Mountain Biking at Big Bear

Mountain biking is one thing. Taking a lift to the top of the mountain and then endlessly flying down, so that your arms rattle and your fingers hurt from squeezing your breaks so hard -- that's another. Two vanloads full of Webb students and bikes made the trip to Big Bear on Sunday for a day of adrenaline-filled descents. We also got to soak up some fall colors, as the trees have started changing at elevation. If you can judge the amount of fun had by the number of minor injuries accrued, consider it a blast.

Top row: Ryan, Claire, Devin. Bottom: Stir, Adam, Cole, Johnathan, Jake, Sidney, Ms. Kapp, Terence.

Ryan tests his mettle early in the day.

Adam and Cole power by stunning views to neighboring ridges.

Stir, Johnathan and Jake snake through the ridge trail.

Expert rider and mechanic Ms. Kapp fixes a broken chain...

...while Ryan enjoys the view...

...and everyone else sees how many people can stand on one rock.

Adam and Claire about to enter the single-track Plantation Trail.

Sidney makes waves. Or ripples, at least.

This tree was so magnificent, I made everyone pose by it. Needless to say, they were thrilled with my efforts to stop their ride.

Terence and Devin navigate a muddy section of trail.

Claire doesn't seem to care what the trail is like -- she just keeps going and going and going...

This is Stirling catching some serious air. Sorry about the picture quality -- it's a still shot from a movie we took with his helmet cam.

Sidney, Devin, Adam, Johnathan, and Ryan show off the results of their fight with the mountain. Though they battled bravely, the mountain typically wins these sorts of encounters.

Hiking San Jacinto

The 10,000 Foot Club is off to a rollicking start this year, with two peaks already completed! Twelve Webbies climbed to the top of San Jacinto (10,834') this weekend, gaining great views to the valley below, and taking advantage of 70-degree temperatures and gorgeous skies. So far this year, 26 people have made it to over 10,000 feet. That's more than all of last year combined! Special thanks to Ryan, one of Webb's photographer-extraordinaires, for these photos.

Bob, Devin, Ms. Schnupp, David, Sidney, Tina, Susan, Alan, Terence, Ali, and Mr. Harris still below tree line

Ali, once the crew made it above tree line.

Into Thin Air

Once you get to 10,834, sometimes you just need to rest.

The official NFS marker showing San Jacinto's height.

Hiking Mt. Baldy

A total of 14 Webb students took their first steps toward the 10,000 Foot Club on Saturday, hiking to the peak of Mt. Baldy and then down the Devil's Backbone. A mere 20 minutes from campus, Baldy is the perfect way to start the hiking season at Webb. With support from each other and a few distracting puzzles ("I like coffee but I don't like tea"), we all made it to the top for the spectacular views into the valley below. We left campus in a misty drizzle and reached the peak in glorious 70 degree temperatures and sunny skies, with the clouds floating below. The hikers maintained a great attitude throughout, and are more than ready for the next challenge in the 10,000 Foot Club.

Before even reaching the Baldy Bowl trail, we took a little detour to the waterfall on the fire road.

Juliana, Mairin, Alan, and Jack power up the steep inclines out of Manker Flats.

Vicente, David, Anthony and Kyle near the Sierra Club hut.

A short break on the steep climb up to the final ridge.

The group zig-zags toward the top of the Baldy Bowl.

We reached a vast overlook about 30 minutes from the peak.

David, Brandon, Mr. Owers, Vicente, Kyle, Bob, Anthony, Terence, Allen, Jack, Mairin, Juliana, Rachel, Ryan, and Alan (l to r) at the 10,064 foot peak.

Starting our descent

Rachel pauses for a photo op

Kyle making his way down the scree in his Ralph Lauren boots. Seriously.

It's not as dangerous as it looks (see below).

Ryan takes one last moment for reflection before finishing the hike.

Mr. Owers with the Baldy Bowl behind him

On the Devil's Backbone, a thin ridge that drops off steeply in both directions

Until the next time...

Sea Kayaking at Laguna Beach

Welcome back to the Webb Outdoors! This year's ambitious outdoor program got off to a hot start with a day of sea kayaking at Laguna Beach. We started by paddling out to the islet where dozens of sea lions bask every day. We then raced to a distant buoy, at which point a swim in the ocean seemed like a good way to cool down. On the way back south, we were inspired by some paddle boarders to try standing up in the kayak, which mostly resulted in hilarious falls back into the water. It was the perfect place to be on a 100-degree day. Finally, we ended up in a kelp forest, which has regenerated since a teacher and her students hand-planted it off Laguna Beach about thirteen years ago. Kelp is one of the fastest growing plants on Earth, at about two feet per day. In the kelp forest, we also saw garibaldi swimming below and tiny shrimp floating up into the kayak, both signs of how healthy the water has become. In the end, we headed back to the beach and into town for the now traditional stop at BJs for a pizookie before heading back to Webb.

Juliana and Mairin

Kaitlyn and Lauren. You can see a paddle boarder off in the distance.

Emily and Andrew, with Mr. Ball in the background

Angela and Camille in front of all the sea lions. They can hold their breath for up to 40 minutes. The sea lions, that is -- not Angela and Camille.

Click to enlarge. You can also see pelicans and cormorants on top of the rock.

Xander and Rachel clapped to draw the attention of the sea lions. If we all clapped at the same time, they would put their heads up to see what the commotion was all about.

The group lines up before our race to the buoy.

And then the antics began - Camille and Angela try to stand up in their kayak...

...and failed, much to our delight.

Lauren and Kaitlyn

Mairin and Juliana seemed to have the most success, and even got in a couple paddles.

Mairin also found a crab that our guide was able to catch. It promptly snapped him. I wonder why...

Andrew, Mr. Ball, Lauren, Kaitlyn, Rachel, Emily, Juliana, Mairin, Angela, Camille, Xander, Mr. and Mrs. Potash, before stuffing our bellies at BJs.