Last Day of Biking for Maine Coast Trekkers

Yesterday marked the last day of biking as we biked from Balsam Cove Campground to a Quality Inn in the town of Bangor. The day started by waking up and loading our bikes for the day ahead. The morning started off very difficult with many hills on the route we took. However the road eventually flattened out and we finally made it. People went to the pool and ate Chinese food as our last night together as a group.

Written by Trekker Justin

Maine Coast Trekkers Bike Out of Acadia To Their Final Night of Camping

Today, we awoke in the rain. It poured and there were thunderstorms all night. We left Acadia National Park and headed for Orland. We had bike troubles along the way which caused some hiccups. Our afternoon riding was under clear skies and went smoothly and we made it to our campsite. Our leaders cooked us a nice meal for our final night of camping. And we had whoopie pies for dessert! Whoopie!

Exploring Mount Desert Island On The Maine Coast

Another great day in Acadia National Park!! After a hearty oatmeal and fruit breakfast at the camp, we took advantage of the free Island Explorer shuttle bus to catch a ride into Bar Harbor. The group did some more exploring, and ate lunch at an ocean view park before enjoying delicious ice cream at Ben and Bills, home of the Lobster ice cream. We visited Jordan Pond next, taking in the beautiful views of the crystal clear water and hills. The bus took us back to camp for a large campfire and delicious meal of mac and cheese. The group is sad to leave Acadia tomorrow but eager to make our way to Bangor!

Maine Coast Trekkers Climb Cadillac Mountain!

Today we slept in much later than normal. I have to say it felt great, waking up and having chocolate and blueberry pancakes for breakfast. There was no rush. We had a great time hiking Cadillac Mountain up to the summit. We had a great lunch on top of the mountain where we had taken our group picture for the day. We had hiked to the bottom which was surprisingly harder than hiking to the top. It was great, catching a bus to go chill at the beach for an hour and a half. Everybody had a fun time today, talking to each other, laughing together, and ending the day on a great note with tacos stuffed with chicken and all sorts of toppings.

Written by trekker Spencer

Maine Coast Trekkers Enjoying Bar Harbor & Acadia N.P.

Today we biked a hilly 42 miles to Acadia National Park!! Along the way, we stopped to swim at a nice beach. At the beach we saw shrimp, crabs and fish. Then we continued onto Bar Harbor where we explored the town and did some souvenir shopping. After that we had a nice lobster dinner then went to Hannafords and bought food for Acadia. We then biked to our campsite and set up tents. After that we walked down to the ocean cliffs and stargazed! It was a great day!

Niagara - Toronto's Final Day

Today we explored the place this trek started (Buffalo), but with a new mindset- you learn something new every day! We got breakfast at BreadHive, with the one and only Tyler, and headed towards the old Buffalo train station. After exploring the station, we ventured to Larkin Square to play helmet baseball and have a water fight. We got grilled cheese and milkshakes, and headed towards Canalside to explore the boat and car show, and share one last memorable experience together on this trek.

From Dan and Yael- thank you for sending your kids on the bike trip with us! We had a great time getting to know them and couldn't have asked for a more fun, open minded and adventurous group!

Maine Coast Trekkers Visit the Penobscot Narrows Bridge

Today was one of our more difficult days of biking. We were faced with many many hills and had a 42 mile day. Along the way we saw scenic Maine and stopped at the Penobscot Narrows Bridge Tower and rode the elevator to the top. It was pretty neat to see that far. We continued onto a Hannafords and bought dinner provisions. We had pasta a la vodka sauce and a side salad. After we did laundry, played cards and went to sleep.

Climbing Mount Royal and Urban Exploration For New York - Montreal Trekkers

Today was day one of exploring the great city of Montreal. It began with a healthy complimentary breakfast at the hostel then a nice morning walk to the park. Our walk continued and brought us up many flights of stairs to the top of Mount Royal. From here were greeted with a panoramic view of the city below, reaching all the way out to the river.

Our afternoon brought more exploration and a scrumptious lunch consisting of Caribbean cuisine. We ventured into Old Montreal and visited the Notre Dame Basilica. We then made our way towards the waterfront and stumbled upon Festival Orientalys, an opportunity to explore cultures from throughout the world.

