Every day on an Apogee adventure brings new challenges, excitement, and meaningful experiences. One of the questions we hear most often from families exploring teen summer adventure camps is: What does a typical day on an Apogee trip actually look like? While no two days are exactly the same, this snapshot offers a look into a day in the life on an Apogee Adventures trip.
Our days start early, and most of our students will wake up in a tent. Most nights on most trips are spent camping (with the exception of our Caribbean Service trips, Costa Rica Mountains & Coast, and Maine Coast College Essay, which all stay in indoor accommodations). With so many adventures ahead, mornings on our summer adventure trips for teens are all about getting moving. On a biking trip, students will be packing into their panniers, on our hiking and backpacking trips, they’ll be stuffing what they need for the day into their backpacks, and on our service trips, they’ll be prepping for the day’s project. No matter the destination, once packed, everyone then gathers together for the first meal of the day: breakfast.
Students fueling up for an amazing day of adventure on Northwest Mountains and Coast
Meals at Apogee Adventures are always eaten family style, creating a strong sense of community. Breakfast might include oatmeal, yogurt bowls, or bagels with cream cheese. During the meal, leaders share announcements and outline the plan for the day before the group cleans up and heads out for the day’s main adventure.
After breakfast, it’s time to get into the heart of the teen adventure camp experience. Depending on the trip, students may be biking to their next campsite, hiking to a beautiful waterfall or up and over a mountain pass, surfing, rock climbing, sea kayaking, whitewater rafting, working on a service project, or any number of exciting outdoor activities. Along the way, there are riddles, songs, laughter, and meaningful conversations, moments that help build confidence and lasting friendships through shared outdoor adventure. Throughout the morning, there are plenty of breaks for snacks and hydration — often conveniently timed to take in a cool view while we rest!
An Apogee student hitting the road for a day of pedaling on our Vermont to Montreal trip
By about noon, everyone is hungry after a full morning of exciting activity. Leaders seek out scenic spots to pause and refuel with a picnic style lunch. A typical Apogee lunch features things like sandwiches, wraps, pasta salads, and occasional treats like charcuterie boards. After a delicious lunch, the group will gear up for their afternoon activity. On our hiking trips for teens and biking trips for teens, the afternoon activity is typically the same as the morning activity: finishing the ride to the next campground or hiking down from the summit of the mountain we conquered. On our service trips for teens and college prep trips, the afternoon activity is usually different from the morning’s service project or college essay workshop: they’ll take the afternoon to explore the local area on a hike, a trip to the beach, or by getting out on some kayaks!
Groups typically get to the day’s accommodations by around 3:30 p.m. After getting camp set up, the late afternoon is filled with games, snacks, showers, and one of Apogee’s favorite traditions: crews. Each day, students are on either cook crew, clean crew, journal crew, and “camp crew.” While cook crew works with a leader to prepare dinner and the journal crew documents the day’s events, camp crew works with a leader to make sure any miscellaneous necessary tasks (collecting firewood, pumping bike tires, etc.) are completed. These crews rotate over the course of the session, and give students a chance to take real ownership over the trip by building new skills with their peers like cooking over a camp stove.
Students playing some games on Maine Coast College Essay after returning to their accommodations for the evening
Dinner is often the highlight of the day on one of our adventure camps for middle and high schoolers. Evenings are full of laughter, storytelling, and bonding, followed by dessert, (which is always delicious whether it’s banana boats cooked over the fire or “worms in dirt”). After dishes are cleaned (thanks, clean crew!), the group comes together for a final game and the journal crew’s creative retelling of the day through songs, skits, poems, or dances.
Each day across the “Apogee universe” – from Alaska to the Dolomites – ends with Apogees and Perigees, or “A’s and P’s.” This is a time for reflection on the highs and lows of the day and for giving kudos to those who made it special. After A’s and P’s, we’ll brush our teeth while staring at the stars – so stunningly bright out in the woods – then it’s off to bed, ready to rest up for another unforgettable day on an Apogee summer adventure camp for teens.
Students on New England Mountains and Coast reflecting on another awesome day at Apogee Adventures
Written by Lucia Daranyi, Assistant Director