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.

Canyoneering at Ontario Falls

This year's freshmen retreat challenged the boys to overcome their fears and trust other students as they rappelled down a series of waterfalls at Mt. Baldy.  Most students agreed that it was simultaneously one of the scariest and most thrilling things they'd ever done.  The first rappel was dry, and led to the head of a 90-foot drop.  Thirty feet into the second rappel, the boys met the water and were pummeled under the cold falls as they dropped breathlessly underneath it.  The third rappel was short but more technical in nature and required sure footing.  The final rappel was eighty feet and involved navigating the confluence of two divergent falls.  Almost every boy on the retreat completed the rappel, a sure sign that this class is destined for success.

Bobby belays Dylan

Johnny

Cameron entering the waterfall and then coming out the other side.

Dylan was the first freshman down -- a gift his classmates gave him for his birthday.  Here he descends the second 90-foot rappel through the waterfall.

Daniel on belay.

Paul

Nik on the final rappel, between two waterfalls.

This is a shot of all three waterfalls that the freshmen rappelled.  The people at the bottom give you a sense of scale.