It was another big day out there, folks! While it’s the grand finale for some of our Apogee adventures, others are just starting their journeys! Our incredible trips are squeezing every last drop of adventure out of their days – from dance parties while doing service, to eating gelato in the high mountains, we know the smiles were big today.
Skip to a Specific Trip: AKMCA, AKMCB, AXA, AXB, CCM, CRMC, CS, DEXA, ECC1, ECC2, ECC3, IMC, MCP, NEMC, NWX, PC, PMC, VMA, VMB
Alaska Mountains & Coast A (AKMCA)
After their amazing ice climbing adventure yesterday, AKMCA spent some quiet time on a very peaceful, sunny beach this morning, then headed back to Anchorage to enjoy the rest of their last day in Alaska! They did a little souvenir shopping before heading to their final dinner, where they celebrated and reflected on the crazy, profound, and wonderful experiences they’ve shared over the past 12 days. It’s hard to believe the journey is coming to an end!
Alaska Mountains & Coast B (AKMCB)
AKMCB rounded out the final day of their adventures together by participating in a group community service project at Bragaw Community Food Forest with the Anchorage Parks and Recreation department! The crew weeded paths and placed mulch to help make the public areas of Anchorage beautiful for future visitors – thanks for doing your part, friends! They then spent the afternoon playing games in an Anchorage park before heading off to their final dinner together, where they will celebrate all the exciting memories they’ll take with them when they journey back home. What a way to round out a trip!
Alps Explorer A (AXA)
AXA crushed a big hike today! They finally crested the epic Mont Blanc massif as they trekked to their next campsite near Les Chepieux. They had a wild experience feeling like modern day pilgrims with a quick stop to fill up on water and take a break at Notre-Dame de la Gorge, an old pilgrimage chapel high up in the mountains! Unfortunately, they did not have adequate cell reception to send us photos of their presumably incredible vistas today, so we will have to wait (with bated breath) until tomorrow to see what they got up to.
Alps Explorer B (AXB)
After days of getting after it in the alps, AXB finally gave their killer legs a bit of a break by sleeping in a little! However, a day on an Apogee trip would not be complete without adventure, and AXB held true by spending the day exploring the gorgeous town of Courmayeur. They even got to watch the GTC race, an epic 100km race through the alps with an insane 8,000 meter elevation gain. Our explorers cheered the participants through the finish line between bites of gelato!
California’s Coastal Mountains (CCM)
With CCM winding down, they spent their last full day doing service in Half Moon Bay, doing important work to keep the park accessible and in ship shape for lots more people to visit and enjoy! Rumor has it there was even an impromptu dance party! In the afternoon, they descended upon the great city of San Francisco for an evening on the town. They explored the city and had a ball with their last night, chowing down on some classic San Fran cuisine for final dinner! We’ll just pretend for now that the trip isn’t ending tomorrow and that it will go on forever!
Caribbean Service (CS)
This group had another gorgeous, sunny day of beach cleanup service with Fundació Surfrider Rincón! Afterwards, they celebrated their hard work with some well-earned ice cream before heading back to their house to play group games in and out of the pool. The group thoroughly enjoyed their second to last full day together! And just look at all that trash they removed – well done CS!
Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)
CRMC is officially the most relaxed (and flexible?) group we have out in the field! They had another blissful morning of yoga, which we’ve heard the group loves. Then they went on a mountain hike and made their way into their rainforest accommodations, RACE, where they got to settle into life in the trees and get to make chocolate! In the late afternoon the group planted fruit trees, relaxed some more in a sauna, and got a Costa Rica history and culture lesson. What a day all around!
Europe Coast to Coast 1 (ECC1)
ECC1 had an epic day of riding today! They tackled some wild hills in the hot French countryside, so they cooled off during their water breaks with some well-deserved icy popsicles. Luckily, what goes up must come down – after cranking up big hills they were always rewarded with a downhill cruiser to enjoy! The day was capped with an especially looong hill descending straight into Vincelles, where they got to switch to a beautifully flat, manicured bike path that delivered them right to camp where they received the best reward of all after a long day of riding: rest and relaxation!
Europe Coast to Coast 2 (ECC2)
Holy rolling hills, Batman! ECC2 flowed through a day full of rolling hills in the French countryside, passing through many tiny towns with old farmhouses and interesting architecture. They were so deep in the countryside that cars were a rare occurrence, so they got to enjoy a quiet ride for the day! Today’s route measured a full century of kilometers, so this group celebrated with some tasty, refreshing ice cold popsicles, just like ECC1. Only one more day of riding lies between this crew and their day off in beautiful Paris!
