Hey Everyone! Wanna meet another leader?!

I am excited to introduce: Sarah Lensing!!
"Hey, hey! I am excited to explore new places via bike this summer! Having grown up in a small town in Vermont, I have developed a perpetual desire to seek out and discover new and interesting destinations. I am about to graduate from New York University and can't think of a better way to spend my summer than by biking around with you! I have a natural disposition to challenge myself in unexpected ways and can't wait to share this passion with you. I have been an avid skier since the age of 2 years old. I also enjoy skateboarding, snowboarding, soccer, music...anything that gets me outdoors and hanging out with good people. I hope you are as excited as I am to launch into this new adventure!"

Welcome, Andy! Another new leader!

Hola!
My name is Andy Akins and I finished up my Masters in School Counseling last summer at Sage Graduate School in Troy, NY. Prior to that, I graduated from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, VT where I studied Economics. I now work as a School Counselor at a junior high school just outside of Saratoga Springs, NY where I live with my wife and dog, who are the best! My family means the world to me. I’ve been fortunate enough to travel all over the United States and Canada. I’ve climbed the glaciers of Mt. Rainier in Washington State and scaled the icy rocks of Mt. Katahdin in Maine. As a school counselor, I’ve been able to help others reach their goals and be the best person they can be. I feel very lucky to work with so many amazingly smart and unique students every day! Oh yeah…I almost forgot to mention. If it has to do with cycling, I’m in. As a hobby, I ride bikes, build bikes, help others fix bikes, think about bikes, race bikes and even dream about bikes. John F. Kennedy once wrote, “Nothing compares to the simple pleasure of a bike ride.” I agree with him. I couldn’t think of a better activity this summer than to be a part of Teen Treks. See you on the road!

Hi Sylvie!!

My name is Sylvie Froncek. I am a junior at Pitzer College in California, majoring in American Studies with a minor in French. I have a long list of hobbies including custom bicycle painting, extreme multitasking and acrobalance, but my favorite activities by far are cycling, rock climbing and hiking.
After high school I spent a year and a half backpacking through 35 out of 48 states in the continental US and working on trail maintenance crews on the Appalachian Trail and the Pacific Crest Trail.
Last summer I drove across the country and then worked on an organic farm in France, returning home just in time to lead a 5 day freshman orientation adventure program centered around cycling culture in Los Angeles.
That just about brings you up to date! Currently I volunteer at a bike co-op and lead outdoor trips at Pitzer College and when I am home, in Ithaca NY, I work for Cornell University’s Team and Leadership Center, facilitating high and low ropes course programs with people of all ages.

Meet Sophia!

Hey! My name is Sophia Lerdahl and I am about to graduate from NYU. I've got an un-scratchable itch to travel, and am excited to follow my nose to all kinds of new hidden spots and and adventures this summer! I've been backpacking around Western Europe as well as parts of Central America and can't wait to explore more. In my spare time I love to play sports and music, hang with my friends and do just about anything outside!

An addition to the gang: Darcy!

I'll bet you've been waiting to find out more about this summer's leaders. Well here ya go! I am happy to introduce you to Darcy! Another awesome Teen Treks Leader!

Hi! My name is Darcy Mullen, and I am a recent graduate from Middlebury College. As an Italian Major I got to spend a year studying in Italy. I love anything to do with the outdoors, from hiking to nature photography. I also enjoy gardening and working on small farms.

Bring on the Leaders!

Hooray Hooray! Today it begins! What, you may ask? Well folks, here it is! Today is the day you start to get to learn about the Teen Treks' Leaders for Summer 2010!!!

I would like to introduce to you Molly Harrison!

Hi! My name is Molly Harrison. I am a Nursing student at the University of
Connecticut. Outside of school, I enjoy painting, reading, hiking,
swimming, rock climbing and anything outside.

I love to travel I have spent 2 months in Denmark and a week in Ireland, Paris and London. One of my goals is to see more of the states in the US!

Summer Dreaming....

