A Play by Play Account of the New England Shore Trekkers

Today we had another big day of biking. We woke up to the sound of rain in the morning and even though we were wet we pulled through. We thanked the people that let us camp in their backyard and we took off in a blazing fury. We were an unstoppable force of... Stuff.  We stopped at a Stop & Shop where we ate breakfast that was cereal. Then we took off on our journey to the cape of Sandwich. We biked for 15 miles and stopped at a bike shop to check all of our tires. We stopped at a playground to eat lunch, where we had sandwiches (they were quite delicious). Then we biked for 15 more miles and stopped to watch some birds that were fishing, it was quite the experience. Soon after that we took a dip in the ocean where we swam with the crabs. (I named one Jimmy).  After we stopped for some yummy super cool exhilarating slushies that were ONLY 0.80 $  AMAZING. Then we pulled through our last 10 miles of the day by biking on a bike path that was very smooth. Then we stopped at another Stop & Shop to get dinner and head to the camp site. We met up with other Teen Treks campers that were on the Cape Cod trip. (So that was cool). Then we ate a scrumptious dinner of pasta and meatballs and that was our day... so yah... Bye :) 

Written by Trekker Victor

Cape Cod Trekkers Biking The Northern Cape

After a couple rainy hours of biking, we stopped at a local pizza parlor for lunch. Our day's destination was only a few miles away, but we had yet to cross a bridge into Cape Cod. Finding the sidewalk was a little tricky because it was hidden between a couple of businesses. We had a great view from the bridge and stopped at the top for a bit. Later, we arrived at our campsite, set up, and went straight to Boardwalk Beach. The ocean was cold, but we found a connecting creek and searched for crabs, hermit crabs, and little shrimp. Some local families were "fishing" for crabs by tying a raw chicken leg to a string and tossing it in the water!

Maine Coasters Swim in the Frigid Atlantic

Today we spent the day exploring the many wonders that Acadia has to offer. We spent the morning in Bar Harbor picking up groceries and exploring the town. After we left Bar Harbor, we ate lunch at the campsite and then walked along the shoreline for the rest of the afternoon. We stopped along rocky cliffs and beautiful ocean views and finally ended  at Sand Beach, one of the only natural sand beaches in Maine! We swam in the frigid waters and then found our way back to camp where we cozied up around a big campfire, cooked dinner, and made some smores before and we went to bed early to prepare for our sunrise hike up Cadillac Mountain!

Cape Cod Trekkers Complete Their First Day of Riding

We racked on the miles today! After starting the day with some flute music, courtesy of Aimee, we said goodbye to Wompatuck and headed out. The hills gave us some practice with using our gears and pacing ourselves. Trekker Cabell was leading us and didn't miss a single turn. We felt pretty accomplished when we finally arrived at Myles Standish State Forest. Before bed we enjoyed a small campfire and some s'mores.

Maine Coast Trekkers Living it Up in Acadia NP

Today was truly a great day. We finally reached Acadia National Park! There were a lot of hills but we wound through the beautifully shaded back roads of Mount Desert Island (that name makes no sense to me either) Kyle made a delicious dinner of burgers and hot dogs. We took the bus into Bar Harbor for the fireworks and we all agree they were the coolest we've seen. We stopped for ice cream and this place had freakin butterbeer flavor (which was amazing) We're all excited at the prospect of sleeping in tomorrow. Wohoo 9 am.

Challenging and Patriotic Day for the New England Shore Trekkers

Today was a challenging and patriotic day for the New England Shore Trekkers. This delightful Independence Day started with an early 6:30 wake up in order to catch a local parade, 20 miles from our hotel outside Providence. After much biking and an unexpected detour, we ended up missing the parade but saw many people in parade outfits and munched on a delicious snack of cookies. Along the bike ride the Trekkers counted and saluted over 100 American flags as we went through farming villages and neighborhoods. After lunch we decided to travel another 20 miles to New Bedford where a big fireworks celebration was occurring. Little did the Trekkers know--we would be traveling on a fun and exciting dirt bike path that showed us the true meaning of off road biking. After a hot and lengthy ride we finally arrived at our Warm Showers host family where we graciously set up camp in their provided backyard. For dinner we traveled into New Bedford where we went to a local Italian place and experienced local city life. After dinner we went down to the water for an amazing fireworks show where we got ice cream and watched fireworks over the pier. After the show the Trekkers experienced some peaceful night riding, to the bright, blinking red lights of our fellow Trekkers. All in all the Trekkers had our longest day of the trip yet, clocking in with over 60 miles at the end of the day. Following the night ride we returned to our Warm Showers host and enjoyed some nice chatting on their soft grass.  Happy Independence Day! 