Europe Coast to Coast 3 (ECC3)
Today, ECC3 spent their morning cruising along beautifully flat canals that brought some welcome cool air to the crew! The canals delivered them straight into France (can I get a baguette, s’il vous plaît?), where the canals gave way to rolling hills on cobblestone paths! Their panniers and bungees proved to be cobblestone-proof, so ECC3 made quick work of them before making it to camp early and enjoying a pleasant afternoon under some shady trees.
Iceland Mountains & Coast (IMC)
Drumroll, please! The long-awaited day has finally arrived as this intrepid Apogee crew journeyed to Iceland! Everyone finally got to meet their new partners in exploration for the next almost two weeks, and the group played some games to get to know one another and settle into camp. They even got their first taste of Icelandic coastal life by exploring the wharf in Grindavik just outside of their very first campsite for the night! We can’t wait to see all the adventures (and beautiful scenery) these lucky few will encounter over the next few days!
Maine Coast Photo (MCP)
Today is the day! Our brilliant photographers got to say hello for the first time and then scooted out to get comfy in their new yurt homes! After some awesome get to you know and name games, the group dove into cooking up a tasty dinner and talking about what they are most excited about around photography. Tomorrow, their have their first full day with their photography instructor, Brian, and we can’t wait to hear what they get up to!
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEXA)
After a magical three days on the water, DEX reluctantly paddled back to the mainland, packed up, and made their way back south to Brunswick. However, despite the long faces about the idea of wrapping up their trip, spirits were high as they made their way into Freeport for their Final Dinner to celebrate the magical trip they just embarked on! Tonight, they will snuggle into their tents and sleeping bags, and dream of all of the awesome memories made over the past twelve days.
New England Mountains & Coast (NEMC)
Woohoo, day 1 has finally arrived for our New England Mountains and Coasters! Everyone got to meet their new friends for the next 10 days and they’re all so excited to start exploring the wilderness of the northeast. They played lots of fun new Apogee games to get to know each other and have some fun, then tomorrow they’ll begin their journey in even more earnest by traveling to the White mountains!
Northwest Explorer (NWX)
Today was a beautiful one for NWX! They are deep in the backcountry, enjoying the pace of trail life, singing trail songs, and making amazing meals. They passed by epically clear lakes, pristine streams, and (we’re sure) thousands of wildflowers. We are so excited to see those blog photos when they come out on Wednesday!
Pacific Coast (PC)
After becoming acquainted with their bikes for over a week, PC got a well deserved service / rest day! They worked with a local nonprofit tasked with conserving the natural diversity of the Northern California coastal environments. Their service leader, Dante, led them in cleaning up the sand dunes and keeping the beaches as they should be – pristine refuges from busy civilization.
Pyrenees Mountains and Coast (PMC)
This morning, PMC descended from the great Pyrenees mountains into the exciting destination city Barcelona! Today is their last full day together (say it ain’t so!), so they spent the day exploring the city and taking in the history and the beautiful architecture, not to mention the delicious local foods! (And just LOOK at those matching Apo shirts – we love!)
Vermont to Montreal A (VMA)
Today is the last day with our VMA crew and we could just about cry! They had a great last day exploring Montreal together, checking out the Old Port and conducting a systematic analysis and subsequent intellectual debate on whether Montreal bagels truly are as good as New York bagels. They capped the day off with a feast of a final dinner out on the town, then retired to their hostel for some memorable final festivities together before they travel back home tomorrow!
Vermont to Montreal B (VMB)
There’s no better way to end an amazing journey than a day out in wonderful Montreal! After biking approximately 213.5 miles over the last few days (but who’s counting?), this group enjoyed some well deserved rest, plus an opportunity to explore the beautiful city of Montreal. After seeing sights such as Notre Dame and grabbing a few souvenirs to commemorate their trip, the crew had a lovely picnic lunch in park just off of Old Town Montreal. The city continued to spoil them as music filled the streets as today just so happened to be the first day of the Montreal Jazz Festival! After exploring the city to their heart’s content, students returned to the hostel before enjoying one last dinner and celebrating the amazing accomplishment that was this journey together.
