Sunday-Monday, February 5th- 6th

Liz Gottlieb & Yinshun Wang

Looking for a short, low effort, glamping, intro to backpacking experience?  The West Point Inn cabins are perched on the western side of Mt. Tamalpais.   Each cabin has a deck looking out on the San Francisco Bay, the ocean and surrounding hills.   Participants will hike up Old Stage road trail (an unpaved 2.25 mile gradual [200 feet elevation total] road) to the Inn on Sunday afternoon.  We will stay in rustic cabins (there are mattresses & quilts but you need to bring a sleeping bag) with no electricity or heat.  There is a full sized kitchen and refrigerator in the main lodge for all to use.  There will be plenty of potential activities to explore if you go on this outing: the history of the West Point Inn, hiking to the top of Mt. Tamalpais, playing card games on the wrap around porch of the West Point Inn, photography galore & more.  On Monday morning we will wake up early, have breakfast, hike down Old Stage road trail and get to D block by 8:40 am!

4 to 8 students

$75-$125 

PE Credit

Thursday, February 9th

Joe Cornett and Kyle Vitale

Want to climb on some really cool rock walls in the second largest climbing gym in the US??? Pacific Pipe Climbing in Oakland is where it's at! Whether you've never climbed before or you're charging up 5.14 routes, come join your classmates for a climbing session. We'll show you the ropes! Literally! We’ll leave class 30 minutes early at 2:15 and return to MA by around 6pm. Dress in comfy/athletic clothing and bring some money for dinner at a taco truck outside the gym. You can rent climbing shoes and a harness at the gym for $5.00.

8 Students

$40

PE Credit

Library Julia Carlisle and Verónica Ruiz and/or Sayed Azimi

Saturday, February 11

Point Reyes National Seashore is one of a limited number of elephant seal pupping "rookeries" along the West Coast. We have the opportunity to see females with their newborn pups as they spend a month or so nursing them on land. Simultaneously, the much bigger male elephant seals will have taken up territorial positions on various beaches and coves both protecting their "harem" of females but also making clear to "beta males" their intention to mate with these females once they have weaned their pups. This pupping/mating season will be in full swing when we visit. While winter storms and high tides led to fewer pups early this season (many pups are reported by the National Park as having drowned) biologists say they anticipate the arrival of a later round of pregnant females in February whose pups might have a better chance of survival. We hope that Drakes Beach will be open by the time we take our outing as this generally provides the most "up close and personal" viewing of elephant seal behaviors. We will also go to two other view points to listen to the males trumpeting and to closely observe this collection of annual elephant seal events. Library Julia will provide an interpretative engagement experience using her knowledge as a former National Park Service ranger specifically hired as an on-scene elephant seal/human interface monitor. 9:00am-2:00pm

FREE  (snack bars provided)

8 Students. (Priority given to those students who signed up for an earlier trip)

Friday-Sunday February 17th-19th

Leslie Beach ‘04, Fresca Varognolo ‘19, and Hannah Hindley 

Never been backpacking? This trip's a great place to start! We'll lend you any gear you may need from the gear room, learn about how to pack a pack, build a shelter, cook on a camp stove, and read a map. We'll meet at MA on Friday afternoon (no school that day!), head to Palomarin trailhead near Bolinas, and hike 6 miles to Wildcat camp, setting up as the sun goes down. Conditions allowing, we'll have a fire on the beach that night, roasting some s'mores and keeping an eye out for the glow of bioluminescence in the waves. On Saturday, we'll check out Alamere Falls, a waterfall on the beach, and maybe go for a day hike up into the wooded ridge above camp. We'll tighten up camp on night two, learning from what went well and what could be improved from the night before. On Sunday we'll head back to the trailhead and get home by 4-- plenty of time to catch up on homework on that Monday, which you'll have off!

6 students

$150

PE Credit

The Three-Peak Challenge

Dates: 

Peak 1: Sunset at Mt. Diablo 

            Monday, February 20 @ 3:00 pm

Peak 2: Sunrise at Mt. Tam

Friday, March 17 @5:00 am

Peak 3: High Noon at Mt. St. Helena

Saturday, May 20 @8:00 am

If peak-bagging, awesome views, and a solid challenge are part of what gets you going, join Stella and Jon in summiting three of the highest peaks in the Bay Area. There will be priority registration and a finishers medal for anyone who completes all three! 

Each outing is also available as a stand alone adventure. Here are the deets:

Peak 1: Sunset at Mt. Diablo 

Meet at MA on Monday, February 20 @ 3:00 pm to depart for the Summit Trail in the East Bay. We’ll hike to the top of Mt. Diablo, arriving at the summit around sunset. Be sure to dress for the weather, bring layers, plenty of water, snacks, and a headlamp. We’ll stop for burritos on the way back to celebrate bagging our first peak! 7 students max.

