By: Hannah Gensheimer and Emily O’Connell
It’s was a very quiet Sunday here in the Apogee office today as almost every single trip has arrived to their final destination, and the majority of the groups spent their day exploring amazing cities around the world (ahem, Geneva. Ahem, Boston. Ahem, San Francisco. Ahem, Portland. Ahem, Seattle…). This means no more bike shorts, backpacks or hiking boots for many of our kids (unless they so decided to rock their bike shorts around Montreal?). And while the final full day always comes with a little bit of sadness, we know that our students are enjoying their time with new friends that they’ll have for a long time to come. And without further ado, let’s see what some of the crews are up to!
Cape Cod and the Islands (CI3):
After a big breakfast at their hostel this morning, Kevin and Alyssa’s crew headed out to explore Boston. They started their day at Frog Pond in Boston Commons then spent the rest of the day exploring the city. These guys can’t believe that today was their final day together and are celebrating their trip with a dinner out tonight!
New England Mountain’s and Coast (NEMC3):
This group of New England hikers is out of the water and off the mountains today. For their community service this trip, these guys are working in the community garden for the Mid Coast Hunger Prevention Program here in Brunswick. Tomorrow Isa and Aaron’s group is back on the water for sea kayaking and their final full day together in Portland.
A couple 2014 CI-ers with their past leader, Emily!
Vermont to Montreal (VM3):
After a long ride into the city yesterday, these cyclists hopped off their bikes and got to be tourists for the day. They spent the day wondering a beautiful city full of European influenced food and sites. Tonight they will celebrate the ending of their thirteen days together with a dinner out at a restaurant; hopefully they will enjoy some poutine! Here are a couple kids hanging out at the hostel before dinner tonight.
California Mountain’s and Coast (CMC3):
Matt and Midge’s group hit the beach today for their surfing lesson. They learned some techniques for carving and then got to all try it out for a few hours. This afternoon the group got to explore the big city of San Francisco. They checked out the ocean life at the piers and then the chocolate at Ghirardelli!
Caribbean Service Adventure (CSA3):
For their last full day together, Thomas and Emily’s group left their Vieques casa and headed to Old San Juan where they spent the afternoon exploring a city filled with history. They checked out the 500-year old walls, wandered the winding streets and bought a trinket or two to bring home. Tonight they will celebrate the end of their trip with a dinner out on the town.
Coast to Quebec (CQA & B):
Welcome back to the US! Today our Rosa and Kirk and Zack and Kate’s group made their way across the border, south bound this time and headed back to Maine for their trip end. Time flew for these guys, who spent the last 15 days biking along the beautiful Maine coast and then north to Quebec City. We hope you guys all had a great trip!
CQ2B looking fly for the last dinner!
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEX3):
After conquering Mt. Katahdin, the highest mountain in Maine, these guys can wrap up their trip feeling truly proud of their accomplishments. Today is these guys last full day together and they will celebrate with an evening in Portland! John and Erinn’s group will spend tonight reminiscing about all the great times they had on their last twelve days together.
Montana Service Adventure (MSA2):
Welcome to Whitefish, Montana! After cycling hundreds of miles, and volunteering with some amazing individuals throughout the state, our crew gets to explore this incredibly cool western town on foot. After the crew slept in and enjoyed a big breakfast, they spent the day checking out cool shops, enjoying a picnic lunch in the park, and are looking forward to a delicious meal out on the town tonight. Hopefully they’ll get some scrumptious BBQ of the wild, wild west!
Northwest Explorer (NWX2):
Becca and Will’s group couldn’t be happier to enjoy their final day exploring Seattle! After a few days on the water, they will be exploring their final day in the land of coffee, hipsters, and rain. However, it’s all sunshine today for this crew, and they are looking forward to taking in the sights and devouring a dinner out tonight. And even though their kayaking portion of their trip is over, they still found a way to get crafty at the local REI.
Pacific Coast A (PC2A):
Ahh – nothing like a classic, San Francisco day filled with morning fog, a trip to the Ghirardelli factory, and plenty of time checking out Fisherman’s Wharf. Yes, ladies and gents, after nearly three weeks of riding, it’s safe to say these cycling rock stars have earned an incredible day of sightseeing and a big meal out on the town tonight.
Pacific Coast B (PC2B):
It’s PC2B’s final full day as a group, and they’re sure taking advantage of their time together as well as their time in San Francisco. Today the group got to sleep in a little bit before exploring the gorgeous city. They made their way around Fisherman’s Wharf, had a picnic lunch, and they are of course looking forward to dinner out tonight. After an amazing couple weeks, it’ll be a hard, bittersweet goodbye tomorrow.
Alps Explorer A (AX2A):
Wow – how time flies! We can barely believe it’s Noah and Emma’s last full day with their group. And what better place to spend it than in Geneva. The group took in some of the sights today, including the Palace of Nations, and hung out by the lake where there was a big carnival! Tonight they celebrated their amazing hiking adventure with a delicious meal out tonight.
Alps Explorer B (AX2B):
With only one day left, these hikers really showed us how to have fun around Geneva! They’ve worked hard over the past 19 days, and now they’re ready to kick their feet up and enjoy the beautiful city. Tonight they dined out and looked back on the adventures they experienced together over the past few weeks.
