Teen Treks

Day 12  we woke up after a deep sleep and made our way down to the hostel breakfast. It was a very special day because it was trip leader Oscar Wilmerding’s birthday. After breakfast we quickly got ready and went exploring though the city of Ghent. We started by navigating the local book and flower markets. We then headed to one of the many canals in gent and went on the famous 9$ canal tour through gent. Then, we ran to our augmented reality reservation in “Sint Bravo’s Cathedral”.  It told the story of the cathedral and it’s most famous painting: The Mystic Lamb. We then went and got Belgian chocolates and groceries and went back to the hostel for a quick nap. After a dinner of chicken, rice, and bean burritos, we walked through an alley designated for graffiti and played cards in the town square. After conversing with locals in the hostel lobby, we went to bed. 

Today we started out with FREE breakfast at the hotel! Then we walked around the Mystic Seaport Museum which was awesome. While we were there we tried out stilts and explored lots of different boats, both modern and from as late as 1860! We also went in and out of modeled town homes and “doctors offices” as well as shipyards from the mid 1800s. We then stopped by a bike shop to replace a rack before heading out and biking the 21 miles we had today. Once we arrived at the campsite we swam at the beach, which was gorgeous and very refreshing. For dinner we had fajitas with various different toppings, including queso, guacamole, sautéed peppers and onions and hummus. Overall it was a great day, despite the hills and the heat. 

I was rudely awoken by Alana taking the tent I was sleeping in down with me and Duncan still in it. We ate breakfast quickly, got donuts from a nearby shop, and set off on our bikes. We biked for hours and hours, and it was much harder than before because of all the hills. We eventually had lunch, and met a cute cat there. We set off again after a long lunch break. We eventually got to the town of Oswego (Duncan says his dad is from there, so that’s pretty cool). We tried to remake a Beatles album cover, and failed pretty miserably, but it was still fun. The ice cream we got was really good, and there were so many flavors. After the ice cream, the biking got really hard. The hills were huge and they were pretty much constant. We finally made it to the campground, and got to work making dinner. We had really good salmon souvlaki, courtesy of Olivia. After that we headed to bed.

-Trekker Henry  

Today we began our first zero mile day by sleeping in, and enjoying delicious pancakes from our hotel for breakfast. We then spent the rest of the morning relaxing and fishing in a park. For lunch we had smoothie bowls by request of Penny and June. After finishing our smoothie bowls, we rode along a relaxing rail-trail to a basket court near Lauren’s house. After playing basketball and tag for about an hour, we continued to Lauren’s house and had fun playing ping-pong and watching Netflix. For dinner we had delicious burgers and hot dogs and s’mores cooked by Lauren’s dad. After biking back to our hotel, we had a relaxing night watching movies and swimming in the pool. Tomorrow we have our 50 mile ride out of Albany.
-Trekker Mathew

We woke up early for breakfast at the hostel and got on the road to Ghent. We followed the canal and stopped by the water for a lunch of chicken salad wraps and visited a bike museum where we tried out the different bikes. There was a bike with a side car and one where seven people can ride. We arrived in Ghent around three and took a long nap. We had chicken and noodle soy sauce, got waffles with ice cream, and walked around Ghent. We ended off with a night walking tour and saw the three towers of Ghent.

Today was a long day. First we woke up around 6:30. Then after cereal and coffee for breakfast we biked to the ferry. Once we docked, we started our adventure for the day. Our first stop was at the grocery store for future meals. Then we biked 20 miles and stopped for lunch, enjoying PB&J, cookie butter, and Cup & Noodles Instant Ramen. After lunch we kept going on our trip. Our second-to-last stop was at a refreshments truck where we got Snow-Cones and filled up our water bottles. Then we had our final stop of the day, Dunkin’ Donuts. Here we shared a few donuts and each took a shot of espresso to give us energy for the last miles of our day. Around 5:00 and after just over 40 miles we had arrived at our final destination, Days Inn. After we unpacked we enjoyed the amenities of the hotel such as a pool and the showers. Then after we watched some TV we went to go and outside cook dinner, Chili with baguettes and butter, and play some SpikeBall before we finished the day off with some more TV and comfortable beds.

⁃ Trekker Chaitan

Today we biked from outside of Hudson to Albany. We arrived around lunchtime and then went to the Capitol. They had a million dollar staircase that took a million years to walk up. We then went to the observatory and got to see all of Albany and they had some delicious water. The lady working there was very interesting. We then went to a museum where we got to learn the interesting history of New York State. We then ordered some delicious chinese food for dinner and enjoyed it very much. We got back to our hotel after a long yet fun day!

-June

Today was day 14 of the Lake Ontario trek. After waking up at my aunt’s house, we had a late breakfast of eggs and bagels. After breakfast we packed our bags and played a couple games of spike ball with my cousin. When the spike ball game was done we headed to Walmart to do some shopping. We  started to bike after we got back. Our biking was somewhat difficult due to a substantial headwind and massive hills. When we got to our campsite, Alana and Henry made dinner, we talked about our day and headed to bed. Shoutout Wenzel. 

Trekker Duncan 

Day 10, we woke up later than ever and were treated to a complementary breakfast from our hostel. We then embarked on a long journey through the city of Brugge. We started with authentic Belgian waffles and then climbed our way up the Befort Tower. We listened to the bells chiming and also saw how the clock tower worked. In total, we had to climb 328 stairs to get to the top. After the clock tower, we made our way to the local thrift shops. Next after a strong power nap we went and explored Brugges. We explored both the extensive and beautiful canal system going  through the city. We crashed hard at the end of the day looking forward to our next city, Ghent.

Today we woke up at eight in the morning and were able to take our time getting ready and eating breakfast. We then headed to town and found a delicious cafe where we enjoyed cold drinks and freshly made baked goods. After eating lunch in the shade, having wraps of almond butter and jelly, we left to discover the charming beaches of Block Island. We stopped at Light house beach, where we skipped rocks, saw multiple seals, and befriended a crab which we named M&M (Mongo Mango). Then we biked to get ice cream where we were overwhelmed with the amount of flavors. Next up was spike ball, we all changed partners each round and it was a blast! While dinner was cooking we played cards and listened to music. For dinner we had some well seasoned rice corn and beans with lettuce, in a wrap or by itself. Then finally we ended the day with a meditation.
⁃ Trekker Addison