The last few days have been wonderful for Four Trails campers, as all Four Trails villages made their way out of camp into the woods, rivers, and roads of New England.
Chocorua village is in high spirits after returning today from their hiking trip through the Mahoosuc mountains in Maine. They enjoyed the silent and still water of Gentian Pond and hiking this morning beside a quiet stream. Shaw village also returned to camp today, and though they experienced some rain, the weather for most of their trip has been perfect for cycling. Today they cycled over Camp Hill and into the Canaan Valley, rejoining the community for several days of rest before heading out on their canoe trip.
Madison village returned to camp yesterday after running class II rapids along the Androscoggin River, and today they spent much of the afternoon at the Bike Shop with our bike mechanics, Rob and Connor, learning how to shift gears, lube chains, and change flat tires which are all skills they’ll need for their upcoming bike trip through the Lakes Region. They’ll spend two more days in camp, getting some hands on practice with their bikes before heading out on trail once again. Jefferson village just returned from their hiking trip through the Mahoosucs and they are enjoying in-camp time playing Dodgeball, swimming at the waterfront, and preparing for their canoe trip which will be in two days.
Nesuntabunt village spent the day walking the ridgeline of Saddleback Mountain, including three separate summits: Saddleback Jr., Saddleback, and the Horn. Despite some rainy weather, they are in high spirits and are staying at picturesque Poplar Ridge Lean-to on the Appalachian Trail. After spending yesterday at the Ben and Jerry’s factory, taking a tour and chowing down on a Vermonster, Katahdin village has moved past the halfway point on their trip and are on their way back toward camp. Their route will take them through the beautiful and scenic White Mountains, which has been a highlight on this trip for past groups. After nearly 9 miles of hiking yesterday (traversing all three summits in the Saddleback range), Flag village is planning to spend tonight at Spaulding Mountain Lean-to. Tomorrow (July 9), they’ll hike Sugarloaf Mountain before meeting up with their driver and rejoining our in-camp community.
Voyageur Men and Women have been busy roaming Canada’s Ocean Playground (Nova Scotia!), making sure to have loads of fun along the way. Voyageur Women are staying near Grand-Pré, one of Canada’s national historic sites and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known for its wide and rolling farmland situated right on the coast. Voyageur Men are journeying up the Southern Coast of Nova Scotia and spent last night on the beaches near Thomas Randall Provincial Park. They’ve traveled over 100 miles already!
Our oldest Four Trails campers, out on their epic Odyssey, are preparing to summit Whitecap Mountain tomorrow, which will be one of the most beautiful summits on their entire trip. They’ll be able to look back and see the distance they have walked as they near one week of being in the Hundred Mile Wilderness. They have their resupply to anticipate on July 10, where we’ll be delivering food, supplies, and mail to them. If you are planning to send your Odyssey camper one last e-mail, make sure it gets here by Sunday night, as the resupply van leaves at dawn on July 10th!