Not that we need any particular reminder, being in the young-adult adventure business and all, but today presented us with several tangible reminders of what we’re all capable of when we put our minds to it. Whether it was a sunrise hike, finishing your 50-mile ride before lunch, or completing a hike that you couldn’t have dreamed of two months ago, today was a great day for Apogee Mind Over Apogee Matter.
Skip to a Specific Trip: MCJ, CI, NEMCA, NEMCB, CRMA, CS, MCCE, DEXA, DEXB, VMA, VMB, CRLS, CRMC, CMCA, CMCB, NWXA, NWXB, PCA, PCB, PMC, AXA, AXB, ECC, ACC1, ACC2
Maine Coast Junior (MCJ)
Trip day 3 and our MCJers hit the good ole hiking trails of Acadia Park in earnest. As a Maine staple, Acadia National Park is home to beautiful views of the Atlantic Ocean, rocky beaches, and many more wonderful things for the team to check out. To add to an already exciting day, our MCJ kids got the chance to explore Bar Harbor.
Cape Cod & the Islands (CI)
Our CI gang is up to their island hopping antics again – this time from Martha’s Vineyard to Nantucket! After bidding their Vineyard campsite goodbye, team CI pedaled to the ferry and took a nice boat ride across the blue Atlantic. Post-ferry they took to Nantucket Harbor for some ice cream and exploring.Last we heard, the group was looking forward to a fun night at their beach side hostel this evening.
New England Mountains & Coast A (NEMCA)
Team NEMCA commenced their journey through the beautiful White Mountains today! The hikers put one foot in front of another to seek out views above the treeline, and enjoyed a nice picnic lunch before making their way back to camp for the night. Should be a fun few days getting to know the Whites for our NEMCA group.
New England Mountains & Coast B (NEMCB)
True to the trip name, NEMCB kiddos took to the mountains of New Hampshire, starting their adventure in the Whites! Our group finds themselves in the Crawford Notch neck of the woods, and had a fun first day on the trails, and is looking forward to exploring the Whites over the next few days!
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains A (CRMA)
The Colorado Rockies have been musical inspiration to many artists like Johnny Cash, the Yonder Mountain String Band, and John Denver. After a hike up Deer Mountain, past Bierstadt Lake these folks may be equally inspired. From glorious peaks to lush meadows this group has found this scenery is worth composing for!
Caribbean Service (CS)
To the tune of Surfin’ USA: Everybody’s gone surfin’, Surfin’ Puerto waves. The waves were curvin’, down in Puerto Bay. All the surfers said, we had a real good day! Today everyone went surfin’, surfin’ Puerto Waves!
Maine Coast College Essay (MCCE)
Some of Americans most acclaimed writers grew up on farms. Some of them went to farms from inspiration. Our group of writers, as future famous fictionalists, used the same tactic today. After a long morning walk through Wolfe’s Neck Farm they spent the afternoon completing the first drafts of their essays! Charles “Chickens” Dickens would be proud!
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEXA)
Maine’s early inhabitants explored and gathered resources from the rocky islands of its beautiful coast by boat. Our dexterous DEXers got to paddle true to tradition, in slightly snazzier boats, for a second day. Tonight, continuing their coastal adventure they will find a home on one of these beautiful islands.
Maine’s Downeast Explorer (DEXB)
The DEXB explorers were some of the first people in the U.S. to see the sun this morning! They conquered an epic sunrise hike up Cadillac Mountain. With a very early wake up time, the explorers started up the mountain adorned with glow sticks – how fun! Leader Lucia wrote that the group “lucked out” with pink skies for an hour before the misty clouds descended on the mountain. How picturesque!
Vermont to Montréal A (VMA)
Another beautiful day of riding for these Vigilant Marvelous Apogee-ers. They blew out of Branbury this morning and crossed county lines heading through the lovely town of Middlebury. We have it on good authority that they excelled over hill after hill. Don’t look now, but Donovan came through on his promise of lake fun from yesterday (pictured below).
Vermont to Montréal B (VMB)
Taking another gorgeous ride through Vermont today, these Versatile Magnificent Bikers are galavanting around on their steady steel steeds. Looking forward to a lovely dinner and a night under the stars in one of our country’s greenest state parks.