With applications rolling in everyday, we over here at Teen Treks are getting really excited about the summer! (And kinda jealous of all these SUPER COOL TRIPS all of you are going on!)

Now, I know that you trekkers only really get geared up for the summer once the snow starts to melt and you can bust out your bikes again. The Teen Treks clan thinks about summer (and you guys) 24/7! In fact, we are SO excited about all the trips we have planned, that we couldn’t help but tell you about all the cool leader interviews we have been doing!

We have had people apply from all over the United States and Canada to hang out with you this summer. Girls and guys, fun and funny, cool and cooler! And every single one of them seems totally awesome! I can’t wait to show you who we’ve hired! It seems like every cool person with a bike wants the chance to lead a Teen treks trip!

Stay tuned to teentreks.com and our Facebook page because within the next month you might get to meet some of this summer’s leaders!

Nice to meet you!

Hello past, present, and future Teen Treks Trippers and Parents!
I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Marisa, and I am the newest member of the Teen Treks Team! As Program Coordinator, any questions, concerns, or issues that come up come to me. Here to help, and happy to do so, please don’t hesitate to get in touch! Excited for the summer? Well so am I! And please stop by our newly updated Facebook Page and maybe even become a fan!

I can be reached at: Marisa@teentreks.com or call me at (716) 566-7908 Cant wait to hear from you!

From the Perspective of a Great Leader: Tony

The Maine Ingredient

In his book “Desert Solitaire”, Edward Abbey—critiquing the National Parks system—notes:

“A man on foot, on horseback or on a bicycle will see more, feel more, enjoy more in one mile than the motorized tourists can in a hundred miles. Better to idle through one park in two weeks than try to race through a dozen in the same amount of time. Those who are familiar with both modes of travel know from experience that this is true; the rest have only to make the experiment to discover the same truth for themselves.”

This was our Teen Treks Maine Coast adventure. While the vast majority plowed down highways in superfluous fuel injected machines, we meandered northward along the tranquil beaches and crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean; relying on oatmeal, fruit, and turkey sandwiches as a clean burning fuel alternative. Our tents routinely would squeeze into campsites amongst oversized RV’s; concerned with electrical hookups as we searched for ample firewood. Two and a half weeks of vibrant sunrises, rocky shorelines and charming New England towns—all set against a backdrop of picturesque mountains--was our “experiment to discover the same truth”. While our final odometer reading came in at roughly 400 miles—through a reverse Abbey-style calculation—it seems we had experienced the equivalent of 40,000 miles.

From the Perspective of a Great Leader: Bryan

I cannot properly emphasize with what facility of written English (or lack thereof) that I possess, the magnitude of joy brought by the experience. It is unparalleled by any other to date. Leaders play several roles: as twenty-somethings, in-between juvenile and adulthood, we are given an awesome responsibility and opportunity. I felt a bit paternal (also maternal) at times, protective of my flock, daring to act responsibly and even struggling at times with the implementation of discipline where necessary. But I also became part-kid, and allowed myself to fully enjoy the naivete and sometimes immaturity of childhood, as we discovered the world through that different filter permitted only by this sort of travel. I enjoyed observing the group dynamics, watching "my" kids establish bonds that will last at least in memory for the rest of their lives. It was incredible to witness each of them as they faced new challenges, growing and learning from their experiences. Most of all I loved all the ice cream and the 'potty' humor.

From the Perspective of a Great Leader: Jenn

Even (and especially) as a Teen Treks leader this summer, I found the experience entirely liberating and humbling. In two short weeks, we grew to appreciate the environment we landed in because we worked to get there. We treasured a good meal together, a hidden swimming hole, our afternoon treats, and our frequent stops to discuss something completely random, humorous and/or educational. By being on our bikes and pushing ourselves physically, we grew incredibly observant and appreciative of our midway and, of course, final destination of Mt. Desert Island. Aside from being proud of the trekkers (and myself!), I have never laughed so hard and often with a group of teenagers!

