On Thursday, New River Academy returned to Pucon from Choshuenco. Many students were sad to say goodbye to the little town, and the people there. Most students had made at least several friends within Choshuenco. It was hard not to; the people were so nice! Tino Specht, our headcoach/video/spanish one teacher, decided to take advantage of our living immersed with the locals.

New River Academy sits down to dinner in Choshuenco Chile
Ever heard that Chilean chicas are the best looking women in the world? While I cannot attest to that, I will say that Choshuenco had its share of beauty. Tino challenged his students to go talk to some of the local girls. While the young chilean girls laughed over the boys’ grammar, Tino’s students really did improve! As Keegan Grady, a New River Academy senior, said, “I have never been so motivated to learn a language.” Indeed. Actually, Keegan himself did pretty well with the ladies. He even went with a girl to eat dinner with her family. I am sure he was very sorry to say goodbye to Choshuenco

New River Academy seniors, Nelson Jones and
Romeo himself, Keegan Grady, wrestle over…a frisbee?
Boys; I will never understand them

Back in Pucon, back to cooking our own meals, back to campfires and our little isolated home…and I truly felt I was returning home. I for one am more then fine with spending more time at our beautiful home base. (Although the ultimate field in Pucon is no where near the ultimate field in Choshuenco…). I will certainly miss having a beach and a lake at our disposal, although here in Pucon we have the Trancura hole a 30 second walk away. Honestly, anywhere is fine with me, as long as it is in Chile.

Hope everyone is staying warm! I know I am

(sorry, I could not resist)

Palmer Miller gazes out at the Rio Trancura from New River Academy’s
Base in Pucon Chile.

Happy Valentines Day!

-Tracy d’Arbeloff

Kayaking is a serious sport, no smiles aloud. These little boys are all serious about their first shuttle down to the beach in Choshuenco.

It is two days before Valentine’s day, and here in Pucon the evening is threatening to be as hot as the day was as hot as the day was. Today we left Choshuenco in a blaze of glory and dust, color and kayaks. Someone wrote in the dust with their finger on the tailgate of the truck: HONK IF YOU LOVE KAYAKIN and we waited and waited for a honk….never heard it. Didn’t really pass to many people on the potholed, washboard roads between Choshuenco and Pucon.  Travel days are always a good time for our traveling carnival: singing, talking, five minute ice cream breaks, new towns, and the light but blissful sleep brought on by leaning your head against the window of a van bumping down a road that’s heading North, towards Mexico.

Melina Coogan keeps Literature bright fresh and happening at New River Academy. In return for the gift of knowledge she bestows upon them daily, her students are tranforming her into a river running, boof hitting, mad loop sticking rodeo rockstar.

Jason Craig and Eli Spiegel enjoy a photo shoot at Chile’s Rio San Pedro Bridge.  (c) Emery Tillman

Just three days ago, we left our base in Pucon on our way to Patagonia. On our way to this fascinating place deep in the south we took advantage of the Rio San Pedro which flows approximately halfway in between these two destinations. The Rio San Pedro is a high volume river that flows from a lake surrounded by the foothills of the Andes mountains. This river took us through the peaceful wilderness of Chile with sunny skys, big rapids, and great playspots. We found a lot of good surfing waves along the way. One of these was a three to four foot wave with an eddy next to it, making it the perfect place to hang out and surf for an hour or so.

Stephen Forster runs Las Leonas in a Ducky on the Upper Fuy, Chile.  (c) Emery Tillman
As soon as we got off this river we were on our way further south to the town of Choshuenco and the Rio Fuy. The Rio Fuy flows through the heart of the Andes mountains, over waterfalls, passed caves, and under volcanoes. It’s possibly the most fascinating place I’ve ever been. We just did the upper section today which took us down some spectacular, clean waterfalls and rapids. The river was extremely low due to a low snowpack last winter in the Andes but that didn’t keep the smiles off our faces. This low water level just happened to open up a little passage in the rock wall on one side of the river that lead us into a little cave that was lighted from below due to a reflection off the bottom of the deep river. Tino Spect (NRA Coach) showed us into this cave saying it was his favorite place in the world.

I believe that the Rio Fuy is one of the most amazing places on this earth and I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow. But as for the hear and now, I have a high school diploma to work on, so I must write no more

Ciao, David Gorski

Hey Everyone!

            Chile is amazing!! I cannot believe more people have not come here to experience its beauty! One of my favorite activities that we have done was slide down Los Tres Altos. These waterfalls are known throughout the kayaking community for the big pools at the bottom and the surrounding nature.

