Rivers of Chile 2010 Trip Report in Numbers

2 flat tires
9 bags of mintitas (Kristin's consumption only)
10 different sections of river
2 swings
1 chalkboard
100 lbs of orphanage supplies donated
= amounts of butt and hockey puck bread
15 pots of beans
11 new friends
3,000+km traveling in country
4 consecutive days of chocolate cereal for breakfast
7 packets of mayo
1 pair of lost tennis shoes
5 volcanoes
2 tarantulas
2,078 photos (coming soon to the website album section)
7 teacups
2 birthdays
2 asados
1 broken paddle
1 polite discussion with the Chilean police about drivers license qualifications
10 elements of leadership
70+ packages of SPRIM
1 time pulling the trailer when Hakuna Matata just couldn't make it
3 dozen churros
4 golden retrievers

EQUALS ONE BACAN (Chilean slang for awesome) TRIP

Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible...and keep an eye on the blog and website for the photos.

Un nuevo desafio

Al transcurrir la semana los instructores, nos propusieron un nuevo desafio poder ser lideres por un dia, en un comienzo pensamos que era facil, pero luego nos percatamos que el trabajo era en parejas siendo asi un poco mas complicado, ya que la responsabilidad era compartida, y tambien la toma de decisiones.

Pasando los dias llego el momento de ser lider junto a Olivia y presentar el plan, en ese momento comprendi que ser un lider, requeria organizacion y dispocicion para que todos los planes propuestas fueran realizados en la hora acordada con orden, eficacia, y finalmente obtener resulatdos positivos.

Pero como siempre hay cosas inesperadas se nos presentaron algunos promblemas en la realizacion de las tareas, pero los cauales pudimos enfrentar correctamente, gracias al apoyo de los instructores, de el grupo en general, y de aquillas constituidas clases de liderazgo, con un exitos plan B y un poco de flexibilidad. Asi fue como pudimos concluir positivamente el dia y finalmente con opiniones contructivas en el "debriefing."

Considero que para mi Alzar School ha sido poco a poco un aporte para aprender cosas nuevas como enfrentar problemas contionamos, desarrolar mas el espiritu de lider, el trabajo en equipo y asi muchas cosas mas...

surfing in pichilemu

here we are in cabanas Santa Irene , in front of one of the best surfing spots in the Chilean coast , enjoying our last days of Rivers of Chile .
today we had a good surfing session in the morning then we start cleaning up group gear getting ready to leave to Santiago. also we had a great dinner at a local restaurant and shared our best moments of this trip , for sure cross feeling finishing this course , i happy that i got to know a lot of new friends and cool people and for the other side a little sad that the trip is almost over .

At CONIN, the Chilean orphanage we work with. This year Alzar students painted an old swing-set (previously without swings), built swings, and painted a mural that has a portion that is a chalkboard. We spent a lot of time with the little kids, giving hugs and playing games. Lots of smiles, lots of giggles, good day.

Rosario and Titi giving us a concert at our Asado

Huckin' Meat, by Conner

It's been some time since I shared about our bread-scapades, and in that time we have been up to some rather amusing shenanigans, most notably hucking our meat. We were also shredding gnar on the Fuy, the Enco, the Trancura and the San Pedro, just to name a few. Almost everything has been rather big, person-sized waves, rhinoceros-eating holes, with one or two 30 foot drops thrown in for good measure. No big deal.

The stretch of the upper San Pedro was probably the most difficult stretch of river that I have done to date. I managed to survive some very mondo features, some very hungry whirlpools, and "El Reloj," my first Class IV. After some more rad river running, we found ourselves in Radal National Park, home of the fabled Siete Tazas (7 Teacups). After a rather stunning deck sampling of the near perfect falls, we started our journey towards the rather hellish put-in. Finally, after lowering all of our boats down a near vertical hillside overgrown with coligue (looks like bamboo), we were graced by the glorious presence of the superb canyon we were about to huck our meat. The walls were chiseled and exquisitely carved, and the water was so clear that it shed the false perception of only being a few feet deep. After panning your head, it was easy to forget that you had a set of falls over 4 times your height coming your way. But when, during the longest drop during which I had time to think, I remembered it was money. Despite initial feelings of trepidation, it was totally and very, very worth it. Huckin' my meat as mondo fun, serene, and beautiful. I'm comin' back.

Open Arms, by Cameron

Despite the great rivers I paddled, and magnificent views I've seen, the culture or environment has been the most enjoyable. I would love to come back to paddle Chile again, but the attitude of everyone here is what really draws me to come back. For instance, I'm not afraid to even ask a police officer a question, because unlike some places in South America, you can trust the police. In fact, they get offended by bribes and will fine you, even possibly put you in jail, not from any personal experience, of course.

