Stroopwaffles in Amsterdam for the European Grand Tour Trekkers

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

Today we woke up at a crisp 7:30. Setting off to buy breakfast, we navigated the jungle of bikes that is Amsterdam. After consuming a filling meal of stroopwaffles, clementines, chocolate croissants, and cereal, we made our way to the front of a royal palace for the Sandeman Tour. It wasn’t as good as the Paris tour, but it certainly had its highlights. After the tour, when we were walking around, I (Henry) accidentally set off a blaring Vespa alarm. Not my proudest moment.   We got back to the hostel in time to watch the World Cup Final, France vs. Croatia. I made some friends while watching the game, which was fun.  Then we decided to “Take a Wok,” picking up Chinese food and eating it in Vondelpark. We laughed over eclectic subjects and made the short walk back to the hostel for bed.

Learn more about the Teen Treks European Grand Tour.

Pacific Northwest Trekkers Reach Deception Pass

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

Today was a long biking day which started with the sun at the early time of 6:30. After only two hours of getting ready and eating breakfast, we set out with all our gear packed. The ride started with an easy 5 miles which was completed the in just under 30 minutes.  We then took a break to get lunch and dinner foods which was strapped on to our bikes along with the rest of our gear. Between the store and lunch we passed many runners who were part of the RAGNAR race. We passed along words of encouragement and many high 5’s. After 30 miles of riding we stopped for lunch at a beautiful beach on the Puget Sound. We had run out of water and thankfully we found a pottery shop in the nick of time. They gave us directions to a grocery store where we got a much needed ice cream break. Finally after the last 15 miles we made it to the Deception Pass State Park.
-written by Ralph

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First Day Recap by the New England Shore Trekkers

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

Hey guys welcome back to the blog. Today we had something crazy planned for you guys so basically let me give you some back story. We met in Bryant Park in NYC at 8 am. We then caught a train from Grand Central Station that took us all the way to New Haven, Connecticut. We then barely made our second train that took us to Guilford. We were fortunate enough to get the aid of a very helpful conductor who opened up a closed train cart just for us and our bikes. We then met up with the last two people of our group who turned out to be twins!! We later stopped by a grocery store to pick up some food for dinner and lunch. We ate some cold cut sandwiches in the middle of the park. Then we biked 8 miles to get to the campsite and set up our tents. We also went to the beach. Then, we made some dinner. Yeet.
-Trekker Andre

Learn more about the Teen Treks New England Shore Trek.

“Ocean of Bikes” Greet the European Grand Tour Trekkers in Amsterdam

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

We woke up in Ghent and the boys woke up too late so we almost missed check out. We went to a cat cafe before we left for Amsterdam. The purpose of the cat cafe was to make shy cats left at the shelter more comfortable around people. But this meant that all the cats were too scared for us to pet. We got to the train station and had to take 2 trains to get to Amsterdam. We were all pretty stressed out but at least we didn’t take our bikes apart this time. We left the train station of Amsterdam and saw an ocean of bikes. Bikes seemed to outnumber the people. We got to the hostel and ate a nice dinner. We ended the night with a stroll in Vondelpark, the the main city park adjacent to the hostel.

Learn more about the Teen Treks European Grand Tour.

NY-Montreal Trekkers Advancing on Montreal!

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

We woke up at 8 o’clock, and we ate oatmeal like usual. The day started like most days start. We started off on our bikes going pretty fast. After 22 miles, we crossed the border with style, with talent and grace. We made the best picture in teen treks history. We continued on with locals speaking French we didn’t understand (except felix). We arrived at the campsite and saw a legendary slide. We set up the tents and ran to the slide going down it at least 200 times. Going down one by one, diving to the dark depths below. The slide closed at 5 o’clock so it was time for dinner. We played foosball in a container. Finally we played volleyball and took showers.          written by Trekkers Felix & Max

Learn more about Teen Treks’ New York – Montreal Trek.

European Grand Tour Trekkers Have Leisurely Day in Ghent, Belgium

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

After a nice sleep in, we started off our day at the Gravensteen Castle and its interesting (and creepy) torture museum. We wandered the cobblestone streets of Ghent to a flea market, a graffiti filled street, and then onto lunch—Andy and Henry’s first veggie burgers. Feeling a bit tuckered, we all took naps at the park by the castle. Waking up to find no one from the group (they had moved to the other side when I was sleeping to get away from a noisy gaggle of girls).  For dinner we had Middle Eastern food out of cans with somewhat understandable ingredients. Afterwards, we had some odd (but good) pistachio treats for dessert. Today is our last day in Belgium; we are all excited to go to Amsterdam tomorrow.

Learn more about the Teen Treks European Grand Tour.

Pacific Northwest Trekkers Begin Their Travels on the Many Islands in the Puget Sound

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

I never thought in a million years that I would be excited to wake up at 6:55 in the middle of the summer. However, being apart of the Teen Treks family has me enjoying every moment, from dusk til dawn. The day started off great.  I made a dozen eggs for my fellow campmates, of which I had 4, half of what I would’ve liked, but this trip is all about making sacrifices and thinking about others’ needs besides your own. Shortly after the meal, one of seven of the day, we packed up our bikes on the streets of Seattle and headed North. 3 Hours, 33 miles, a ferry ride, and a quick dip in “Ragnar” Lake later, we found ourselves amid beautiful scenery and wildlife on Whidbey Island.  We climbed upwards of 2,000 feet to get to our destination, which was probably the cause of my unbearable and nearly crippling leg cramps. Yet, come the end of the day we were still smiling and excited for another tough day tomorrow. While as a group we face our fair share of obstacles, we manage to get by with our uplifting attitudes and 5 pounds of grass fed organic ground beef sloppy Joes to end a wonderful day.  -written by Trekker Noah

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The European Grand Tour Trekkers are Loving Everything Bruges

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

We spent a magnificent day in Bruges, biking and walking along the cobblestone streets. Blog post by moi:

We sampled Belgian waffles (denser and more buttery than their stateside counterpart), perused a farmers market (free samples of cheese and melons!), and saw centuries-old gothic architecture every way we turned. In the afternoon, we dodged horse-drawn carriages to visit the Belfry in the central square and wandered along the city’s canals. After a full day, we retired to the hostel to rest and prepare to get back on our bikes tomorrow.

Learn more about the Teen Treks European Grand Tour.

NY-Montreal Trekkers Almost at the Canadian Border!

Posted Teen TreksPosted in 2018

Our day began at 4:04!? when we were awoken due to a nearby altercation between a local man and several police officers. Once the ruckus had settled, we tried to fall back asleep. Alas, our efforts were futile. Circa 2 hours later, we were once again awoken by a rowdy group of seagulls pecking at our bread and wailing their little lungs out. We groggily got out of our tents not much later and had some oatmeal. But, as Benjamin Franklin old adage goes , “early to bed and early to rise making a man healthy, wealthy and wise”. Luckily, this was our one and only night camping in Vermont. The biking was short today, only 20 miles. We rode across a beautiful, elevated bike path surrounded by water on both sides. there was a gap in the path so we had to take a ferry to go across approximately 20 feet of water. After, we biked to get another ferry which took us, and a good sum of cars, across Lake Champlain. We arrived at our campsite early at around 1. the rest of the day was spent relaxing, eating , basking in the sun at the beach , and indulging in some Arnold Palmer. –Trekker Aron

Learn more about Teen Treks’ New York – Montreal Trek.