As group tents and pot sets are packed away and kids gear up for school, Teen Treks reflects on the accomplishment and life-changing adventures teens experienced in the many bike trips over the summer.
This year, Pacific Northwest Trekkers weren’t able to go into Canada, but in turn, this opened up more opportunity for San Juan Island hopping and allowed quality time biking, hiking and exploring Olympic National Park.
Our early July Cape Cod Trek dodged a rain storm that led to extra days in Martha’s Vineyard in cozy cabins with adventures exploring the island by bike and kayak!
Meanwhile, the Great Allegheny Trekkers biked on off-road rail trails, camped in beautiful wooded areas, swam in the Potomoc River and made stops at the Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water House and to whitewater raft on the Youghiogheny River.
Our mid-July Cape Cod Trek biked along the scenic Cape Cod Canal with many great stops on the trip, like Plymouth Rock, Martha’s Vineyard, Hyannis and Provincetown. The group bonded over many delicious meals, beachside fun and reflections over the campfire.
The Maine Coast Trek had a blast discovering iconic Maine attractions like the Portland Observatory, Acadia National Park and Penobscot Bridge. The group especially enjoyed the unique community at the Balsam Cove Campground, exploring the touristy town of Bar Harbor and taking in the views from Acadia’s rocky beaches.
The 1,000 Mile Trek spent 25 days on the road traveling from Chicago to NYC, overcoming long daily mileage and lots of rain. The group wound up in spontaneous adventures like a mud wrestling tournament, a thrift store dress-up challenge and a restful night in a laundromat. They celebrated their 1,000+ mile accomplishment with parents at an esteemed pizza parlor near the Brooklyn Bridge to end a great adventure.
Our D&R Canal Trek followed the historical tow path through Pennsylvania and New Jersey visiting great small towns like Princetown, Easton, Trenton and Bethlehem. The group discovered waterfalls, enjoyed swimming, ate lots of well-deserved food, stayed in comfy hotels and even got to explore the campus of Princeton University.
New York-Burlington was a rendition of the usual NY-Montreal Trek, but luckily one of the leaders was from Vermont, so she knew all the ins-and-outs and the group found great swimming holes, lots of good food, and neat towns to discover en route to Burlington by bike! The group visited the FDR Museum, slept in the atrium of Lincoln Baths, met the 2015 winner of “The Voice” at a farmers market and feasted on Ben and Jerry’s ice cream in Waterbury.
Our last Cape Cod Trek of the summer finished out the trekking season with many great adventures. The group enjoyed visiting the beaches and lighthouses at Martha’s Vineyard, they escaped the rain in Sandwich, MA by touring a glass museum, they biked along the Cape Cod Rail Trail, swam in beaches and ponds along the way and finally explored shops in Provincetown all before ferrying back to Boston.
As the 2021 season comes to a close, we’ve enjoyed hearing stories from groups about the challenges they overcame, the spontaneous moments they experienced and wonderful people and views they encountered throughout their trip.
We hope memories of the adventures had this summer will live on in each of our trekkers and encourage them with a sense of accomplishment and new understanding of people, places and the joy of traveling!
Stay tuned for more bike trips next year!