Last night, we went to a former Alzar student's house for dinner. Her family was very welcoming, and the experience was awesome. I had no previous encounter with having dinner at a non-US house, so it was a big change. Everyone in the family knew English except for the two-year-old, so I was not completely anti-social, but at the same time I was engaging as much as I can. Overall the cooking was great and so was the hospitality of the family. The Chileans are the most hospitable I have met so far.

You Will Remember

We are reading poems by Pablo Neruda, the Chilean nobel laureate during dinner. Here is the one we read tonight.

You will remember that leaping stream
where sweet aromas rose and trembled,
and sometimes a bird, wearing water
and slowness, its winter feathers.

You will remember those gifts from the earth:
indelible scents, gold clay,
weeds in the thicket and crazy roots,
magical thorns like swords.

You'll remember the bouquet you picked,
shadows and silent water,
bouquet like a foam-covered stone.

That time was like never, and like always.
So we go there, where nothing is waiting;
we find everything waiting there.

-Pablo Neruda

Un momento por favor...

After spending two weeks under the Chilean sun, I've received my first ever chaco tan. I'm estatic, and I'm still trying to figure out what that is. What is it about the strappy skin damage on my feet that puts me in a state of such jubilation? Perhaps my toasted brown skin, much more appealing than the doughy white from winter in the states, yierlds a similar satisfaction to that of roasting a perfectly golden marshmallow (without the gratification o f eating your delicious final product, of course). Perhaps its because of the distinction I'll receive among my peers when I return to the hippie school I attend. Or maybe it reflects the thrill of freedom and new experiences, both exciting and awkward, this trip has offered. Living in the midst of a foreign wilderness without the conveniences of modern society is such a relief to me. There's no way technology can disrupt the close bonds that are forming in this small group, or pull you away from the awe and respect the mountains we camp below command. No pressure to look good or be on your best behavior. No disturbances while I try to learn the language and traditions of a rich culture. Living a vagabond lifestyle, searching for the next rapid to paddle. To me, it is liberating. Or perhaps, its not a tan at all. My first real shower I take after three weeks might wash all the traces away. I hope not.

Whales, Dragonflies, and Unicorns, by Zoe

I remember being a little kid pretending to go on exotic, dangerous adventures. Never did I expect it to be anything like this. I can speak and understand people speaking a totally different language I'm spending time with and learning from some of the most talented people I have ever met.

I couldn't iagine being anywhere else but here. It seems like we have been friends forever, this is such a raw environment that there is no need to put on an act or to pretend to be something we are not. We're somewhere where we can bond over a passion we all share.

It is slowly but surely sinking in that we have less than a week left here, but as we drive throught the dusty mountainous countryside to "siete tazas" I'm thinking about how amazing it is here and how much I love it. Even if it does mean pulling an overloaded trailer up a steep dirt road because the truck wan't able to make it all the way up. Or maybe, eating dehydrated potatoe pearls under a wet darp trying to stay dry because all we really wanted to do was sleep. But then I realize that it doesn't really matter what happens no matter what we can find something about the situation to laugh about, like personifying our vehicles, or making fun of the boys' constant need to "man charge (aka listen to music)."

This trip is changing me as a person, and I can't wiat to see what the next few days have in store.

Some more photos! 1/10/2010 (more tomorrow too)

Good experiences, by Titi

I feel like I’m in another country. Being all the day with people that aren’t Chilean, and in places that I haven’t been before is awesome. In all these days I have been able to improve my English a lot, learned about other customs, and also show my culture doing things that I never thought I would be able to do with them. Getting to know each one of these students has been incredible, there are all different people with different characters, but at the end they are all excellent people who I’m going to keep in my memory forever. This experience has been wonderful, maybe when this course is finished I will not be an expert kayaker, but I’m going home with lots of good memories and excellent experiences.

Flowing and Growing by Lizzy

When I signed up for the Rivers of Chile expedition I was expecting to learn how to kayak. Now, with little more than a week left here, I’m realizing that we have been taught so much more than eddy turns and peel outs in school bus munching waves. I’ve learned that made up play moves like “Grace Kelly with a belly” are far more fun than any move could ever be. That no matter how many times you point up trying to explain you are from the US, people sill don’t get it (wonder why?). A flat tire taught me flexibility. A stinky van introduced me to some awesome people. The list goes on and on forever. Ultimately, little things are teaching me little by little not ot take anything for granted and to go with the flow. My goals are to stop taking things for granted and to appreciate the little things, and to make every roadblock an exciting detour. We have one life, there’s a lot of time, but not enough to waste any. It seems that some of the best things in life pop up when and where we least expect them. What better way to get the most out of life than appreciate every person, and thing and not take yourself too seriously.

