Day 34: ABC, Easy as 1-2-3!

“A B C, It’s easy as
1 2 3, as simple as
Do re mi, A B C, 1 2 3
Baby you and me girl” — Jackson 5

As someone who is left-brained and analytically wired, (TBH, I loved Calculus…), it should come as no surprise that today’s blog would result in a numbers-driven theme. Whether it’s miles biked, pies eaten, borders crossed, or elevation gained, there are countless ways to quantify the impressive feats of our Apo-crews across the globe. Without further ado, I present to you: today by the numbers!

Skip to a Specific Trip: MCJ, CI, NEMCA, NEMCB, CS, MCCE, VLCA, VLCB, CRLC, CRMC, CMC, AKMCABC, GSA, NWXA, NWXB, PC, ACC1, ACC2

Maine Coast Junior (MCJ)

MCJ’s number of the day: 47,633

Today, Anna and Duncan’s squad of intrepid hikers enjoyed a morning hike in Acadia National Park, which covers a total area of 47,633 acres – holy moly! After, they transited to Brunswick where they will spend the next two nights – whoopee!

Cape Cod & the Islands (CI)

CI’s number of the day: 9

CI had the day-off from biking today, but don’t fret, this day did not disappoint. They did laundry, ate lunch in Orleans, then headed back to camp for afternoon games (Mafia, anyone?) before enjoying an Apogee classic of breakfast for dinner, followed by magic tricks (reactions shown below), hairstyling, and cinnamon rolls! We hope they are rested for another day of biking that’s in store! CI’s number of the day represents how many gears are on the right cassette of the bike!

New England Mountains & Coast A (NEMCA)

NEMCA’s number of the day: ~1,000,000

The (very, very) rough estimate of how many trees NEMCA saw during their hike in Pinkham Notch, which is a mountain pass in the White Mountains National Forest. Today, they romped up to Imp Face for some gorgeous views and a spectacular waterfall. We office folk are jealous.

10 points for their creativity using walking sticks! Love it!

New England Mountains & Coast B (NEMCB)

NEMCA’s number of the day: 10

On a scale of 1-10, the feeling of being showered and clean after a challenging hike is indeed a 10. Seen below, this courageous crew made it just above the tree line at Mt. Washington, which is also a 10/10 feeling! After one of the best showers, Sav, Jonathan, and co. enjoyed the rest of the day playing games, enjoying a nice homemade dinner, and basking in the greatness of the outdoors.

Caribbean Service (CS)

CS’s number of the day: 1542

Welcome to Puerto Rico, CS! Kramer and Kendra have been excitedly awaiting for this trip to begin! After everyone safely arrived, the group played get-to-know-you games as they jaunted to Utuado, where they will spend the next several days. Settled in with a family style dinner, our CS’ers hit the hay, dreaming of what the 12 days will hold. Did you know that coconuts are not native to Puerto Rico? The coconut was introduced to Puerto Rico in 1542, after the Spanish imported it from the Far East.

Maine Coast College Essay (MCCE)

MCCE’s number for the day: 250-650

The total word count range for Chuck & Sage’s essayists (based on the Common App requirements, that is). This morning, our MCCE group had individual conferences with Leah followed by some time to revise based on those meetings. Then in the afternoon, they had a picnic lunch and swam at a nearby beach. Keep up the good work!

Vermont & Lake Champlain A (VLCA)

VLC’s number of the day: 54

Did you know that Ben and Jerry’s currently has 54 flavors? Wow, since VLCA experienced its wonders yesterday, it was only appropriate that I inform my readers of that number. Today, Frances and Mikey said goodbye to their crew and we wish them the best and safe travels today! Ciao!

Vermont & Lake Champlain B (VLCB)

VLCB’s number of the day: 205 (Mr. 205?)

Bye bye Burlington! After biking a total of 205 miles (or more!), our lovely VLCB’ers said their bittersweets farewells. We hope you are so proud of yourselves and we hope to see you next summer!

