking?! This group can do it all! MCJ hopped on some bikes today to maximize their exploration of Acadia. They rode on the famous carriage roads in the park, taking in the landscape and the great weather. They celebrated a day well spent with some ice cream (and super cool hats, apparently!).
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEXA)
Acadia day! Woot woot! The DEX group today summited not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 summits in Acadia today, 7 miles total! It was a foggy day, but this group made the most of it. And after a long day of hiking, nothing hits the spot quite like pizza. They plan to do a hike up Cadillac Mountain early tomorrow morning (the first spot the sun hits on the East coast when it rises) – can’t wait to see pics of that, too!
New England Mountains & Coast A (NEMCA)
Another day in the White Mountains means another beautiful hike. Today the group conquered Glenn Boulder (conquered is a loose term; as you can see, not much progress was made in moving Glenn). The hike was long and steep, but very rewarding. In the words of one of the campers, “this is probably the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life.” No, this blogger isn’t crying, you are. We await tomorrow’s report with excitement!
New England Mountains & Coast B (NEMCB)
Today, your NEMCB kiddos climbed and repelled down the Cathedral Ledge in Echo Lake State Park. Super gnarly, dude! They will do a hike this afternoon before a tasty dinner and s’mores for dessert. Tomorrow they take to the Magalloway River for some whitewater rafting. Sounds like endless fun to us!
Northwest Explorer (NWX)
Our NWX new arrivals touched down in Seattle today, ready to take on not one, but two national parks over the course of the next three weeks. Hooray for new friends and adventures aplenty (and airport photos)!
Pacific Coast (PC)
Our PC platoon assembled in Eugene today, where they met their trip mates and leaders and played some introductory games before driving out to the beautiful Oregon coast to camp for the evening. They’ll begin their long journey south tomorrow; but first, there are tents to assemble, bike safety to review, and a big, tasty dinner to consume! One more sleep before the adventure truly begins – and we can’t wait to tag along for the ride! No pic today, as our fine crew is still getting settled as we hit press time here on the east coast, but no doubt we’ll see their smiling faces tomorrow!
Pyrenees Mountains and Coast (PMC)
Today, our crew of positively perfect PMC’ers transited from Sitges to Port de La Selva (which translates to “port of the jungle”…cool) in the northeast corner of Spain’s Catalonia region. The group hit the beach in the afternoon for some volleyball and a cartwheel clinic. Tomorrow they will explore the town and go on a hike (to the jungle?! Stay tuned…).
Bump, set, SPIKE!
Vermont to Montreal A (VMA)
En avant vers Montréal! VMA crushed a 22-mile bike ride today, one of the hardest days of the trip! They went through beautiful farmland, under a covered bridge, and over rolling hills. Lunch was had in a gazebo before pushing on to their campsite. Needless to say, this group earned their dinner and rest tonight!
Vermont to Montreal B (VMB)
VMB had a cool 15-mile ride today from Lake Catherine to Lake Bomoseen. Along the way, they stopped for some of Vermont’s famous apple cider donuts, a welcome mid-trip snack. According to our sources on the ground, they crushed the ride. This is looking to be a fun and capable group!
