Yesterday - Poetry; Today - Drama!

It was a day of high adventure for Apogee-aniacs across the country (for our long time readers, do you think that “Apogee-aniacs” is my most tortured mutilation of “Apogee” this summer? I think it is in the running, if nothing else)!

Jess and Colby’s Mountains and Coasters were quite literally high off of the ground as they spent a day on the high ropes course in New Hampshire. Nothing like bonding in a tree branch, thirty feet off the ground, whilst wearing an ever-so-comfortable safety harness! Jess sent a nice shot of a number of their group geared up and ready to go.

Our Maine Mountaineers were also high – up on a summit along the Grafton Loop trail. With technology being what it is these days, Rachel called me last night from their backcountry campsite and said that the group is doing extremely well. This morning, she sent me the below picture of the group on the summit of one of the nearby mountains – which they had climbed this morning at 4:30 (!) to be there for the sunrise. They are now out of the woods, looking forward to warm showers, and a day on the river tomorrow.

Cait and Evan checked in today – they are doing wonderfully! In fact, Cait sent me a text earlier today that said nothing more than how much she and Evan love their group. Hopefully, the feeling is mutual… Both their group and Mike and Meaghan's have now left the coast for good and are working their way deeper and deeper into the Maine woods.

I didn’t hear from Rachel and Mike’s Northwest Explorers today, but I’m quite certain they were digging their cool day on the river. I’m told that on the mighty Wenatchee, the river they’re on, they can choose to ride kayak “duckies” rather than opt for the traditional raft. I’ll ask for a full ducky report when we hear from Mike and Rachel.

And there was quite a bit of adventure in New Mexico over the last 24 hours or so, too! A long day of bicycle travails yesterday led to the first night our group spent split up. Nightfall Nick and three of our riders were in Capitan, New Mexico, having found shelter at the Smokey Bear Motel. Maggie, in the lead by several miles, had crested the mountain outside of Capitan and was enjoying a long gorgeous descent into Carizzozo with the rest of the group when one of her number, enjoying the scenery, drifted into the guardrail and, upon correcting, fell. He is unhurt; however, he’ll be smarting for the next few days from some nasty road rash on his arms and legs. The same could not be said of his bicycle, however. The front wheel and front fork were entirely ruined. Maggie and the group, upon consultation with those of us on the other end of the batphone, decided that they, too, would benefit from a couple of motel rooms in Carizzozo. This morning, Nick and his group took off early from Capitan and rejoined the entire group in Carizzozo. Maggie and our student whose bike was in sore need of a new front end obtained a ride to Socorro, the group’s next destination – and where there just happens to be the only well-stocked bicycle shop for at least 200 miles. Nick and the rest of the group enjoyed good riding conditions and a stop at a New Mexico ghost town, where the proprietress (apparently flesh & blood) served them lemonade. Needless to say, now reunited once again in Socorro, everyone is very much looking forward to tomorrow’s day off! I’m including a picture that Kevin, now back at HQ, took the other day as our Coast to Coasters entered Roswell, New Mexico - you'll see that they are a long, long way from the forests of the east.

And as if our Coast to Coasters didn't get enough press already, here's another story about the group in the Graham, TX Leader Newspaper.

http://www.grahamleader.com/index.asp?Story=16357

~ Chad