The evening consisted of more Monopoly and some poutine fries from down the street. Last day in Montreal tomorrow then bussing out in the evening.

Maine Coast Trekkers Journey Up The Coast

Today we were woken up at 7:30, 30 minutes late to compensate for our late night of rock and roll. From there our morning was pretty typical. We put our tents down quickly and dug into a breakfast of oatmeal, cereal and bananas. I got a chocolate milk from the camp shop. Just before we were about to leave, during safety check, we found out that Sammy had a broken spoke, again. Because the bike shop was 20 miles away,  we needed to make the weight on his bike lighter so he could bike without his back wheel falling apart, so I took his tent. Then we left to face the hardest hills we've faced the whole trip. Immediately after we left the camp site the hills set in, but we persevered, only stopping once before the bike shop. Our one stop was 11 miles in, at a small ice cream shop. We needed to fill our water and eat a snack, because our large breakfast was not enough. We ate mango, grapefruit, granola bars, French fries and grapes. Unfortunately the shop did not have any water to give us. After that store we powered through 12 miles to the bike shop with minimal stopping which was only to drink water. At the bike shop we all relaxed and ate ice cream while Sammy's bike was completely rejuvenated. He got a whole new wheel. When Sammys bike was done we waited outside for been to complete his interview with a podcast guy, but it started to rain so we dipped to a restaurant to eat a well deserved lunch. We had swell eats: steak, chicken,  fish and chips and sandwiches. From there we headed to the closest Hannafords which was .5 miles away to stock up on dinner. The campsite was 3 miles away so we sped there and got ready to swim. We made it to the water to learn that there was nowhere to swim, but regardless the view was magnificent. Then we showered and came back to the site to make dinner.  Cooking crew made debatably the best dinner ever, stir fry and chicken. It started to rain in the middle of dinner but that didn't stop us.

Written by Trekker Keya

Niagara - Toronto Trekkers Return to Buffalo!

Today we woke up bright and early at 630am to make our train from Toronto back to Niagara Falls. After a relaxing train ride, we cycled south on our final stretch towards Buffalo. We took a break from the heat in Tims and scarfed down some donuts and Chills. We continued on a path next to the Niagara River and stopped by the Teen Treks Office to enjoy some much appreciated ice cream. After settling into our hostel in the heart of Buffalo, we ate a hearty dinner (shout out to Ryan and Dylan for polishing off 40 ribs!). We're excited to explore Buffalo tomorrow!

New York - Montreal Trekkers Reach Montreal!

Bienvenue a Montreal Teen Trekkers!  We arrived in the early afternoon after a nice day of riding on Canadian bike paths. The journey brought us through farmlands and small towns,  to the edge of the St Lawrence River. From there we took the Maritime Way bike route along the river and into the City of Montreal.

After arriving at our hostel, we settled in and took a breather before dinner. We then ventured out for some local cuisine that was recommended to us. The evening consisted of a game of Monopoly, a couple games of pool, and a few orders of fries in the hostel's basement.

Tomorrow we plan to walk around and see the sights that the city has to offer.

Into Canada and Onto Montreal for the NY-Montreal Trekkers

Bonjour! Today we finally arrived in Canada, crossing the border from Vermont into Quebec! We started off our morning weaving through the islands of Lake Champlain to reach the top of the lake right near the border. After we seamlessly crossed into Canada, we found a cute lunch spot where Elliot and Alexa helped decode the all-French menus so the Trekkers could pick their meals. After a high-mileage morning, everyone was excited for a big meal. Lait du chocolat (chocolate milk) was the highlight of the meal, though the cups were gone before we knew it.

The rest of the ride into Napiersville, QC was a nice flat journey, offering a nice change from the hilly landscape of New York and Vermont. We arrived in the early afternoon at our final campsite for the trip which is also the most unique site we’ve stayed at. We were blessed with lots of space and amenities like a large water slide, spacious showers, fooseball, and a covered picnic area. After many runs down the slide, we ended our afternoon with some games of soccer and basketball, making use of both soccer fields and basketball courts adjacent to our tent site.

Famished from the long day of biking and games, we scarfed down a large dinner of pasta, chicken, apples, and peaches very quickly. So, we ended the day with a quick run back to the store to pick up dessert to satiate our hunger. We had an early bedtime to make sure we were ready for our last big day of biking into Montreal tomorrow.