Blog #2 by Fletcher

Hi everyone! Sorry it has been awhile, we have been traveling and paddling a whole lot, so far we have paddled the Rios: Claro, Fuy, Enco, Licuara, Trancura, and the San Pedro. They have all been so so so much fun! I have gotten some amazing pictures. The paddling has mostly been really fun big water! On the bridge-to-bridge section of the Rio Fuy I hit a wave that was so big it flipped me straight over backwards! It was incredible! SO MUCH FUN! Yesterday and today we have been hiking in a National Park at the base of an active volcano! It erupted two years ago, so we got to see the paths of lava flows! It was incredible! We are not making our way back north, and will be getting to Santiago on the 16^th and then I will come home! I miss you mom and dad, Charlie, Jake, and Petey and everyone else! Thanks! C-ya soon!

Update

Everyone is healthy and learning tons! We had another great day on the river, Claudio taught an intro to river rescue class and Valeska when downstream for the first time. The group was very supportive and it was pretty exciting for all of us. We have begun the team leadership days, and will have mid course updates from the students shortly about their experiences. The group is working together well, and remain eager to lear about the culture and the rivers of this beautiful country.

We did another food buy today, the students are getting better at this, and I am looking forward to pitta pizzas tonight (cooked by Lizzy and Fletcher)

More Photos from Chile 2010

Enjoy these new shots. As you can see, we're all having a great time.

Blog Post #1 by Fletcher

Hi everybody! I miss you all! I am healthy and having a blast! Yesterday we paddled the Rio Claro in Los Quenes- it was awesome! One of the coolest things was the ride and hike to get to the river. The road we took up the Southside of the river was really really bumpy and steep. There were times when I thought our 12-passenger van wouldn't make it. We got through. After we got out of the van we picked up our boats and hiked about a mile until we ran into a gorge with only a single log crossing the canal. We move the boats one by one with ropes attached. It was epic. And this was only to get to the river!

The actual river was a blast! I was paddling a Big Wheel, and was joined by Conner, Zoe, Sean, and Calin. The river was beautiful. We were in a gorgeous canyon and the water was crystal clear. Every time I looked up I lost my breath because of how incredible the whole picture was. The river was so much fun. I didn't swim (knock on wood) and it has only made me want to paddle even more! So far the whole trip has been amazing and I am sure it will keep being amazing. I miss everyone back home. Bye for now!

Conner on Bread

I am a man of many tastes in bread. The smell of a fresh baguette caresses the olfactory as if you are settling into a long lost pair of favorite shoes. Here in the land of "butts" and "pucks" you generally have two choices. As the imagination would suggest, butt bread is creatively shaped like, well, a butt. Just as originally, hockey puck bread is formed like a puck. A dense and tough skin protects the juicy and doughy meat inside. Word has it that there is an event in the Chilean edition of "Gladiators" called the "eliminator" where stale hockey puck bread is shot at you out of a cannon. The local urban legend about butt bread is that it is great for making delicious sandwiches. I can still recall my first experience with butt bread. I ripped apart the two halves, graciously filled them, applied liberal amounts of PB&J and enjoyed thoroughly. It made my day just a little bit brighter. Hopefully this is just a small sampling of what the fertile bakeries of Chile have to offer.

Climate and River Diversity by Cameron

Chile has the most diverse climates that I know of. WHen I look at the Chilean scenery I have to associate it with other places that I have been ot, in order for me to understand it better. An example would be of one of our van rides to Choshuenco. One instance I thought I was going up the windy roads of hte Blue Ridge Parkway of North Carolina, then I felt like I was on Highway 1 of California, because of this mountainside road over viewing a gargantuan lake. I thought it was the coast of Chile briefly until I could see the fain opposing side of the lake through an eerie fog. Then I thought I was in Hawaii with 50F weather, but that was when I could not associate this country with other places. Its just that amazing and it has to be described by experience.

Just as the climates are diverse, the rivers are as well. The first couple of days we paddled a technical river which has exposed rocks creating many features like concentrated water chutes and mini whirlpools. Now in Choshuenco, we are paddling big water with more volume. This is where many rocks are submerged and features like big waves are formed. I could get really detailed about this, but one thing I wish I had would be a camera.

Some photos from Rivers of Chile 2010

A few photos from the trip so far...
















New Year's Eve fun!











Students enjoying a wood-fired hot tub in an old wine vat.