7 students

Cost: $15 (for dinner)

PE Credit

Tuesday, February 21

Ellie Beyers and Leslie Beach ‘04

In 1996, the Vision Fire burned through many acres of Point Reyes National Seashore. In 2020, the Woodward Fire burned another part of the park. A few years later, we can see the lingering impacts of both fires. They threatened lives and human property but also cleared out dense forests and created the conditions for an explosion of regenerated life. Join Point Reyes expert Leslie and Science Whiz Ellie to witness the land that burned and how it's doing now: unique mushrooms, wild vistas, and more! We'll hike an epic and varied 10 miles through the seashore, walking the Woodward Trail in the middle of the route. We'll do a little learning about fire ecology, and also a lot of enjoyment of the place and one another's company! We'll aim to leave during tutorial (at 12) and be back to campus by 7 or so. Again, bring your own lunch, but we'll provide some snacks to share!

8 students

Free

PE Credit

Tuesday March 7th

Dr Morris and Leslie Beach ‘04

Come visit this Bay Area Oddity; Tepco Beach! This beach in Richmond is the former site of the early 20th Tepco Ceramics Factory. This factory made ceramics for diners, bars, the navy, hospitals– you name it, they made dishes for it. In true Past America fashion, they dumped all their garbage in the ocean, and now the beach is covered with old dishes, cups, figurines, and oddities. Come explore with us and pick up some random/shiny beach treasures for an art project, decoration, a mosaic, or just come for the joy of wandering on a beach and seeing something kind of weird. We'll leave about 15 minutes before the end of C block and be back in time for the late bus.

7 students

Free

PE Credit

Thursday, March 9th

Liz Gottlieb and Hannah Hohle

Join Hannah and Liz as we explore the Petaluma River! We will join the Floathouse in Petaluma and check out the widest variety of watercraft anywhere; kayaks, paddle boards, pedalboards, Hobie pedal boats, Hydro-bikes, canoes & rowboats!  No experience necessary!

We will leave school at 12:30 and return to MA by 4 pm. 

6 to 8 students

$35

PE Credit

Sunday, March 12th

Noah Orgish and Taylor Tan ‘06

What do a 45 lb rock, multiple brooms, a 150 ft expanse of ice, the beautiful world of physics, and you have in common? That’s right! It’s curling time! Come to the San Francisco Bay Area Curling Club for a curling lesson. We’ll get to learn and practice the skill and strategy needed for one of the world’s most fun ice-based sports! We’ll meet up around 12:15, head over to Oakland for a 90 minute curling lesson, and get back to campus by 4 pm! No experience or special equipment needed! 

6 Students

$20

PE Credit

Tuesday, March 14th

Abby French and Leslie Beach ‘04

The January rains yield much abundance into the spring. We'll meet after school at 3:30 in the circle and take the 20 minute drive to Crown Road in Kentfield. The group will decide together whether we want to drop down to Dawn Falls and up and around King Mountain-- about 5 miles if we do the whole loop-- or whether we'd prefer the classic approximately-3-mile loop up a string of fire roads and down Hoo Koo E Koo trail. Either way, we'll see redwoods and bay laurels, madrones and manzanitas, watch for bright flowers and keep an eye out for newts and salamanders. Watch spring unfold around you!

8 Students

Free

PE Credit

Friday, March 17th

Stella Beale and Jon Bretan

The Three-Peak Challenge

Dates: 

Peak 1: Sunset at Mt. Diablo 

            Monday, February 20 @ 3:00 pm

Peak 2: Sunrise at Mt. Tam

Friday, March 17 @5:00 am

Peak 3: High Noon at Mt. St. Helena

Saturday, May 20 @8:00 am

If peak-bagging, awesome views, and a solid challenge are part of what gets you going, join Stella and Jon in summiting three of the highest peaks in the Bay Area. There will be priority registration and a finishers medal for anyone who completes all three! 

Each outing is also available as a stand alone adventure. Here are the deets:

Peak 2: Sunrise at Mt. Tam

Meet at MA at 5am to depart for the Crown Road and the Hoo-koo-e-koo Trailhead. We will hike up the most direct route to reach the summit before sunrise, and return down via a longer-and less steep--route back to the van. Round-trip is about 7 miles.  Be sure to dress for the weather, bring layers, water, snacks, and a headlamp. 14 students max.

14 students

Cost: $15 (for breakfast)

PE Credit available

Friday-Sunday March 17th-19th  

Noah Orgish and Leslie Beach ‘04

Come celebrate this long weekend with a super-chill camping and climbing trip to the Sonoma Coast!  We'll meet at MA at 2pm on Friday afternoon and head over to Sonoma Coast State Beach. We'll set up our car camping site, and do some fancy double burner campstove cooking. On Saturday, we'll walk to the Sunset Boulders, where we might be joined by other MA faculty/staff climbers. No experience needed– these boulders are great for beginning and experienced climbers alike. When we're ready for a break from climbing, we can take some beach time with frisbees (or naps) in the afternoon, and we'll feast on more gourmet camp cookery that night.  We'll head home Sunday morning-- back at MA by 11 or so!  