From the Perspective of a Great Leader: Andy

This past summer, I had the opportunity to lead the Maine Coast Trek. Apart from Maine being a bit hillier than expected, this trip was everything that I could have wanted and more. The group of seven teenagers as well as the two leaders bonded with each other amazingly, and the group cohesiveness and comradery was just fantastic. From mini golf to swimming in the ocean, hiking in Bar Harbor and going sea kayaking, we did just about anything we could think of. Of course there was lots of biking and a few wrong turns, but it added to the overall excitement of the trip. Had I of known about Teen Treks when I was younger, I definitely would have hopped on a trip. Besides being great exercise and enjoying the summertime outdoors, this gave me an opportunity to explore a part of America that I had never been before. The coast north of Boston leading up to Maine is absolutely beautiful – and the people we encountered along the way were probably the friendliest people anywhere in this country. Everywhere we went, we were asked our starting point and final destination, and almost everyone was happy to provide suggestions of what to do along the way. There is something about packing 50 pounds of gear, loading it on the back of a road bike and setting out with a group of kids, with only each other to rely on, that makes this trip truly special.

~ Andy Rein, 2009 Leader

From the Perspective of a Great Leader: Dave

About a year ago a friend of mine sent me a link for this organization by the name of Teen Treks with a message attached which said "we should do this". At the time we were both full time summer camp employees which we both loved very much and found hard to leave. This past summer I wanted to take some summer classes and have some free time to travel so I thought it would be the perfect summer to lead a trip for Teen Treks with the left over time. I can look back at the trip and after scuba diving in Florida, climbing in seven states, and a couple road trips, my trip with Teen Treks still stands out as the highlight of my summer, hands down. I had the coolest group of kids, each bringing their own special touch to the trip. We got to see so many different things, and seeing them on bike was such a different and better experience than seeing them with any other form of travel, it provided us the best opportunity to really take it all in. The people we met at hostels, camp grounds, and periodically on the trail were the type of people I wish I ran into everywhere, we always knew "we belonged" where ever we were. The only tough part of the trip was saying goodbye to the kids that I spent the last two weeks getting to know so well, they truly made the trip so much better than if I had been at it with anyone else, not to mention my amazing co-leader, who rocked as well. I am an adventure seeker and somewhat of an adrenaline junky, and this has opened up a whole nother adventure opportunity for me, and I can't wait to do it again! Thank you Teen Trekkers for making my summer a great one!!

~ Dave Burnette, 2009 Leader

CT-RI Shoreline Treks Shots!

NYM J28

MONTREAL, AT LAST!

with over five hundred thirty (written out, it emphasizes the length of our journey, but if you'd rather, 530+) miles clocked on our odometers we rolled into town, wiped out and glistening with ethereal ooze -or maybe that was just sweat?

Mike has volunteered to catch us up:

The day after Mariel's house in New City, we traveled to Fohnstock State Park. We had to bike uphill for 5 miles after doing 38 miles that day. A ranger hooked us up with a sweet cabin that protected us from the terrible rain the next morning. After dealing with more flats in the rain the next morning and waiting for the rain to stop, we eventually left and got to spend the next night at Mariel's old college, Vassar. We slept in a lounge in a dorm and got a tour of the school. The next day we biked 50 miles while food committee biked 66 miles (Noah, David, and Bryan). We slept in a fruit farm (Smith's Farm) surrounded by ripe raspberries and peaches which we picked ourslves. It was nice to get clothes washed and we went out to dinner for Raphi's birthday at a chinese restaraunt across from the comfortable motel.

picking up where mike left off...

