Madison village rolled into camp today, meaning all of the Explorers are back at MV! Madison had a great bike trip and we’ve heard from some of their campsites that they were especially wonderful guests! Flag and Katahdin have both enjoyed High Challenges recently, and Liberty had a delightful bike shakedown to Skelley’s to get warmed up for their upcoming trip! In general, the Explorers are taking time to rest and prepare themselves for their last adventures this session.
The men of Shaw village are making their way to Camden, Maine today and enjoyed a special excursion to visit “the Bike Man” after a few minor bike issues. If we could only describe how Kris Light’s face lit up at the very mention of stickers from this particular Bike Man – we can’t wait to see them. Chocorua village is spending the night at Piazza Rock Lean-to where they will have the distinct pleasure of using an especially lovely privy, including a cribbage set and two seats! #buddypoop
The Voyageur Women have enjoyed a particularly special past couple of days. They spent some time at a community center in New Glasgow where they were treated to blue dinosaur pancakes and a game of blob tag with the day campers there. As if that wasn’t enough, the New Glasgow campers also made them a sign to celebrate them at their “Hero Week.” Needless to say, the girls were deeply moved, as were we. Meanwhile, Voyageur Men have begun their return trip. They stayed in Windsor recently, and they have already planned out the entirety of the route back – can you believe the session is going so fast?
And last but not least, a special treat from Odyssey, who just received their resupply – some daily diaries! Read on for more details about their first few days:
“7/26/2016:
Dear Merrowvista,
Day 1 of hiking: down. After being treated to a great breakfast at Shaw’s, we got driven to the trailhead and took our first steps on the AT. It was an easy 3 mile day so we got to our site before noon. We had time to relax, have fun, and even dunk our heads in the nearby waterfall. An amazing first day was capped off by a great fire and delicious s’mores. #AppalachianTrailEats – Odyssey”
“7/27/2016:
Dear Merrowvista,
Today was our first day of long hiking. We got our first great view and our first river crossing which went well. I cooked cheesy rice for dinner and we got to bed early. – Colby”
“7/28/2016:
Dear Merrowvista,
Today we hiked 8.7 miles. We woke up at 6:00 AM and ate some yummy grandolas for breakfast. Then we set off for the day and came across a brook and waterfall! About 6.5 miles in, we reached the ‘Barren Slide’, a cool outlook with boulders. The view rewarded our journey up steep rock ascents. J After another 2 miles, we summited our first mountain, Barren Mountain! Yay! Tonight we are at Cloud Pond Lean-to which has a very pretty pond. Hope all is well at camp! Much love, Odyssey”
“7/29/2016:
Sup MV,
Today was mad chill. Only had to hike 7 miles and it was mostly flat. We also stopped and swam in a waterfall. The water was so hot, I thought I was in a hot tub! We also saw a dude with two huskies, me and Drew were going crazy over them. We got to chill at the campsite for mad long, and I got to use the nicest privy on the AT.* It was a super juicy day. Peace, my dude.”
*The 4T Coordinators would like to say: he ain’t seen nothing yet.