Costa Rica Language & Service (CRLS)
…You can stop holding your breath becaauussee… RESULTS FROM THE SALSA MAKING COMPETITION ARE IN!! These inspired culinary prodigies exceeded our expectations last night. Word is that the judges scored on aesthetic, presentation, taste, and overall.
Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)
Zip, zips, away! Costa Rica accounts for only 0.03% of the worlds surface area but within its borders has 6% of the biodiversity of the whole world! Experts have conferred and the results are in: officially the best way to explore a new country is by flying! Today our CRMCers got to spread their wings and soar through the lush landscape, and biodiversity, of Costa Rica!
California Mountains & Coast (CMCA)
Today this group took to the mountains in preparation for their upcoming backcountry section. Beyond gathering supplies and grocery shopping, backcountry prep looks like breakin’ in those boots doin’ some of that good ol’ uphill walkin’.
California Mountains & Coast (CMCB)
Yosemite was the third national park to be created, and is the largest block of preserved land in the Sierra Nevadas. Today CMCB entered this park to steep themselves in the iconic rock features and world famous wildflowers for the next few days as they day hike to prepare for their backcountry section.
Northwest Explorer (NWXA)
Clark and Addie’s gaggle are headed into the back country for some some exciting off-the-grid adventure. They trekked into the Heart of the Hills River Valley. You can’t make these names up (well someone did, but not us). They were able to snap a quick travel shot to share with us as they were on their way into the backcountry.
Northwest Explorer (NWXB)
NWXB is gearing up to take on the backcountry tomorrow with a little day hike and a lotta backcountry preparation before heading into the North Cascades. We wish them fun and adventure on this next portion of their trip!
Pacific Coast (PCA)
PCA is continuing down the Oregon Coast, upping their mileage incrementally from yesterday. If any group is up for the challenge it’s our PCA riders! The below photos prominently feature quintessential Oregon scenery.
Pacific Coast (PCB)
Undeniable Facts: seven is seven times more than one (and almost certainly 7x the challenge). Today PCB conquered the Seven Devils Road, with smiles and style. They also enjoyed lunch under the shade of a local ballpark dugout – Sandlot style!
Pyrenees Mountains & Coast (PMC)
The legends surrounding the Carros de Foc date back all the way to 1987 [Ed. Note, we’re a little suspect of this date]. A group of legendary park rangers sought to traverse the most beautiful part of the Pyrenees. Our group, perhaps more legendary, spent their second day on this iconic trail; taking in the sights of alpine lakes and rocky peaks.
Alps Explorer (AXA)
AXA had what leader Jeanne called a “fab” day. The team took a morning train to Fiesch, another beautiful Swiss alpine town. While giving their hiking legs a break on the train, they enjoyed beautiful views of snowy mountain tops. In Fiesch, the group got their games on with some life size chess and ultimate frisbee before taking some time to explore around town. A fab day indeed!
Alps Explorer (AXB)
Our AXB peeps left Zermatt this morning and traveled by train to beautiful Martigny. Common AXB theme if you haven’t picked up on it yet: beautiful Swiss lands. In Martigny, Zach and Sam’s crew spent the day relaxing and preparing for the Tour du Mont Blanc – affectionately known from here on out as the TMB. Raise your hand if you’re pumped for the beautiful photos to come!
Europe Coast to Coast (ECC)
Our European Wanderers are visiting every tiny Dutch town they can get their hands on. They even added an extra hamlet along the way just so that they could breach the 100 km mark by the the time they pulled into their destination, the beautiful Dutch beach town of Renesse. Does it get any quainter than this?
America Coast to Coast (ACC1)
Our Coast to Coasters (1) are moving right along. They have made quick work of their third 60+ mile day, second in Georgia. They had the mid-day delight of a roadside stop accompanied by leftover birthday cake (courtesy of Tim Gruber’s birthday angel). Now it’s time to eat up and rest up so they can dial up the miles in the morning.
America Coast to Coast (ACC2)
Tina and Ezra barely had time to say supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus before they were in camp for the day – finishing their 50 mile day before noon. Is this 11 teenagers or is it Ezra’s former racing teammates in disguise? See the photo below to find out…
