Helllllllo to all! Boy oh boy have we had a jam-packed day in the Apoverse today. From a visit to Showerworld, to befriending chickens and rabbits, to hoofing it into Espot, these adventurers are making memories near and far! Read on hear for the delicious deets of trips in the field today:
Skip to a Specific Trip: AKMCA, AKMCB, CCM, CI, CRMC, CS, DEX, ECC1, ECC2, ECC3, IMC, NWX, PC, PMC, VMA, VMB
Alaska Mountains & Coast A (AKMCA)
AKMCA has now reached Chugach State Park, known to be one of the most beautiful areas of the whole loop! Today, they trekked along beautiful, rugged mountain sides to the lakes, where they got the opportunity to treat their feet to a good soak and relax in camp. Mother nature seems to keep her best treasures well guarded, so we will all have to wait patiently for AKMCA to emerge from the backcountry to get an eyeful of what they’re getting to see out there today!
Alaska Mountains & Coast B (AKMCB)
Today our intrepid AKMCB squad geared up to hit the slopes – and we’re not talking skiing. We’re talking ice climbing! On what is always one of the most memorable days on our Alaska trips, this crew took on both a glacier hike and ice climbing today, resulting in some incredible views and a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This lucky crew also had the chance to pick up some mail from their loved ones back home! Tomorrow, they’ll head on over to Anchorage for a day of relaxation and preparation for their upcoming backcountry section.
California’s Coastal Mountains (CCM)
Ooh baby, it’s time for some backcountry adventures! CCM dove into their backcountry portion in Point Reyes National Seashore today, starting at one of the best campsites on trip, replete with incredible views, perfect tent sites, and even an incredible waterfall. A tough act to follow, but we’ve heard that the rest of the backcountry section has even more treasures in store! We can’t wait to see all the photos they’ll share when they’re back in service!
Cape Cod & the Islands (CI)
It has come time to say goodbye to our wonderful CI2 group! After ten days of cycling, camping, and making amazing memories, this crew parted ways this morning, but not without plenty of goodbye hugs and high-fives. Though their time on trip is over, we know this group is off to do great things – see you soon, CI2!
Caribbean Service (CS)
Our hard-working CS group had their first full day in Utuado today, and they wasted no time getting down to business! They spent a full day today working with Apoyo Mutuo Agricola, an organization that helps out small farms all around Puerto Rico. They covered fields as part of sustainable agriculture practices, met goats, chickens, and rabbits, made fertilizer, dug holes for flowers, and cleaned animal pens – wowie! They took a well-deserved dip in a local water hole before heading back home. They’ll continue their work tomorrow, plus get to explore some of the awesome sights Utuado has to offer!
Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)
For their last day in San Gerardo de Rivas, our CRMC squad played an intense football match, as demonstrated by their impressive (and intimidating) game-day garb. After their heated match, they had the opportunity to get some laundry done and make some tantalizing guacamole, served beautifully in the “Guacamole Gauntlet.” Tomorrow, they get to head out to everyone’s favorite place – Rainforest Adventure Center Expeditions!
Europe Coast to Coast 1 (ECC1)
Another day, another country down for ECC1! This squad crossed yet another border today, this time into Austria, marking their fifth country of the trip. ECC1 also hit another big milestone today as they crushed the second-longest ride of the trip (and their longest remaining day until Venice) at 72 miles! All those miles took them down beautiful farm roads and over rolling hills as they soaked up their first taste of a brand new country.
Europe Coast to Coast 2 (ECC2)
I think some cake may be in order, because it’s Black Forest day for ECC2! These unstoppable cyclists ate their climb out of camp for breakfast today (not literally, of course – there’s no protein in that!). Following the climb, this worldly group cruised along some of Europe’s most beautiful bike paths through Germany’s most famous forest. Once in camp, they hit the hay early to rest up for another big day tomorrow – look out, Austria, here they come!
Europe Coast to Coast 3 (ECC3)
ECC3 took a well deserved rest day in Schiltach, starting the day off with a visit to the one and only Showerworld! After using campground showers for so long, Showerworld was like living in the lap of luxury, and made it hard to leave to explore the rest of Schiltach! After their day of rest, everyone is itching to get their wheels moving again tomorrow to finally hit the Alps!!
Iceland Mountains & Coast (IMC)
Our IMC explorers are back in Reykjavik! After a full day of transit back to the city and lunch along the way, the crew relaxed in camp with some good ol’ fashioned frisbee time, trampoline time, and a quick walking tour around their campground. Tomorrow, they’ll get the unforgettable experience of visiting Iceland’s famous Blue Lagoon, as well as plenty of time to explore Reykjavik before their final dinner together!
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEX)
Our DEX squad left Acadia today to head to Bangor and prep for their backcountry adventure, but not before an awesome hike on Flying Mountain! The fog cleared just for our DEX-ers and they got to enjoy a misty, mysterious view of the ocean. The crew is going to go over how to properly pack backpacking packs (say that five times fast!) at camp this evening and enjoy a tasty dinner. Yahoo!
Northwest Explorer (NWX)
That’s all, folks! After a truly incredible 20 days of hiking together, our NWX crew parted ways this morning. We couldn’t be more proud of all this group accomplished together!
Pacific Coast (PC)
And so PC’s tale comes to an end! This accomplished crew said their goodbyes to one another this morning after an amazing evening of good food and great memories in San Francisco. It feels like just yesterday we were wishing them luck as they touched down in Eugene – the time really does fly! Safe travels, PC1!
Pyrenees Mountains and Coast (PMC)
Today marks the halfway point for PMC, and boy has this group made the most of the first half! Today, they packed up camp and hoofed it from Port de la Selva to hit Espot in the mountains. The group entertained themselves with a game of mega extreme Spotify roulette on their travels by foot. They explored Espot, did some much needed laundry, and hung out at the camp pool for a while. They even got a special surprise visit from Apogee legend Jack, who stopped by to take some photos of the crew!
Vermont to Montreal A (VMA)
Today our VMA cruisers had their longest ride of the trip so far- a hearty 28 miles to the outskirts of Burlington! They voyaged past a plethora of cornfields and wheatfields, and even saw a few cows (Ben & Jerry’s producers, maybe?!). These speed demons were able to set up camp before the rain started. They ate some yummy grub, listened to great music together and played a game or two of baloney sandwich once settling in to camp. They’ll be on their way to Burlington tomorrow!
Vermont to Montreal B (VMB)
Our VMB all-stars sailed into Middlebury today! They crushed 17 miles easy peazy lemon squeezy, took a tour around town, and rode into camp for the evening. The crew rounded off their day with a scrumptious dinner, and will soon be heading to dreamland next to a peaceful river under the stars. These cyclists will surely dream about their big ride into Shelburne tomorrow… Sleep tight, VMB!