Niagara - Toronto Trekkers Explore the Toronto Islands

Today we ate breakfast and went to the grocery store for supplies for a picnic lunch, then biked to the Toronto Islands ferry. We landed at Wards Island and wandered around. We ate lunch on Centre Island and played helmet baseball. Then we went to the beach where Jessie (finally) was able to take a nap on the beach. Austin, Dylan and Ryan explored the rest of the islands, scoping out our route for the rest of the day. We continued biking and Yael or Austin or Ryan or Jessie or Dylan (but not Dan) was the fastest biker of the group. We didn't see any snakes on Snake Island, but did see an amazing view of the Toronto skyline. You learn something new every day!

Signing off- Truckers

Journeying 40 Miles Up The Maine Coast & Visiting Bowdoin

Today was a long and hard day of biking. With the sun shining, we biked over 40 miles in the heat. Stopping at Bowdoin College, we sat on the quad and ate some fruit. Once we arrived at the campground, we swam in the lake to cool off. After enjoying a dinner of hamburgers, we listened to a live rock and roll band playing at the campground.

Written by Trekker Melina

Maine Coast Trekkers Visit Freeport

In the morning we happily woke up from a good sleep but we were also sad that last night was the last night in a comfortable bed. Eating breakfast was a great vanilla yogurt with granola and blueberries (which I loved). Biking out of the hills of Portland were a bit tough but when we got on the roads all hardships were forgotten and the sights were beautiful. Along the road it was nice to finally visit a Wal-Mart for the first time and see very cheap products. We fooled around while eating and snacking and some people rode in shopping carts. We left with Sean as a human glowstick and very horrific humidity. Later down the line we stopped at the giant L.L.Bean and relaxed on the most comfortable sleeping pads. After leaving there, we arrived at out campsite on the coast, swam in the ocean and went to sleep with the sound of a nice fire.

Written by Trekker Sammy

Walking and Walking and Walking! Niagara - Toronto Trekkers Explore Toronto!

Today we woke up in the hostel. We ate free breakfast in the Cavern downstairs (would not recommend the orange water). We went to the St. Lawrence market where we enjoyed pretzles and blueberries. Then we kept walking.  And walked and walked and walked. We went to Eaton Centre where Austin got pretzles and Ryan won a screen cleaner, which he used to beautifully clean the Turbo which became euphoric and joyful after being cleaned. We then went to Chinatown and enjoyed "really weird food" (aka dim sum) and bubble tea (Jessie's first bubble tea, new experiences every day!). We went to MEC, Graffiti Alley, back to Chinatown (more bubble tea and souviners) and on to the Kensington market. Dylan then purchased a luxery pair of memory foam 1.50CAD foot cushions. With Dan in the lead, we then walked a mile to Queens Park where we continued our game of catch with Yael's Turbo. We then went to an elusive restaurant, so instead went to a wanna-be Chipotle. Jessie's mouth is on fire, Austin tasted cilantro and edemame, , Ryan ate a 3lb "big ass" burrito and Dylan enjoyed ice cream with his kids meal. Excited to explore Toronto by bike tomorrow!

Signing off Winston, Lanky Langberg, Caitlyn & Spencer

New York - Montreal Explores Lake Champlain

Our travels through Vermont continued today when we moved on from Burlington and headed to Grand Island. As we traveled along the coast of Lake Champlain, we started off on a scenic causeway, giving us some trouble with gravel that was more than made up for by the beautiful views of the lake.

A quick ferry transported us and the bikes the final stretch to reach the islands in the middle of the lake. Once on the islands, we ate at a busy food stand on the side of US Hwy 2. That road offered rolling hills and took us to our final destination of Grand Island State Park by early afternoon. We spent the rest of the day relaxing and swimming by the lake, before building a blazing evening campfire. We finished our day with toasted hot dogs, roasted corn, and fire-warmed, all-American apple pie to cap off our final night in the US, before we cross the border into Canada tomorrow!

Niagara - Toronto Trekkers Bike to Toronto!

Today we went biking. We biked and biked and biked (35 miles). We started in Bronte, where Dylan came to the rescue with After Bite. Then we biked a lot. Then we went onto the Waterfront Trail and continued on that for a while. Then we had Tim's (two times) and pizza for lunch (Dylan ate 10 slices, Ryan 9, Jessie 3, Austin 2, Dan and Yael the rest). Then we stole Yael's phone (aka The Turbo) and played catch. We biked into Toronto and are excited to explore the city tomorrow!