Group hug from last night’s sunset! How cute 🙂

Costa Rica Mountains & Coast (CRMC)

CRMC’s number of the day: 500,000

What a fun day for us office folk – so many trips beginning including CRMC! Our amazing leaders Maeve and Finnegan welcomed their students to Costa Rica, had homemade empanadas for lunch, and made haste to Manuel Antonio National Park, while playing name-games in the van ride. Their number of the day represents the number of species of wildlife in Costa Rica – wowza!

California Mountains & Coast (CMC)

CMC’s number of the day: 275 & 102

Welcome to California! After a day of airport pick ups and icebreakers, CMC took a scenic van ride north and arrived at their campsite ready to be relieved of the hustle and bustle of the SF Airport. On the docket for tonight: delicious dinner, dessert, and well deserved Z’s. Two numbers of the day – bet you didn’t expect that! Wondering what the name of the world’s largest tree is? It’s General Sherman, and it lives in Sequoia National Park! At nearly 275 feet tall and a circumference of 102 feet, it’s certainly a large tree!

Alaska Mountains & Coast A, B, & C (AKMCABC)

AKMC’s number of the day: 17

Halu! (which is “Hello” in Inuktitut) Three AKMC trips began today and we know Julian, Mandy, Zach, Meg, Connor, and Clio are thrilled to explore Alaska with their students! We know today was full of introductions and new things, so sleep well AKMC’ers and dream of snow-capped mountains and wildlife galore! And we can’t forget their number of the day – Alaska has 17 of the 20 highest mountains in North America – oh wow!

(Note for all new AKMC families: welcome to the blog! For all future days, we’ll separate each group into their own post, but since the last flights won’t land until after press time, we combined them into one – just for today!)

Golden State Adventure (GSA)

GSA’s number of the day: 75

This morning, Amelia, Harrison, and crew kayaked through the sea caves of Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands. Did you know there are 8 inhabited islands a part of the Channel Islands and they cover about 75 square miles? Sounds like such an incredible experience! After a yummy picnic lunch, they caught the afternoon ferry to Ventura. Enjoy your last couple of days, GSA! (We’re expecting a picture overload tomorrow – thanks for your patience, GSA fans!)

Northwest Explorer (NWXA)

NWXA’s number of the day: 1

When I say “rest,” you say “day!” Rest – Day! Rest – Day! After spending the morning doing much-needed laundry and prepping for their kayaking excursion, Tommy and Emma’s crew explored the town of Bellingham. Conveniently positioned between Seattle and Vancouver, Bellingham is actually the No. 1 raspberry producer in the state. After doing some research, I think you should add this town to your travel bucket list – I know I will!

Northwest Explorer (NWXB)

NWXB’s number of the day: 24

As our fearless NWXB’s are hiking through the North Cascades, their number today represents the number of hiking boots that have been powering them through the trip. Ten students, two leaders, 24 hiking boots (This would be EXTREMELY embarrassing if this math was wrong). Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait one more day for photographic evidence of the backcountry!

Pacific Coast (PC)

PC’s number of the day: 0

Maybe the most glorious of numbers when it comes to PC’s mileage; a “zero” day for Alex and Nellie’s team means sleeping in, a yummy breakfast, and community service! Despite the day off biking, PC was able to get their hands dirty and clean up a nearby beach – nice work! After, PC explored a bit and hung out at the beach – sounds like a great rest day to me!

America Coast to Coast 1 (ACC1)

ACC1’s number of the day: 8

ACC1 has biked through 8 of the 9 states on their trip so far (To recap — SC, GA, AL, MS, AR, TX, NM, and now AZ!) The ride through Arizona continues as they crushed another whopping 86 miles before cruising into Heber for the evening. There were hills galore on the ride, but we’re sure ACC1 was up to the challenge. They’re pros by now! Oh, and according to the group, today was the 8th Apogee record of the trip (we’ll need to send our official scorekeepers to confirm…).

America Coast to Coast 2 (ACC2)

ACC2’s number of the day: 7796

The elevation of the Continental Divide that ACC2 crossed today! Pie Town is not only a great name for a town, but it’s also a great place to spend the night for ACC2 after an 84 mile ride and consume some well-deserved pies! Tomorrow, team ACC2 will cross into Arizona – another day, another state!