WSC Senior Trip to the Grand Canyon

On May 28, the senior class of 2013 took their annual trip to the Grand Canyon to celebrate the culmination of their senior year.  Though they would all walk across the stage a few days later, this walk proved to be one of the most challenging and fulfilling accomplishments in their time at Webb.  Those doing the rim to river route started at the South Kaibab trail, descended to the river, and then came up the Bright Angel Trail.  Those going to Bright Angel Point traveled the Bright Angel trail. 

 Landen at the South Kaibab trailhead just before sunrise

 The rim to river crew gathered before starting their descent.

 The boys descend on a trail at the bottom. Throughout the hike, views to the Canyon let the boys know exactly how far they had to go...just to get down.

 Seniors gathered at the first major overlook, above and below (Chason, Daniel, Mason, Harry).

 Masterful trailwork wends its way all the way down the canyon, here leading to the first rest hut on the right of the picture.

  Zigzags lead Tim, Daniel, Harry, Kabir, Kevin, Kainan, Mason and Jordan downward.

 Terence, Kevin, Jack and Toshi take a break at an overlook.

 Kevin and Terence -- click any photo to enlarge.

 Mr. Harris serves the patient role of sweeper, making sure no one gets left behind.

 The colors of the canyon speak to the ages of natural forces that have created it.

 For a sense of scale, take a look at the Webb boys standing on the trail in the lower left of the picture.

 Daniel and Kabir take advantage of the tying posts for mules and horses.

 Our first glimpse of the river

 The trail stretches out as the boys wait for mules to pass by (below).

 Fady leads a crew down to the first bridge crossing (upper right corner).

 As the trail descends, its color reveals different ages of erosion.

 Kainan, Davis, David, and Chason at the first bridge

 And after several long hours, the boys finally start climbing.  Mason leads over a stream that empties into the Colorado (above).

 Davis and Mason pause for one last photo together before Mason decided to start running (!) to the top.

 Right in the middle of the picture you can see the trail to Bright Angel Point, which extends from Indian Garden.

 Cole, Aman, and Jon pause for a rest on the way up.

 Raffi near the rim

This shot shows most of the rim to river route.  You can see the trail crossing the small plateau to the right, where it drops over the butte and further descends to the river, which you can see a little snatch of on the left of the picture.  The trail then shows itself again just below the river, climbs the narrow canyon at the bottom, ascends to Indian Garden and then zigzags the last 4.5 grueling miles to the top.

 Albert's rendering of our campsite

The next morning, the whole class gathered for a photo at Mather Point.
Congratulations WSC Class of 2013!

Rock Climbing at Holcomb Valley

It was the final Webb rock climbing trip for Abby and Mr. Harris, so let this blog post be a fond farewell and a thank you for all you've done for Webb's climbing program.  I dare say we wouldn't have a climbing program without Mr. Harris's steady leadership, and we wouldn't have nearly the student participation we do without Abby's enthusiasm.  Thanks to both of you for your strong presence on this campus.  Dolly is poised to take the reins next year, but we'll miss you...climb on!

 Dolly and Anita

Abby and Anita

Hiking San Jacinto

In the fresh snow of a late-week storm, Jack, Vicente, John, Terence, Adrian, Mr. Owers, and I set out to San Jacinto on Sunday for a rigorous hike through a wintery landscape.  Mini-spikes gave us extra traction as we navigated up to around 9,700 feet.  After that, the terrain got even more challenging as we approached the 10,834 foot peak.  

 Near the trailhead

 Terence, John, Adrian, and Jack wade through knee-deep drifts. Luckily, we didn't have to do too much post-holing.

 Terence, Adrian, Jack and Vicente at Willow Pass (9,700')

 After Willow Pass the snow got deeper and softer, so we had to abandon our hopes of reaching the peak as a group.  Vicente, however, borrowed my spare set of snowshoes and the two of us pushed on.  Since he's already climbed Gorgonio and Baldy, this was the only peak he needed to join the 10,000 Foot Club, and the others in the group graciously yielded to his attempt.

Exhausted by the final push, we collapsed at the peak.

Vicente displaying his 10,000 Foot Club medal.  Congratulations!

Taking in the view.  Baldy is off in the distance on the left, and Gorgonio is the snow-capped peak straight ahead.

 Vicente tests the winds with Gorgonio looming in the background.

 

 The valley of Palm Springs, over 10,000 feet below.

We were joined at the peak by one other hiker, who was kind enough to take our photo before we headed down.

 While Vicente and I were hiking to the peak, the rest of the group brought a snowman to life at Willow Pass.  Though we didn't all make it over 10,000 feet, everyone had a great time playing in the snow and breathing the mountain air.

Trail Stewardship in the San Gabriels

During the school's Men in the Arena field trips, each class sought a way to give back to the local community.  The freshmen class accomplished that in the San Gabriel mountains, where we worked with the US Forest Service to improve a section of trail north of Azusa.  Fifty students and eight adults worked on expanding trail, weeding invasive species, and creating water run-offs to prevent erosion.  Though we could have spent several more hours out there, we got some good work done in the limited time we had.

 Nik and Carlos expanding the trail

 Mark and Ray clear invasives

 Danny and Julian

 Cameron and Tylor

 Carlos and Armen

 Clifford, Dylan and Kevin clean up the effects of erosion and block the shortcut people were using. Staying on the main trail is one of the seven elements of Leave No Trace ethics.

 

Mr. Rosenfeld, Jayu and Francisco working on a water run-off

 The group celebrates after finishing.  On the left is Freddie Duncan of the US Forest Service.

Snowboarding at Mt. High

Heavy snows this winter have been perfect for skiing and snowboarding.  This video, produced by James, captures the snowboarding club in action.

Mt. Baldy in the snow

Very rarely do I get to take a "school trip" over winter break, but I was lucky to make it to Mt. Baldy yesterday with Shihan, class of 2011, who was home from college for the holidays. I laid in bed the night before listening to the rain, yearning to be in the mountains where it was a proper winter.  When I called around to see if anyone was interested in going up with me, Shihan was instantly excited.  Though he hasn't done much hiking, he just ran a marathon in about 2 hours and 50 minutes (qualifying for Boston!), so he has the lungs and legs to do it.  It was a tough trek to the peak, especially since we were post-holing after the Sierra Club hut, but the wind was relatively calm, and when the sun made it through the active clouds, it was downright balmy (does it have to be above freezing to be balmy?).  More than anything, it was a surreal glimpse into winter, as it coated all the desert plants with snow.

 Shihan makes his way up to the Sierra Club hut.

 Snow always makes an old trail seem new, but it can also lead to challenges in route finding.  The trail is there...somewhere.

 This rabbit seemed to know where it was going.

 We were in and out of clouds for most of the trip. Here the wisps cleared to reveal the cumulous clouds hanging in the valley.

 The final push to the peak

 We were joined at the top by another hiker, who was grateful to follow in our tracks and kind enough to take this photo.

 This sign marks the way down...at least we think it does.

 Shihan refuels under this windswept tree.

 The Devil's Backbone is the hallmark of the descent from Baldy to the ski area.

Rock Climbing at New Jack City

A vanload of dedicated climbers braved the cold in mid-November for some climbing at New Jack City. Though they all started in the gym, Dolly, Abby, Christie, Lucas, and Mairin (below) have all advanced enough to be comfortable outside now, even when they can't feel their hands.