Unbounded Bike Trip, Day 1

Webb's inaugural Unbounded Days started with a splash (literally!) today as a group of cyclists capped a 30-mile morning ride with an afternoon sea-kayaking adventure. Though air and water temps were in the 50s, the whole crew had a great time throughout the day, bravely tackling steep hills and raucous waves. The ride wound along 15 miles of coastline, bluffs, flowering vegetation, pastures, cows, herons, and elephant seals to Ragged Point, where we turned around and came back. After lunch with the seals, we took a break and then went kayaking. Getting through the persistent sets of waves into calm water proved to be the most challenging part, and everyone got wet. A few of us even got completely turned over in dramatic, churning crashes, though I won't mention any names. The highlight was a cave we had to enter with perfect timing so the tide would carry us over a rock at the entry way. Once everyone was borderline hypothermic, we headed for shore, whereupon our guide said, "80% of people turn over if they try to go in alone. Who wants me to guide you in?" Not a soul raised their hand. With the exception of Tommy, we lived up (or is it down?) to the statistics. Video of the train wreck to come. I can't imagine having that much fun and feeling that fulfilled while being that cold. Day one: A+.

Tommy

Henry

Ryan

One word describes Marley: moxie

The group at Ragged Point, our turn-around spot

Allen at the top of the climb out of Ragged Point

Chris

Abhi

Devin

We stopped at a seal preserve for lunch, where hundreds of elephant seals gather along the coast in the winter to breed. These pups are the result.

One of the bulls is in the lower right, hogging the good spot. The bulls weigh between 3000 and 5000 pounds.

The trail that wound through the elephant seal preserve was loaded with flowering vegetation. It's the perfect time of year to be here.

Natalee

Drew

Davis

The group getting ready to get soaked.

Henry and Sidney

Natalee, Marley, Davis

Allen and Abhi enter the cave.

Natalee and Marley emerge from the cave.

Tommy, Steve, and Zach head to shore. Of the three of them, only one will not be soaked when he gets out.

Sunset from our hotel

Rock Climbing at New Jack City

While two van loads of students headed to the slopes this weekend (see below), two more headed for the desert, taking advantage of Webb's ideal location. Look out for a snorkeling trip to cap the trifecta! Many in this group have been introduced to rock climbing through our Outdoor afternoon activity, and took their indoor gym expertise to New Jack City on Sunday. Ms. Schnupp's and Mr. Harris's passion and guidance make it a safe way for Webb students to take risks, feel a rush, and take a break from their hard work. Thanks to Ms. Schnupp for the pictures.

Ryan belaying Carola

Carola knows that leaning back into your belay is all about trust.

Jeanette belays Andi with the support of Mr. Harris.

Julia and Shannon

Danielle

Dolly on belay

Christine

Mr. Harris helps Allen on belay (left) while Jeanette belays Ryan.

Carola, Julia, Alvin, Ryan, and Dolly watching the last climb of the day.

Leaving the rocks behind for another day...

Skiing and Snowboarding at Mt. High

Though we haven't had a lot of snow this year, two vans of students took advantage of the most recent storm to test their limits and try new tricks at Mt. High. Below is a video filmed by two of them, James and Keith. They appear in the video in the following order: Jack, James, Louis, Stir, and Keith. Special thanks to James for spending several hours editing his footage into this clip.

Louis

Keith

Camping in Joshua Tree

Star-gazing in Joshua Tree has become a popular pastime at Webb,. It's the perfect way to slow down, escape the pressure cooker, and take a few deep breaths. Mr. Maffris has been leading these trips for years, and knows all the perfect spots. Rock-hopping, cookouts, and staring into the cosmos -- the perfect way to spend the weekend. All photos courtesy of Rita.

Derek, Tina, Rita, Mimi, Kasey, Mr. Maffris, Alan, Bobby, and Marcos at the campsite.

Hiking in Idyllwild

There's nowhere better than Idyllwild for clear, crisp air, mountain scenery, and hopping around on high rocks. A Webb contingent of twelve strong headed out this weekend to play in the snow and leave their workload far below. Thanks to Mr. Nichols for the photos.

Back row: Ms. Fisher, Kate, David, Justin, Kathy, Mairin, Rachel, Ali, Charlotte, Mr. Nichols, Danielle, and Susan

We don't entirely know what Susan is doing here, but we suspect she's either getting up close and personal with an ant, or leaning in for a kiss. You decide.

Muddy Buddy

On Sunday, after intermittent rain all weekend, Mr. Ball took six students to the annual Muddy Buddy race, a bike-run combination that requires partners to stay together and, especially this year, get dirty. Of course, it started raining at about 8:00 am and turned into a steady downpour by 9:00. Conditions were perfect...

Ryan, Sidney, Davis, Marcos, Mairin, and Juliana before the race. I usually don't like "before" pictures because they're so clean. In this case, that's exactly why I like it.

Davis on the final crawl.

Mairin and Juliana.

The boys after -- Davis and Marcos took 4th place in the Open Division; Ryan and Sidney took 3rd place in the under-18 division.

Mairin and Juliana took first in the under-18 division!