6 students 

$150 

PE Credit

Saturday, March 18th

Whitney Davidson and Fresca Varognolo ‘19

Join us for a rewarding volunteer opportunity in the beautiful AIDS Memorial Grove in Golden Gate Park. We will meet at school at 8:00 am. The day will begin with a short overview of the history of the AIDS Memorial Grove. We'll then break up into teams to participate in various projects to beautify the garden and honor the legacy of community members impacted by the AIDS crisis. The day ends with a pizza lunch and a moving ceremony. We should return to school by 1:30 pm. It's a wonderful way to learn something, meet new people, and give back to the community. Breakfast, snacks, lunch, and beverages will be provided.

8 students

Free

PE Credit

Saturday, March 25th

Joe Cornett and Hendrik Paul

Hike the Cataract Trail from Ridgecrest Blvd while photographing the rain runoff, waterfalls, and the lost trees we'll find trailside. We'll meet at school at 7:30 in the a.m. in hopes of chasing the beautiful morning light and stop to get burritos on the way up. Hendrik Paul, landscape photographer extraordinaire, will be joining us. Multiple film cameras of all formats will be provided for those who want to dabble in film photography. No photography equipment or skills needed but this outing will give Photo students first priority. We’ll be back at MA by around 1pm.

12 students

$50/student to cover film and processing costs

PE Credit

Saturday-Sunday March 25th-26th

Joann Gatine, Maribel Albarran, Joann’s bestie Esther, and Teyana Irving

Every day is a great day to visit Santa Cruz! Come join us as we explore Santa Cruz via surfing, camping, and touring the beautiful UCSC campus. We will leave MA super early (5:00AM!) on Saturday morning, so please plan to get to campus no later than 4:50AM. We plan to return Sunday in the late afternoon. The trip will start with a two-hour surf lesson at Cowell Beach with the fantastic Surf School Santa Cruz. Afterward, we will head to downtown Santa Cruz to explore and gather supplies before heading to our campsite. We will spend the night around our campfire, preparing yummy food. Sunday, after a quick breakfast, we will head over to UCSC where we will explore the gorgeous campus on a self-guided tour. Surfing and camping experience are not essential. Also, if you would like to attend the outing and not participate in the surf lesson, that is okay too. Some of the adults will hang out on the beach during the lesson, so you are welcome to join. The cost of the Outing covers the surf lesson, campsite, and all of the meals. The surf school will provide wetsuits and surfboards. Please bring a swimsuit, towel, flip flops/sandals, and a water bottle. For camping, please bring warm clothes, a sleeping bag or blanket, and even a pillow if you would like. Also please bring comfortable shoes as we will be walking around a lot. As this trip is being led by the Young Women of Color Affinity Group, you must identify as a woman of color to attend.

10 Students

$350

PE Credit

Tuesday, March 28th

Justine Clifford and Sayed Azimi

Guitars tuned. Mic checked. Get ready to rock! 

Join Sayed and Justine for a night out in Berkeley with great food, and a darkly funny, electric new play at Berkeley Rep called Cambodian Rock Band. We’ll gather at MA at 5pm to enjoy a comfortable, but rockin’, van ride from campus to Downtown Berkeley. Have dinner at Toss Noodle Bar, an amazing Asian fusion restaurant that serves an endless number of different combinations of rice and noodle dishes. Then we’ll head to the world-renowned Berkeley Repertory Theater to see a brand new show developed in their innovative artist residency program. Accompanied by a live band, Cambodian Rock Band tells the story of a Khmer Rouge survivor returning to Cambodia for the first time in 30 years as his daughter prepares to prosecute one of Cambodia’s most infamous war criminals. Directed by Chay Yew, this intimate rock epic about family secrets is set against a dark chapter of Cambodian history.

Hosted the night before COD, so there’s no homework to worry about!

16 Students

$76

Saturday-Tuesday April 1-4

Tania Bettis and Leslie Beach ‘04

Launch Spring Break right with a greatest-hits tour of  Monterey Bay! We'll camp at Sunset State Beach for 3 nights, using that lovely beachside campground as a base of operations for excursions to the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Point Lobos State Park, Pezzini farm (home of Leslie's favorite fried artichoke hearts), and more. We’ll beach hop up and down Highway 1, cook delectable meals in camp– maybe using farm fresh ingredients!-- and just generally soak up some coastside magic! Meet at 8am on Saturday, and return by 7pm on Tuesday

6 students

$325

PE Credit