Los Tres Saltos: The first waterfall

We took Sunday off to rest and relax. Sleeping in was the perfect beginning to such a wonderful day. At 11:30 we all packed in the van and headed to Los Tres Altos. None of us knew what to expect when we got there. As we parked the van, David asked us to get together outside of the van. He began to talk to us in a serious tone about how sometimes you don’t know what to expect from the owners. I was sure that we would have to pile back in and head back to base camp, until a smile appeared on David’s face. He said, “That’s why we have to be stealthy”; I knew we were going to have a great time. He also told us that we needed to act like tourists taking a lot of photos. Well the boys had afield day acting like Chinese tourists taking pictures.

Julia Fisher, Emery Tilman, Palmer Miller, Melina Coogan, Alex Shallhorn, and Tracy d’Arbeloff

To get to the top of the waterfall without climbing up a rock face we had to hike up the mountain. It was literally straight up the entire way, no joke. Though I was tired once I go to the top, the view refreshed my energy. The rolling mountains with the Volcano in the distance take ones breath away! We then jumped the fence into a field of blackberry bushes. They were the biggest I have ever seen (or eaten)! We had to pry away the boys from the blackberries before we could continue on through the woods to get to the top of the creek. Once there we changed into dry tops, shorties, and helmets. We rock-hopped down the creek to the top of a series of natural slides above the waterfall. Of course the easiest way to get past them is to practice for the bigger waterfall by sliding. After spending time on those we arrived al primero cascada de Los Tres Saltos.

This 20ft. drop lands into a huge pool. With all my gear on I take a pirate floaty to sit on. I creep to the edge of the water, preparing myself for my ride. I sit down, take a deep breath, and then blast off!! My heart races as I fly down the water over the edge and into the air. For a moment I am supergirl! Unfortunately my daydream only last for a moment, until I splash into the pool, bottom first. As I surface I am filled with excitement and joy; that was incredible! I watch as others follow suit, each in their own way. David Hughes and Isaac Holden come down together holding hands, while Keegan Grady films his way down. Everyone had a blast.

From climbing down into a gorge to sliding down waterfalls, our day was packed with fun and adventure. Our day at Los Tres Saltos was a day that I will never forget!

 
Palmer Miller in front of Los Tres Altos

Into Patagonia

Just three days ago, we left our base in Pucon in route to the Rio Fuy in Patagonia. On our way to this fascinating place deep in the south we took advantage of the Rio San Pedro which flows approximately halfway in between these two destinations. The Rio San Pedro is a high volume river that flows from a lake surrounded by the foothills of the Andes mountains. This river took us through the peaceful wilderness of Chile with sunny skys, big rapids, and great playspots. We found a lot of good surfing waves along the way. One of these was a three to four foot wave with an eddy next to it, making it the perfect place to hang out and surf for an hour or so.

As soon as we got off this river we were on our way further south to the town of Choshuenco and the Rio Fuy. The Rio Fuy flows through the heart of the Andes mountains, over waterfalls, passed caves, and under volcanoes. It’s possibly the most fascinating place I’ve ever been. We just did the upper section today which took us down some spectacular, clean waterfalls and rapids. The river was extremely low due to a low snowpack last winter in the Andes but that didn’t keep the smiles off our faces. This low water level just happened to open up a little passage in the rock wall on one side of the river that lead us into a little cave that was lighted from below due to a reflection off the bottom of the deep river. Tino Specht (NRA Coach) showed us into this cave saying it was his favorite place in the world.

I believe that the Rio Fuy is one of the most amazing places on this earth and I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow. But as for the here and now, the academic side of my life awaits me. So I must say no more.

Chao, David Gorski

Into Patagonia

Just three days ago, we left our base in Pucon in route to the Rio Fuy in Patagonia. On our way to this fascinating place deep in the south we took advantage of the Rio San Pedro which flows approximately halfway in between these two destinations. The Rio San Pedro is a high volume river that flows from a lake surrounded by the foothills of the Andes mountains. This river took us through the peaceful wilderness of Chile with sunny skys, big rapids, and great playspots. We found a lot of good surfing waves along the way. One of these was a three to four foot wave with an eddy next to it, making it the perfect place to hang out and surf for an hour or so.

As soon as we got off this river we were on our way further south to the town of Choshuenco and the Rio Fuy. The Rio Fuy flows through the heart of the Andes mountains, over waterfalls, passed caves, and under volcanoes. It’s possibly the most fascinating place I’ve ever been. We just did the upper section today which took us down some spectacular, clean waterfalls and rapids. The river was extremely low due to a low snowpack last winter in the Andes but that didn’t keep the smiles off our faces. This low water level just happened to open up a little passage in the rock wall on one side of the river that lead us into a little cave that was lighted from below due to a reflection off the bottom of the deep river. Tino Specht (NRA Coach) showed us into this cave saying it was his favorite place in the world.

I believe that the Rio Fuy is one of the most amazing places on this earth and I can’t wait to do it again tomorrow. But as for the here and now, the academic side of my life awaits me. So I must say no more.

Chao, David Gorski