Written by Trekker Eva

Last Day in British Columbia, Canada for the Pacific Northwest Trekkers

We woke up in bunk beds to voices in French and Russian in Victoria, BC. You could say that we were in a international youth hostel. It is refreshing to stay in a communal space after having camped with the same people for the first week of the trip. It is nice to see how other people live, cook, speak, and interact. In the United States, we get used to the same people, the same routines, and become comfortable living the day of ceaseless repetition. On the same note, by just crossing a border the architecture changes, the currency changes, and the units unforgivingly turn from miles to kilometers. What fun!

Blog post from yesterday written by Trekker Oliver

Wompatuck State Park was the Days Destination for the Cape Cod Trekkers

The highlight of our first day (besides meeting and getting to know each other) was swimming in a beautiful lake. After jumping off the pier and paddling around a bit, we discovered that there were trees EVERYWHERE underwater. Since there are lots of mossy boulders around the campground, this lake (and the rocks) might have been left by a glacier!

Maine Coasters Enjoyed Penobscot Bridge and Fort Knox

As we crested the the 9th hill of the day, I felt the wind flapping wildly against my face. I thought  "The challenge is so worth it!" We biked 50 miles today and it was exhausting. We stopped at Penobscot Bridge where I made it up to the second observatory deck before I turned around because I am terrified of heights. We walked around Fort Knox and it was actually pretty cool. I enjoyed that.  We made it to camp and I shouted "Sweet Lawdy Jesus" and cooked everybody baked ziti for dinner.

By Trekker Kyle 

New England Shore Trekkers Really Enjoyed Providence

Today the Trekkers woke up on the right side of the bed after spending the night in a really nice hotel. After a very delicious breakfast, the Trekkers went on an adventure biking through Providence. We first stopped at a retro flea market and we shared freshly popped popcorn and delicious homemade lemonade. We all biked to a grocery store to pick up lunch, and then we went to a very pretty park and ate our delightful meal. Shortly after lunch, we road to downtown Providence near Brown University. We all walked around and we looked at the different sites at Brown University and we all decided that we want to go there. For dinner, we walked to the best grilled cheese place and everyone loved it!
 After, we biked to Dunkin Donuts to fill up our water bottles, get donuts, and look at a beautiful sunset! After our great day in town we went back to the hotel and we are currently chilling in our rooms! 

Written by Trekker Emily 

CAPE COD TREK: First Day

The Cape Cod Trekkers met early this morning outside Boston's South Station to commence their 14 day adventure around southeastern Massachusetts.  This 250+ mile Trek will cycle through the Plymouth Rock region and onto Cape Cod, including Martha's Vineyard, Hyannis, and Provincetown. Later this morning the group will take a short train ride to get out of busy Boston and the group will play some acquaintance games, and talk about bike safety before a short ride to Wompatuck State Park.

Pacific Northwest Trekkers Celebrate Canada Day and More

"Oh what a day! We woke up early and left the hostel bright and early. After a late night of watching the fireworks for Canada Day, the team was tired! Knowing we had a big day ahead, we took the sky train out of downtown Vancouver and then we were off to the hostel. It was a beautiful route to get to the ferry and then arrived to a ferry the size of a cruise ship! It was crazy! Everyone napped the 1.5 hours to get to Vancouver island and then we trekked on the Lochtide Trail to get to Victoria!

New England Shore Trekkers Enjoying the Best of Rhode Island

New England Shore Trekkers in their brand new Teen Treks T shirts

The Teen Trekkers went on a long 35+ mile ride from Newport, RI to Providence, RI. Along the way we stopped at a family owned strawberry farm. We enjoyed this fun "snacktivity" and ate (I don't know) most of the strawberries we picked before reaching the checkout. Also, just before reaching our hotel we took a wild turn into a lovely Rhode Island beach. The water was amazing! As our day came to a close we stopped at a Chipotle to grab a quick bite, then headed to our hotel to go swimming and SLEEP!
Written by Trekker Maura

A Perfect Day for Maine Coast Trekkers

Today was another amazing day on the road! We got an early start out of Duck Puddle Campground and rode along quiet hilly toads over to Camden Hills State Park. We stopped along the way for lunch on the banks of a pond and then stopped again in Camden, ME where we wandered around the beautiful town. We made it to camp early so we could explore all the tide pools along the rocky coastline and take naps in the sun. We ended the night with a big dinner, a smoky campfire, and watching the sunset over the bay.

