Happy New Year! We’ve officially entered 2026, and to say the folks at HQ are excited would be an understatement. With summer adventures just around the corner, we find ourselves dreaming of warmer weather, familiar faces, new adventures, and countless memories yet to be made. We can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store! To kick off this exciting year of adventure, we’re highlighting two members of our Apogee community who are working to make the world a better, brighter place. Read on to learn more about what Aviv and Sara are doing out in the world when they’re not adventuring with Apogee, and to see where our roadshow will take us as we hit the road to meet new Apogee families and reconnect with old friends.
Also, if your Apogee Alum has done something cool or exciting recently (and we know you have!), please send in a blurb and photo to lucia@apogeeadventures.com. We love hearing from you!
Student Feature
Aviv Backenroth Composes a Violin Duet
Aviv and his mom performing his composition “Fire Cascade”
Aviv Backenroth joined us last summer for our Vermont to Montreal trip. Throughout the trip, he and his crew of bikers tackled mile after mile with great success, cruising through Vermont and into Canada. It was an incredible experience, made special by the group’s achievements and the friendships formed along the way. Logging long days in the saddle was exhilarating as Aviv made new friends and took on the epic challenges that bike touring can bring.
However, more than anything else, Aviv remembers “all of the moments where I simply couldn’t stop laughing.” It’s these pauses after a full day of adventure that truly make Apogee groups click, gathering around a picnic table or fire, laughing and talking about the day.
Along with the memories made and miles pedaled, Aviv also reflects on the lessons he learned during his Apogee trip. The challenges he and his group accomplished together left him with not only amazing memories, but also with a reminder to “keep pushing when things get hard.” This belief, continuing forward even when things feel difficult, is one we at Apogee believe leads our students to an awesome sense of accomplishment when they achieve their goal in the end.
Since the summer ended, Aviv has been busy working on a new kind of adventure. In addition to being a fantastic bike touring explorer, Aviv is also a very talented violinist. He has been playing since he was four years old and now writes his own music. Through this process, he gets to watch his compositions come to life. Aviv describes it as “magical to hear something from your head played in the real world.” This magic connects him to his musical community and inspires him toward even bigger goals. Currently, he is working toward earning a spot in the senior division of his music summer camp.
Most recently, Aviv performed a violin duet that he composed himself, titled Fire Cascade. The piece is “a duet for two violins that represents water and its different forms in nature.” Flowing beautifully through distinct sections, the music captures the movement and transformation of water in the natural world. We love seeing how our Apogee students continue to draw inspiration from nature once they return home, and this stunning piece is a perfect example of that.
Staff Feature:
10 years of Apogee with Sara Litteken
Sara (in the green raincoat) and her Maine’s Downeast Explorer group at the top of Katahdin in 2015!Â
Sara Litteken is a longtime Apogee community member and current trip leader. After hearing about Apogee through a family friend, Sara joined us on her first Apogee trip in 2015: Maine’s Downeast Explorer. Reflecting on that experience, Sara explains, “I had never camped before, but the hiking and adventuring piqued my interest.” That initial spark led her back to Apogee again and again: Costa Rica Language and Service in 2016, Caribbean Service: Puerto Rico in 2017, and Pyrenees Mountains and Coast in 2019.
Sara remembers her summers as a student very fondly, recalling the sense of magic and community that she would later help create as a leader. Her summers were filled with new friends and exciting places, but one memory from her very first Apogee summer sticks out most. “One standout was the backpacking section of Maine’s Downeast Explorer and summiting Katahdin,” she reminisces. “I had never even camped before that trip, so backpacking and hiking such a big mountain with a new group of friends was really special.” Similar to Aviv in our student feature, Sara loved the feeling of tackling a big adventure with new friends.
After her summer with Apogee, Mandy returned to Seward, Alaska (one of the locations our Alaska Mountains & Coast trips visits) the following summer. She had fallen in love with the area during her summer with Apogee and hoped to continue to explore that special place. She found work with the outfitting companies she had met while leading Apogee trips the year before. There, she became a kayaking guide, exploring the Kenai Fjords and the area’s stunning tidewater glaciers. Surrounded by chunks of ice in the water and experiencing the region’s signature chill, Mandy and a friend came up with a creative solution: fleece skirts to keep warm and make cold days a little more fun. She shared how the idea took off: “We bought a sewing machine, word spread around town, and with a lot of love, sweat, and sometimes tears, Tidewater Fleece Co. was born and raised at our house’s kitchen table.”
Sara on Maine’s Downeast Explorer in 2015
After a few summers away from Apogee, Sara returned in 2024 to lead a trip she had once experienced as a student: Caribbean Service: Puerto Rico. She returned again in 2025 to lead New England Mountains and Coast and Alaska Mountains and Coast. The transition from student to leader was new, but, true to her love of challenge, one she greatly enjoyed. Sara explains, “I learned so much in Apogee leader training about how the magic of Apogee is actually created through the intentionality and hard work of the office staff and trip leaders, and it has been so special to facilitate that for new groups of Apogee students.”
Outside of the summer months, Sara continues to stay connected to the Apogee community. “The Apogee community has brought so much into my life,” she shares. “I’ve found a passion for exploring the outdoors and sharing that with others that I never would have discovered without Apogee trips. It’s also so special to have Apogee connections throughout my life.” Built over ten years of experiences, memories, and miles, these connections have followed Sara across state lines and new cities. She reflects, “When I was living on the East Coast, I could take a quick train to feel that Apogee connection with friends from my trips in New York. Now that I’m in Denver, it’s been amazing to have built-in community here with Apogee connections in Denver. It’s a bunch of awesome people who are always down to do something fun outdoors and make life light and fun.”
Currently, Sara works as a therapist at a residential treatment center for adolescents who need significant mental health support. Apogee continues to influence her work. “Apogee brought me a lot of the skills and tools I use every day,” she explains, “especially the ability to make a quick plan and then adapt it based on changing circumstances.” Beyond that, she values her ability to connect with people from many backgrounds and support them through both recreational activities and challenging moments. “Both of these relate to how Apogee pushes students to grow by stepping outside their comfort zones with the support of their trip community and leaders.”
Whether hiking through the Alaskan backcountry, working on a service project in Puerto Rico, or supporting students in Denver, Sara continues to build community and take on new challenges, carrying the spirit of Apogee with her every step of the way.
Sara with her co-leader on Caribbean Service: Puerto Rico in 2024 (left) and with her co-leader on Alaska Mountains and Coast in 2025 (right)
Office Happenings:
On the Road Again!
This past week, our Founding Director, Kevin, hit the road in the northeast to reconnect with old friends and meet some new ones! He presented in the homes of several Apogee alumni families, welcoming new faces eager to learn more about our summer programming.
Kevin will be back on the road in the coming weeks, giving in person presentations in:
Livingston, New Jersey — Sunday, January 25
Manhattan (Upper West Side), New York — Monday, January 26
Pelham, New York — Wednesday, January 28
Hastings-on-Hudson, New York — Thursday, January 29
Manhattan (Gramercy), New York — Tuesday, February 3
If you live in one of these areas, we’d love to see you there, and please help spread the word to friends who may also be interested. For presentation details (both virtual and in-person!), please check out our full presentation schedule and RSVP for an info session. Hope to see you soon!
