Today was a pretty huge victory for our team of intrepid explorers. They tackled a challenging and scenic bike ride that any adult could be proud of doing in a day, but especially so for kids of their age! In the morning they showed off their new knowledge about how to break down tents and how to pack up camp, and then they sat down to a healthy breakfast of granola, yogurt, and fruit (a favorite of the leaders on this program). 

From there we traveled through the beautiful Vermont countryside to Burlington, where we rented some bikes from the good people at the SkiRack adventure outfitter. They explained to our explorers how to ride their bikes safely and how to shift their gears. When we were all set up with our nice bikes, we hit the bike path along the incredibly scenic Lake Champlain shoreline. 

Our tough kids rode for 16 miles today, which almost every one of them said was the longest ride they’ve ever done! They rode hard and, after a few hours of riding, we made it to a bike ferry, where we loaded up onto a boat with their bikes and got to ride to the other side of the causeway bike path, and also got to enjoy some ice cold and well deserved drinks. 

From there the group opted for a refreshing swim in the icy waters of Lake Champlain to help cool them off after riding in the summer heat. We all enjoyed splashing around for a good long while before we got back up on our bikes and rode the rest of the way to Seb’s ice cream shop for a mountain of french fries and some of that delicious, world famous Vermont ice cream. 

Our travelers didn’t let a 16-mile bike ride slow them down, though, and as soon as we made our way to Grand Isle State Park, they put on their bathing suits for another long swim in the lake, where they played hard for another hour in the water. 

After a big bowl of spaghetti, everyone crawled into their sleeping bags to prepare for another full day of discovering Vermont! 

— Clay & Claire