Time for a take on a classic Apogee pastime…Spotify Roulette. For those unfamiliar with this activity, everybody in the van adds a song to a Spotify playlist. Leaders then shuffle the playlist, play a song, and it is up to everyone to guess who added that particular song. We are going to tweak this round of roulette a bit because, well, we’re not in a van! So, without further ado, we will give you the song, and you get to guess how it relates to the group’s activities. Good luck!
Skip to a Specific Trip: MCJ, CI, NEMCA, NEMCB, CRM, MCCE, NWXA, NWXB, NWXC, PC, ACC1, ACC2
Maine Coast Junior (MCJ)
“I’m gonna soak up the sun
I’m gonna tell everyone to lighten up”
Soak Up the Sun – Sheryl Crow
And soak up the sun is what they did! Trip leaders, Jonathan and Chase, played their own round of Spotify Roulette with the kids on their van ride to the brilliant Acadia National Park, where they went for their first swim of the trip in Echo Lake! Today’s blog photos feature both happy faces and goofy faces – seems like a standard day of blog pics.
Cape Cod & the Islands (CI)
“If there is a load you have to bear
That you can’t carry
I’m right up the road
I’ll share your load
If you just call me”
Lean On Me – Bill Withers
Apogee can’t emphasize enough the importance of healthy food. It’s the fuel that carries our leaders and students through the numerous activities they experience in one day. CI’ers spent the day lending a helping hand at the Island Grown Initiative’s Thimble Farm, a dynamic, regenerative working farm that functions with the goal of making abundant, healthy food available throughout the Island community and teaching climate-friendly practices. After hours of hard work, the group settled down and enjoyed a lunch that included greens and hard-boiled eggs from the farm.
New England Mountains & Coast A (NEMCA)
“Cause baby, there ain’t no mountain high enough
Ain’t no valley low enough,
Ain’t no river wide enough
To keep me from getting to you, baby”
Ain’t No Mountain High Enough – Marvin Gaye
Ain’t no mountain high enough for these NEMC’ers. Way to lean into Day 3 with a solid day hike to the beautiful Frankenstein and Arethusa waterfalls in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. Trip leaders, Anna and Duncan have plenty of hikes planned for you so stay tuned and we’ll see which one you all like best.
New England Mountains & Coast B (NEMCB)
“Send me on my way (On my way)
Send me on my way (On my way)
Send me on my way (On my way)
Mm, hmm, whoo! (On my way)
Ha ha ha”
Send Me On My Way – Rusted Root
Some of you might know this song from the movie Brother Bear, others might know it just for it’s soothing repetition. Either way, it’s the song of the day for NEMCB! One awesome day hike down, two to go! Who knows what trip leaders, Giuseppe and Sav, have in store for you…Will it be Frankenstein Cliffs? Arethusa Falls? Maybe Mt. Willard? Unfortunately cell service isn’t great in the Whites, so we’ll have to wait for more pictures tomorrow!
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains (CRM)
“Woke up this morning
And the first thing I did see
Was mountains rising to the sky
On every side of me
Waterfalls, canyon walls
Windy down on main street”
Colorado Bluebird Sky – The String Cheese Incident
What a view! CRM had an early morning where they packed up camp and headed off to Estes Park. They had an awesome day hike off of Trail Ridge Road and stopped at the Alpine Visitor Center. It looks like there are mountains rising to the sky on every side of them. The song speaks the truth!
