It’s Day 11 of the Apogee summer, and we are alllllll over the place doing all sorts of awesome stuff: surfing the Pacific, kayaking in Alaska, eating waffles in Belgium, crossing Canadian borders, the list goes on! Today also marked the end of a handful of trips, with goodbye hugs happening in Colorado, Boston, and Maine.
Skip to a Specific Trip: AKMCA, AKMCB, AXA, AXB, CI, CCM, CRM, CRMC, CS, DEXA, ECC1, ECC2, ECC3, NEMCA, NEMCB, NWX, PC, PMC, VMA, VMB
Alaska Mountains & Coast A (AKMCA)
AKMCA traded land for water early this morning and took off for their overnight kayaking trip. The group launched this morning out of Seward and kayaked along the coast of Resurrection Bay to a beautiful cove. They kept their eyes peeled for glaciers on the peaks and wildlife on the mountain sides. We’re excited to see the photos they return with from their trip!
Alaska Mountains & Coast B (AKMCB)
Our now-experienced backcountry hikers headed back out today! AKMCB embarked this morning on their second and final backpacking section of the trip through the Chugach Range just east of Anchorage. They’ll spend most of their time above the tree line checking out the remarkable views and dipping their toes in the fresh (and cold!) alpine lakes. These fun folks even packed in a pinata for a fun backcountry celebration!
Alps Explorer A (AXA)
Today our Alps Explorers hiked to Lac Blanc (translation: White Lake), which despite its name, is a very blue lake. Qui aurait su? And they capped off their day with some cards and a three-course, homemade French dinner at their refuge! Now, they’re getting some much needed shut-eye after galavanting around the French Alps! Bonne nuit!
Alps Explorer B (AXB)
Today our AXB crew woke up in magical Les Houches and began their day with a stroll up the famous Kandahar ski racing course. Elie, their French accompagnateur, shared facts all day about the local glaciers, flora and fauna, and imparted some historical knowledge about the old farm towns of the region. Today was Day Four of AXB’s Tour du Mont Blanc, and they’re only getting started! We know this crew is stoked to keep crushing kilometers (and hopefully eating kilos of European goodies!). Go, go, go, AXB!
Cape Cod & the Islands (CI)
Today was CI’s final morning together after ten epic days of biking along the Atlantic coastline. This crew shared a teary-eyed goodbye and left with memories of a lifetime!
California’s Coastal Mountains (CCM)
After three nights in the Point Reyes backcountry, our resilient (and possibly smelly) CCM crew emerged from the wilderness! After making their way south of San Fran towards the redwoods outside of Santa Cruz, they were rewarded with some very well-deserved showers and laundry. We’re sure you’re as psyched as we are to see the first photos from their backpacking adventure!
Caribbean Service (CS)
Led by the ever-fearless Will and Kaitlyn, Team CS spent the morning helping to maintain proper drainage at an agricultural research center. After their morning of hard work, they were rewarded with a dip at the Cañón Blanco!
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains (CRM)
Another day, another bittersweet round of goodbyes. This morning, our Colorado Crew went their separate ways, presumably eager to sleep in real beds. Cat, Westen, and Ryan are experiencing what they can only assume is how recently empty-nester parents feel…
Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)
CRMC got to seriously “hang ten” today as they took off for the water and had an amazing surf lesson. Today is their first day in their new digs in Uvita and they are so excited to get to explore a new region of the country. Not only is Uvita right on the water of the Pacific Coast, it is also home to Parque Nacional Marino Ballena – one of the national beaches of Costa Rica! After surfing, they enjoyed pineapple and watermelon… because their day didn’t make us jealous enough already.
Europe Coast to Coast 1 (ECC1)
Dana and Nellie’s crew was back in the saddle today after a fantastic day off of their trusty steeds in Bruges. Feeling rested and rejuvenated, off they cruised along picturesque Belgian canals and south towards the French border. Though they’ve only been in Belgium for a few days, tonight is already their last night in Country #2. Fortunately, today’s ride and tonight’s scenic campground provided them with a fond last impression of Belgium!