To the tune of Cruising Down the Street-
Rolling down the street in my lawn mower,
Charging up my Turbo, can it go any slower.
I'm at 10% and it took a whole hour,
I know a kid named Austin and he don't like to shower.

Written by Spencer (Dylan), Kaitlyn (Jessie), Winston (Austin) & Lanky (Ryan)

Today on our day off we explored Portland, Maine. After having a breakfast of eggs and toast we began searching for thrift shops recommended by the ladies at our hostel. We explored stores like Urban Outfitters, and Life Is Good. Later we reconvened and went to a tourist store where I got lost. When it started to rain the group dove into the nearest Starbucks to escape the weather, while I was still at the other store. After finally remembering me, they came back... Then we walked along the beach and ate lunch in a random alley. We finished the night by going to a nice seafood dinner where most of the group got chicken. We then watched a movie at the hostel and prepared for the days of biking to come.

Written by Trekker Shelter

New York - Montreal Trekkers Reach Burlington and Share a Vermonster!

The seven of us—two Leaders and five Trekkers—awoke in the beautiful state of Vermont for the first time during this trip this morning. After our usual breakfast, we headed out from Button Bay State Park to North Beach Campground in Burlington, VT. We knocked out most of the mileage during the morning, covering over 25 miles of rolling hills with spectacular views of the Vermont landscape.

After a light lunch, we headed into the heart of Burlington for the highlight of the day: taking on Ben & Jerry’s “Vermonster.” For those unfamiliar, the Vermonster is a whopping 20 scoops of ice cream, not to mention additional brownies, cookies, candy toppings, hot fudge, caramel, banana, and whipped cream. Served in a bucket, the trekkers attacked the Vermonster armed only with spoons, and took it down in just over 15 minutes!

Satiated, the group completed the three miles to the campground to set up camp for the night. The group split up, half heading to exploring the town of Burlington, while the other half got ingredients for this evening’s dinner. After a late meal, the trekkers hopped back on their bikes to check out the nearby beach, and the night was finally capped off with a few rounds of cards.

Maine Coast Trekkers Bike To Portland!

Today was another long day of biking. The morning was the same as usual but on our way to Portland, Justin's tire got sliced. We had to take a detour to the bike shop to get his tire fixed, but after that everything was as smooth as butter. We biked through beautiful towns, farms and forests, until we reached our hipster hostel in downtown Portland. A pizza dinner came after that and at last we played cards and chilled.

Written by Trekker Julian

Niagara - Toronto Trekkers Round the Western Tip of Lake Ontario

Today we woke up under a pavilion next to Lake Ontario and continued on the trail into Burlington. We stopped for some Tims and feasted on Tim Bits next to the water. After a brief adventure across town to MEC (mountain exchange co-op), we ate lunch at the gorgeous Bronte Beach. We arrived at the campground and ate a delicious dinner of tacos. We're excited to reach Toronto tomorrow!

New York - Montreal Enjoys the Beautiful Scenery of Lake George and Bicycles Into Vermont

Our morning began as it usually does—rising a little after 7am, getting ready, packing our bikes, and eating breakfast before leaving the campsite at 9am. From there, our morning was unusual because instead of ticking off mileage on our bikes, we sped through the mileage atop a ferry that took us from Lake George to Ticonderoga.

During the three hour trip, the group took in the beauty of the scenery, listened to the history told over the loudspeaker, enjoyed some snacks offered on board, and had an extra chance to relax. Once in Ticonderoga, we finally fulfilled our craving for diner food by visiting a local restaurant and enjoying food prepared for us, instead of by us!

From there, the day went by as usual. We covered a total of 30 miles along scenic roads that offered views of the mountainous beauty of northern New York. As we rode along the rolling hills, we crossed the border into Vermont and stopped near the Southern end of Lake Champlain to take a dip in the water. Concluding our trip at Button Bay State Park, we had a filling dinner then enjoyed the adjacent basketball court and field by finishing our day shooting hoops and playing a bit of soccer. We’re excited for the day to come tomorrow, when we get to explore even more of Vermont!