Sunday, August 25, 2013

Stand-Up Paddle Boarding and Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

Late August means stand-up paddle boarding and sea kayaking at Laguna Beach.  For our traditional first trip of the fall outdoor season, we took to the waters on a hot 90 degree inland day.  Laguna Beach was mild but balmy, with the morning fog still resting on the water when we set off.  Though it burnt off by afternoon, we had a mostly calm and quiet ride in the morning.  

 Most everyone was paddle-boarding for the first time, but it didn't take them long to get the hang of it.

 Max

 Amara doing her best imitation of the sea lions behind her

 Letitia was set on doing her morning yoga.

 Kevin riding bow in the kayak

 Max and Amara continuing the trend toward mindfulness with some morning meditation.  Kind of.


Amara, Chandler, and Letitia's glamour shot

Friday, August 23, 2013

WSC Freshman Retreat on Mt. Baldy

Imagine traveling hundreds or even thousands of miles to a new school.  Imagine 100 degree heat, saying goodbye to your family, organizing a new room, and having to make a first impression on 50 other people doing the same thing. Now imagine that you are whisked away from the school, driven high into the mountains, fitted with a harness and helmet, and attached to a rope.  The rope plummets over and through a series of waterfalls -- four rappels in all.  And that's your way down.  Who wants to go first?  As it turns out, there was no shortage of excitement in the WSC Class of 2017.  They self-rappelled one after another, getting soaking wet, and taking the plunge -- literally and figuratively -- into high school.  Congratulations on a great freshman retreat!

 On the first rappel, which was dry, Adrian was belayed by Gabe, one of the student leaders on the trip, and the first to volunteer for belay duties.

 The second rappel provided the boys with their first shower of the retreat.  Below are "before, during and after" shots of Parsa entering and emerging from the waterfall.



 David happy to be clean.

Andrew F. on the second rappel.

Andrew C. starts his descent down the more technical third rappel.

 Ilya at the base of the third rappel.

Wyatt makes his way beside the waterfall on the fourth rappel.

 One shower wasn't enough for Darren, who jumped back in once he got off rope.

 Since we spent so much time enjoying mother nature, we also spent some time giving back.  The boys did trail maintenance on the Bear Canyon Trail, which runs from Mt. Baldy village all the way to the peak.

And of course there was relaxation.  Here the boys bond over a lively card game.  

Adventure, work, and fun.
Not a bad start to the new year.

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

The Honor Committee on Mt. Baldy

To kick off the 2013-14 school year, the WSC Honor Committee conducted the first part of their orientation retreat on the peak of Mt. Baldy -- the perfect place to set lofty goals and plan an ambitious year.  After a strenuous hike, we set up camp just below the peak, talked leadership styles, and discussed the educational role of the HC at Webb.  Right before sunset, we all settled in for some quiet reflective time, and then crawled into our sleeping bags and turned our gazes skyward, catching a spectacular show from the Perseid meteor shower.  This group of young men came together both physically and mentally as they set a course to challenge themselves.  Special thanks to Dr. Farke, the HC Advisor, for his leadership on the trip.

 Dr. Farke, James, Joe, Daniel, Ziyad, and Anthony on the way up.

 James looks out over the Baldy Bowl.

 Daniel near our campsite

 Mt. Baldy -- 10,064'

 The 2013-14 WSC Honor Committee

 Joe at sunset

 After camping under the shooting stars, the groups heads back into the valley the next morning.

 On our way down, we were fortunate to have a close encounter with a fearless ram, which the group quickly decided would be its mascot this year.