Europe Coast to Coast 2 (ECC2)
Does it get any better than a day off in a beautiful European Medieval city with new friends? Ben and Sarah’s ECC team spent the day exploring (and eating their way through) Bruges. A very well-deserved rest day! But all good things must come to an end – back on the saddles tomorrow!
Europe Coast to Coast 3 (ECC3)
Wowza! This fast-pedaling group had quite the challenge day today, overcoming their longest mileage day of the whole trip on just the 3rd day of riding… not to mention they were facing a headwind most of the day, too! Major kudos, ECC3! They left the Netherlands in the rear view, and rode down Napoleonic-era canals during the latter portion of the ride. How cool is that? They have an enchanting day of rest and exploration awaiting them tomorrow, as they’ll head into the heart of Bruges! Well earned and well done, ECC3 – sleep well tonight, and have yourselves a day tomorrow!
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEXA)
Our DEX team is really on the Tour de Maine this trip – after a week and a half of hiking in Acadia and Baxter and backpacking the Appalachian Trail, the cool breezes of the Maine coast were a sight for sore eyes. And maybe for sore legs, too, as they were particularly eager to get away from the bugs in the Northwoods… After preparing for their multi-day kayaking trip that starts tomorrow, they enjoyed a classic campfire and s’mores.
New England Mountains & Coast A & B (NEMCA & NEMCB)
Was it really only nine days ago that both NEMC groups rendezvoused outside of Boston? This would be a great opportunity for a photo montage: nervous drop-offs, summitting Presidential peaks in the White Mountains, rock climbing and repelling, white water rafting, kayaking on the Maine coast, community service projects, and bittersweet goodbyes! It all happened so fast… goodbye, NEMC friends!
Northwest Explorer (NWX)
Today is an epic prep day for our fearless NWX’ers! They got to hop on the ferry and sail the high seas as they made their way from Port Townsend to Coupville. Today, they ferried, they shopped, they laundried, and they drove into the heart of the North Cascades – PHEW! What a jammed packed day. Word on the street is that they are getting stoked about heading out to raft tomorrow. Tomorrow is also their last day before diving into their amazing five-night backpacking loop adventure!
Pacific Coast (PC)
What better way to check-in on our PC group than to hear from our fearless PC support-staffer, Jakob, himself: “Oh, let me tell you about today. Surf day started off with a late wakeup of 7:30 and some choco chip pancakes to get everyone fueled up for shredding the gnar. After a short ride to the beach and a quick lesson from our wonderful surf instructors, the kiddos hit the waves and started shredding. Beach vibes, beach snacks, and beach breeze kept everyone’s stoke meter high. We made some beach art and had an amazing day off the bikes.” Word is that everyone stood up their boards, too.
Pyrenees Mountains and Coast (PMC)
Today PMC took on a splendid day hike with stunning views of some beautiful glacial lakes, two peaks, and a view of their refugi for the night! The crew saw rock formations that were millions of years old, and after their lunch break, this adventurous squad enjoyed a lovely yoga session before hitting the trail again (photo evidence below). From our trip leaders: “Since we’re not cooking in the refugis, our typical cook crew has become “game crew” who plans our activity for the night – last night’s game crew devised an interesting version of team hide and seek, and rumor has it that a murder mystery game is on the horizon tonight.” As they say, work hard, play harder!
Vermont to Montreal A (VMA)
There’s only one first border VM border crossing of the 2023 season…and it’s in the books! Today, our unstoppable VMA team crossed from the US into Canada. If that wasn’t exciting enough, they also casually crushed their biggest day of mileage so far at 36 miles! Word from the leaders is though they opted to send a photo of them with the American flag (but not a Canadian flag), we have been assured that they are eager to fully immerse themselves in Canadian culture and are even practicing their française.
Vermont to Montreal B (VMB)
VMB was back on the saddles today, after a great stop in Burlington. They got a wicked early start in order to beat the heat, and they gobbled up 27 miles today on their way across Lake Champlain to Grand Isle, VT. Tomorrow, they’ll follow in VMA’s footsteps as they make their way up to Canada!