New England Shore Trekkers Say Good-bye Block Island and onto the Newport Mansions

The New England Shore Trekkers began our day with breakfast in a beautiful pavilion on Block Island overlooking the ocean. Just as we were finishing our last spoonfuls of cereal, kids and adults alike started to trickle into our breakfast nook for an outdoor community art class. They kindly let us join them, and we spent the next half hour drawing sea inspired still lifes and learning more about Block Island from some locals. Soon after we headed to the docks and said our goodbyes to Block Island as our ferry chugged along towards Newport. We ate lunch on the beach and did the "Cliff Walk," a long trail along the cliffs that took us past many of the incredible mansions of Newport. Later, we headed to our hotel and feasted on Chinese takeout while watching the U.S. Olympic Qualifiers together. A great day was had by all!
(Written by leader Jenna, because the Trekkers ate too much yummy Chinese food and snoozed off before blogging)

Pacific Northwest Trekkers Do Vancouver

Yay! No biking today.  Everyone's mood improves because no one need to do biking today. We left the hostel at around 10 am. Walking. The main goal was to get to Chinatown for lunch. However, on our way there we found an art museum which interested some of us. Then we reached Chinatown after noon.  We had a great lunch and everyone seemed happy about it. After lunch we visited a garden and stopped at some interesting shops. (Gap) Also we wandered through a water park for little kids when we are trying to find the jazz festival thing. We did find the festival though. After a stopping at the park, we started waking toward the hostel.  We also managed to get free cotton candy on our way back!

Beautiful Landscapes Abound for Maine Coast Trekkers

Today we biked 44 miles, our longest day yet! We rode up and down many hills along beautiful country roads with glimpses of rivers, lakes, and ocean! We stopped for lunch in Bath, ME, a small town along the water. We took a nap on the waterfront and wandered around looking at historic buildings and shops. After lunch we continued to ride north until we reached Duck Puddle Campground. There we swam in the lake, cooked dinner, and sat around the fire until we all fell asleep!

New England Shore Trekkers Enjoy the Lighthouses, Beaches, and Natural Beauty of Block Island

Today was the first day we got to sleep in (until 8am! Wow!) We were awoken by a Spanish mentor with a soothing voice--Max, our resident Spanish telecaster impersonator. Soon after, we rode a lengthy 5 miles to the beach and a beautiful lighthouse where we swam in the ocean and tanned. Later, we rode into town, picked up some pizza for lunch and enjoyed some free time wandering around shopping and exploring. A short ride later and we found ourselves descending hundreds of stairs at the Monhegan Bluffs. At the bottom, the waves were rough, but the view of the enormous cliffs from the bottom was jaw dropping. Jenna found some sea clay and gave a few of us (not me) mud mask facials. Then we visited the "painted rock", a local secret, and participated in finger painting on the boulder. Coming back to camp, we made plans for din din and ate our meal; meatballs and spaghetti. Now we are creating a masterpiece dessert, Rice Krispy treats, as we sit around the fire  we made with wood we foraged ourselves. 
Written by Trekker Kevin 

Maine Coast Trekkers Enter the Land of LL Bean

Today we ventured out of the city and came upon beautiful views of Casco Bay. We resupplied at the grocery store and started our journey to Recompense Shore Campground. We stopped at Freeport, a town full of outlets. There we wandered around the LL Bean Flagship store and after that, we encountered fellow bike tourists. After this we found our campground, a beautiful sustainable farm along the beach. After setting up camp, we went to the beach and saw beautiful views of the ocean and jumped in. Finally we cooked dinner over the campfire.

Written by Trekker Mike

Pacific Northwest Trekkers Cross the Border to British Columbia

The morning started out with a cold breeze. We woke up to a nice yogurt breakfast that our cooking team had prepared. After the group finished packing all of our equipment on out bikes, we were on our way. The bike ride started out on a beautiful bike path surrounded by trees on one side and an open view of the brilliant ocean. As we were riding, a constant breeze relieved out tired and sweaty bodies. Although the trip to Vancouver was long and exhausting, the beautiful views and landscape made all of our hard work worth it! 

Blog post from Trekker Jonah