Maine Coast College Essay (MCCE)
“Staring at the blank page before you
Open up the dirty window
Let the sun illuminate the word that you could not find
Reaching for something in the distance
So close you can almost taste it
Release your inhibitions
Feel the rain on your skin
No one else can feel it for you
Only you can let it in”
Unwritten – Natasha Bedingfield
That’s right! MCCE is doing ALL of this. Let’s break it down. Staring at the blank page before them…pretty self-explanatory. Opening up the dirty window (of their awesome yurt). Let the sun illuminate the word that you could not find (cough, cough writing extraordinaire Leah is the sun and her advice in the sessions today was golden). Reaching for something in the distance, so close you can almost taste it (keep stretching your minds, the ideas will all click soon). Release your inhibitions, feel the rain on your skin (rain…ocean…same thing. MCCE dipped their toes in the water after a long day of essay revisions and community service with the Brunswick-Topsham Land Trust). No one else can (write) it for you MCCE, only you can let it in.
Northwest Explorer (NWXA)
“Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods yet?
Are we out of the woods?
Out of the Woods – Taylor Swift
Maybe our favorite quote of the day, this is likely a thought that has crossed through the minds of NWXA. Because after all, backpacking is hard! But it sure is worth the challenge to experience the beauty of Olympic National Park. Still no photos from them, but that’s the way it should be when you’re on Day 14 amid the majestic peaks of the Olympics!
Northwest Explorer (NWXB)
“But I would walk five hundred miles
And I would walk five hundred more
Just to be the man who walked a thousand miles
To fall down at your door”
I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) – The Proclaimers
How many miles did NWXB cover today?
A) 500 miles B) 50 miles C) 5 miles D) 5.7 miles
If you picked A, you are wrong. But thank you for playing along! NWXB spent their day hiking a solid 5.7 miles to their next backcountry campsite. Still no photos from this spritely crew due to the limited access to any sort of signal, but imagine them marching along, arms on their backpack straps, screaming “Da-da da da!” from the top of their lungs.
Northwest Explorer (NWXC)
“These boots are made for walkin’
And that’s just what they’ll do
One of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you”
These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ – Nancy Sinatra
Rain boots? No. Cowboy boots? No. Hiking boots? Yep. Indeed. These NWXC’ers were made for walking, and that’s just what they did. Another gorgeous backcountry jaunt through the Northern Cascades under their belts. Can’t wait to see all your wonderful photos and smiling faces once you’re out of the backcountry.
Pacific Coast (PC)
“Life is a highway
I wanna ride it all night long
If you’re going my way
Well, I wanna drive it all night long”
Life Is A Highway – Rascal Flatts
On the road again…psych! Every once in a while, one of your kiddos will play a song that’s a total curveball and everyone in the van has to work just a bit harder to figure out who the song choice belongs to. In this case, PC squad was not on the highway and had a lovely day off the bikes as they spent the morning cleaning up trash on a nearby beach and along a hiking trail. They also managed to fit in a swim at a beautiful swimming hole!. Play Hotel California by The Eagles if you feel cheated.
Nothing like having a trash-pickup competition on your rest day.
Hiiii, Nellie & Alex!
America Coast to Coast 1 (ACC1)
“Look out new world here we come
Brave, intrepid and then some
Pioneers of maximum
Audacity whose resumes
Show that we are just the team
To live where others merely dream
Building up a head of steam
On the trail we blaze”
The Trail We Blaze – The Road to El Dorado Soundtrack – Elton John
Welcome to El Dorado, Arkansas! It takes a special team to do what others merely dream. ACC1 you’re all trailblazers on this massive endeavor. Congrats on the last 50 miles you covered! Enjoy your rest day tomorrow. You’ve all earned it!
America Coast to Coast 2 (ACC2)
“Don’t stop me, don’t stop me
Don’t stop me, hey, hey, hey
Don’t stop me, don’t stop me
Ooh, ooh, ooh, I like it
Don’t stop me, don’t stop me
Have a good time, good time
Don’t stop me, don’t stop me, ah”
Don’t Stop Me Now – Queen
Well, no one stopped them. ACC2 covered an astounding 93 miles today from Kosciusko, Mississippi to Hollandale, Mississippi – which included a head wind! That’s like half of Mississippi! Holy Hollandale! Why did no one stop them? Cause they were having such a good time. They were having a ball.