!Mi experiencia en Alzar School! by Valeska

Me enfocare principalmente a lo distinto que somos las personas, hablando puntualmente sobre la variedad de culturas que existen en el mundo, pero en esta ocacion me referire a los estadounidenses.
Bueno, analizando desde el primer dia que comparti con ellos pude pecibir los distinto que somos, desde lo que comemos y vestimos, hasta como realizamos last areas diariament, por todo esto las personas solimos crear inuduntariamente ona objecjecion ante esto, y creemos ciegamente en los dificil que puede llegar a ser convivir con ellos y hasta generamos un “No, es imposible” y cerramos la posibilidad de vivir experiencias de este tipo y so tetigo y me costa que si se puede, no es tan dificil llevar una vida juntos , so va en como miremos las cosas, y la dispocicion que tengamos, ya que he poolido compartir unos dias juntos a ellos, done he ido adquinendo diversas cosas como valores, pequenas costumbres, y hasta un poco mas el idioma.
Debo reconocer los impresionante que es para mi su manera de ser y de ver las cosas, es admirable ese espiritu de chicos exploradores, buscando aventuras entre muchas cosas mas.
Tambien agardecer la oportunidad que me brindo Alzar School, para poder ser participe de todas estas hermosas aventuras de las cuales he pocelido estar presente junto a los demas intregrantis , los cuales me han hecho sentir comoda, por su atencion y dispociion. Ya que gracias a todo esto poco a poco he ido aprendiendo cosas nuevas para mi.

Smaller, by Lizzy

Everything is smaller here. From the toilets to the soda to the people, it seems like everything has been put into a massive shrinkifier. I am having a hard time deciphering whether everything in the US is just unnaturally humongous, or if everything here is small. There are two things, however, that are larger than life here: the mountains and the amount of joy and peace. The mountains are breathtakingly wild and huge and awesome. You can almost feel and taste how alive they are. As far as joy goes, I’m already blown away. In Los Quenes, our sweet first campsite, I saw people that by our standards would be poor, but glow with definite peace and joy. So here in this majestic country of big and small, I am having the time of my life and can’t wait for more.

Friends from the US by Titi

Maybe to some people it is really hard to make friends, and is more difficult if hte others speak a different language. But one of the most interesteing things that have had in these days is proving that it is no impossible to make friends even though they are from other countries and speak a language that is not my first language.

I am starting to love this trip, talking in English all day is something that I really ike, and the best thing is that if I make a mistake nobody laughs at me. Instead, they help me and tell me what is the correct manner to say it.

One of the things that impressed me a lot was the people who I am traveling with are really attentive that makes me not feel alone. I hope to keep in contact with all the US students and with the instructors too.

We are having some problems with the blog. We have entries written from all the students and are working to get them uploaded. We know you want to hear from these students!

As I am writing this, it is our fourth day in Chile and already I have achieved great things. Among sewing clothes by hand for every orphanage, planting forests in barren areas of the country, discovering a way to power cars without the use of fossil fuels, and basically just saving the world before bed time, I have managed to roll a kayak! I wish I could say I did it in the snarling, pissed-off waters of a class seven rapid, but that would be a lie. Since I am dead set against any form of lying, I will admit that I rolled in a pool. Rolling is one of the first kayaking techniques our instructors teach beginners, such as me. This surprised me because I had always assumed that rolling was an advanced kayaking skill, a novelty I would learn much later in my kayaking career. However, knowing how to right your boat is important for sustaining one’s life when paddling, especially when you are just beginning. Therefore, it is important to know how to do at any level. Sorry if this explanation is boring any experts. This is solely for the benefit of my biggest fans (my family) who don’t know diddly about kayaking.

The pool we beginners (which include the two Chilean natives, Titi and Valeska, and myself) were learning in was actually just a large hole lined with river rocks and filled with river water. I cannot emphasize enough how cold the water was. It was frigid and resembled the color of scum. Cotton drifted from the trees creating a summer blizzard and dusting the surface. It looked a little questionable, but we had no fear. The first few times I was tipped under while still attached to my boat, I panicked a little and sucked great amounts of green glacial water up my shocked sinuses. Once I started wearing nose plugs, everything went much more smoothly, even though I looked ridiculous.

Being flipped upside down with the knowledge that my entire bottom half is attached to a giant banana can be disorienting at times. A few times I flailed around underwater still attached to my kayak looking like a chicken without a head, and eventually whoever was instructing me at the time would save me. They swear I was only under for five seconds, but I know it was closer to five minutes. As soon as I regained my composure, everything went swimmingly. I have been able to roll at least once by myself during each session. After the sessions, I am tired and shivering, but filled with a great sense of accomplishment. So far I love kayaking, Chile, and all of the people I’m sharing this fantastic experience with. I can’t wait to paddle in an actual river, but you’ll have to wait until next time I’m afraid. I better wrap this up. Try to keep living your mundane lives until I return. Hasta luego.

- Olivia