Day 1: Ready, Set, Go! A New Summer of Apo Adventure-15.0!

By: Gracie Wright

Ahoy there, mateys!! The fifteenth summer of Apogee trips is now upon us, and it is now time to unfurl those sails, clear off the deck, and get those trusty telescopes out because we have a full summer of fun and adventure to look out for as the good ship Apogee sets sail! As one of the newest additions to the office for the summer, I will be helping our dedicated office staff in delivering the latest updates about all 53 (!!) of our trips on the Apogee blog. This last day of June marks three trip starts – the beginning of our two Coast to Quebec trips in Maine, our Caribbean Service Adventure down in Puerto Rico, and the first of our iconic America Coast to Coast trips! So, without further ado, let’s say “Hello,” “Bienvenue,” and “Hola!” to our four trips that swung into action today!

Caribbean Service Adventure (CSA1): First of all, congratulations to this crew for submitting the first Apogee blog picture of 2016!!!! Muchas gracias! The Puerto Rico airport certainly looks a lot brighter with all of those smiling and (soon to be) sun-kissed faces! They have a fun evening ahead of them in the hills above the town of Utuado where they’ll settle in and get ready for their first day of service tomorrow. We can’t wait to hear about how their day in the beautiful Tanama Valley goes!

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All 12 arrived safe and sound-can you spot our fearless leaders Sam and Zach?
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Killing the selfie game already!

Coast to Quebec A (CQ1A): Leaders Kadin and Emily, experienced Apogee alums themselves, got to meet this fun batch of kids this afternoon! They will be diving right into their summer of biking with a quick ride in Freeport. Perhaps a lesson in learning Canada’s national anthem will occur once they make it to camp?? Oh, Canada! Here they come!!

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Smiles like these+those awesome colors=a summer of success (and mad props for photography! Credit to the lovely Kelly!)

Coast to Quebec B (CQ1B): Meanwhile….. lucky leaders Jess and Michael were also greeting their own batch of rockstars this sunny afternoon in Freeport! This group looks like they are just itching to get on those bikes-watch out Quebec, because they will be coming for you, aussi

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Looks like those safety flags are all attached-that means fun times ahead for this crew!!

America Coast to Coast 1 (ACC1): And finally, we have the first of two ceremonial starts to our six-week journey that is America Coast to Coast down in Charleston. Awesomely Courageous and Capable (get it? ACC…!) leaders Abby and West got things going on the South Carolina beach this afternoon. Be prepared: you will get chills looking at the excitement in this group as they embark on the summer of a lifetime. Also note the equally excited grin on Support Staff Alex’s (aka Doig, Doig-Master, the Doigatron, etc.) face as he starts this journey with the ACC gang. Two days from now we will get to see the second group dip their back tires into the Atlantic waters of the South Carolina coast. Stay tuned for some great adventures from these cross country crews!

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Can’t you just smell the sea salt? This group looks ready to get their feet (and tires!) wet.
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The first dip!
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The amp is high, just like how high they’re hoisting those tires!
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Abby, Doig, and West in red, white, and blue-what a crew!
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Photo credits to these two – ACC2 leaders Lucy and Zack (aka Dixie). Only two days until it’s their turn!

Today was just a warm-up to the record-setting 18 trip starts we have tomorrow – from California, to Edinburgh, to Costa Rica, to Geneva, and lots and lots of places in between! Check back in tomorrow for Day 2 of another great summer with Apogee!