the children have been mutineering. apparently 6 meals, 8 snacks, and 14 desserts per day isn't enough to stave off the abyssmal hunger that is the product of these painfully long days of riding. and boy were they painful. but sunshine and friendly cows in vermont helped to subdue the saddle-sores and sun-burns. the group's navigator, who shall remain nameless, has lead us into some sticky situations... one of these being a railroad causeway that shot for miles out into the champlain lake that suddenly reached a disconnect. at their rope's end for not three minutes before some friendly french-canadian boaters boarded those teen-trekkers and ferried them across the water. swimming followed. all that was lost were anna's sunglasses and (don't ask me how) noah's shorts. What turned out to be a false alarm, our 'budget crisis' resulted in tightening our belts and working out the kinks in a flawed system of group food shopping and cooking, and the group pulled together in a new, more efficient way. blah blah blah, you just want to know wether we survived that damn Vermonster or not. The truth is, that ice cream didn't stand a chance against these kids. Mariel and I could barely get our spoons within homing range of that thing for fear of friendly fire. We gardened botanicals and pancaked at the hostel today. Tomorrow brings more adventure, back in new york the following day.

Your kids will be happy to fill you in on the details I've forgotton on this page, including all the times we nearly died. I'm sure they will tell you how horrible this experience has been and how they never want to do this sort of thing again, which is fine with me, because, frankly, I can't stand them anymore.

Love from Bryan, Mariel, Nate, Raphi, Mike, Anna, David, and Noah.

C&O J26 (7/26-8/10, high school)

Hey Everyone!

We finally have internet and cell service! Here are some of the highlights from our trip thus far:
-visiting the famous Frank Loyd Wright Falling Water house
-white water rafting (even a few class 4s!)
-biking, biking, and more biking
-exploring caves
-riding through epic tunnels
-dance parties!

Here's proof...

Greetings from CON-A1

Hi all! Everything is great here! We've been enjoying wonderul warm weather and are now in the state of Rhode Island. Block Island is beautiful. We've spent some time on the bluffs enjoying the amazing views, on the beaches and walking around the small, quaint town. We're thinking of taking in a movie tonight since it's a little rainy right now (first day of rain yet!) and then taking on a Ben and Jerry's "Vermontster". I have no doubt that this group can handle it! I'm also happy to report that we've have zero flat tires and zero major bike issues. It's really been smooth sailing! The first few days we encountered a few hills, but the group took them on like champs! Very proud of them. Mystic Seaport was a lot of fun too. We got to swim in the hotel pool after a long, hot day of biking, visited the Mystic Seaport Museum and had some ice cream by the drawbridge. I can't believe we'll be in Providence in only 2 days. We're super excited! Pictures soon to come.

~ Erin, Joe and the rest of the group :)

Maine Coast J24

PICTURES! A few highlights from the trip so far...

Maine Coast J24

We've made it to Bar Harbor, ME and early too! We spent our last night in tents at the Bar Harbor Campground and are now checked into the Bar Harbor Hostel. The past few days of biking was rigorous, but it's a nice feeling having reached our destination after all of that hard work. We're exploring the town of Bar Harbor this morning which is perfectly situated on the Frenchman Bay. This afternoon we're doing some sea kayaking and the next two days in Bar Harbor will be spent in Acadia Park, hiking Cadillac Mtn. and hopefully exploring the islands off of Mount Desert Island.

Last night we rewarded ourselves with a tasty dinner and tons of ice cream in Bar Harbor. We're excited to have some time on foot and on bikes without gear! Pictures are coming as soon as we can get our hands on a camera cord and some free internet time!

En route to Bar Harbor, we went up to the observatory in the Penobscot River Bridge (one of the few observatory bridges in the world!), found swimming spots (rivers and frigid ocean water), and quaint coffee shops and stores. More to come!

pictures finally

So, change of plans, we arrived in DC a day early. As I am sure you parents know, we rode our bikes 67.09 miles through down pouring rain, and mucky roads, it was a blast (see picture)! It was a unanimous decision to continue pas our planned site in order to avoid a wet and muddy set up and take down. Counselor Bonnie was extremely generous in letting us spend the night at her place since we did not have hotel reservations for that night. while there we were also blessed with the company of her husband Alex and dog Sidney who enjoyed getting up at all hours of the night to lick our faces. So far we have done a few monuments and museums with more fun to come. We are coming close to our closure and are sad to leave, yet anxious to get home and see our families.