Wednesday, our first full day in Chosheunco, all of us students paddled the Lower Fuy. It was pouring rain, but I for one love paddling in the rain. It is so peaceful. When we got to the river, we split into two groups. One group went first at a fast pace. They were all about getting down the river, and playing at any playspots they found along the way. A few of the more confident paddlers volunteered to pair up with the less confident paddlers to lead them down the river. I was one of those paddlers. This was the second group. We concentrated on taking the river slow and building confidence and trust.

Jason Craig and Eli Spiegal fool around on top of New River
Academy’s boat trailer after a fun day paddling

I have to say, even though I was working to give a less experienced paddler more confidence on the river, having them depend on me ended up making me feel more confident in myself! It was a really cool experience. Whatever the relationship off the river is, on the river it can be totally different. The student I led and I are really close off the river. We are total equals. However, on the river, she looked to me to lead. I think in the end, it brought us closer together, and definitely built more trust between us.

The beautiful Rio San Pedro that New River Academy stopped
to paddle on our way from Pucon to Choshuenco.

The river itself was gorgeous. The water  was so blue it was almost turquoise. There  were big beautiful rocks everywhere, and the  river was lined on both sides with green exotic  foliage. The river ends in a huge lake. The  water in the lake is almost warm enough to  take a bath in! We paddled around the lake,  right to the bottom of Chosheunco, then  walked back to the hostel we are staying in!

Stephen Forester enjoys the late afternoon sunshine by the Rio Trancuro
near our base in Pucon.

Chile is amazing so far, and I cannot wait  to see what the rest of the trip holds!

-Tracy d’Arbeloff

Julia Fisher, Emery Tillman, Alex Shallhorn, Tracy d’Arbeloff, and Melina Coogan en route to the Tres Saltos.

Jason Craig, Isaac Holden, and I (David Hughes) decided to lead the group to slide off of one of Tres Saltos perfectly clean slides.  Tres Saltos can bee seen around Pucon on billboards and is a paid to see sight attraction.  If you drive past Pucon toward Lago Caburgua and make a right toward Argentina you will begin travel higher into the Andes Mountains. 

Stephen Forster slides the big one at Tres Saltos near our Pucon, Chile base.

The valley approaching Tres Saltos offered students a new view and angle on Chile’s most famous volcano, Volcan Villiarrica.  Upon arrival Isaac gave the group an overview of what the activity would involve and what to expect.  I spoke about safety and continuing leadership and support during the canyoneering activity. Isaac and Jason began leading the group up the steep hill, past the zip lines, and to the top where Volcan Villiarrica stood in all its glory.

Matt Tropea and Nelson Jones shimmy their way down the Tres Saltos canyon.

After hiking down into the creek bed we put on our helmets and discussed supporting each other on the steep stretch.  Everyone was encouraged to begin sliding and exploring the playful creek bed.  As we walked students soon realized they were also scouting a class V run.  Waterfalls and slides were everywhere and students continued to slide down wet rocks into the pools.

Once we arrived at the first of the three saltos we set safety.  A large rope to climb and a throw rope for belay were set.  As students climbed the fat rope they were also hooked in and belayed on the rescue rope. 

The slide is about 30 degree 15’ slick rock slide that drops 15’ into a pool below.  Locals took pictures and cheered as we slid off of the attraction.  Only kayakers would have such a unique perspective of this attraction as a playground.  We would use two donut swimming pool floats to sit on and accelerate our speed.  Zach did a 360 degree spin, Isaac and I went off at the same time, Tracy and Palmer gave a scream, and many slid the drop many times.

The water was cold and the canyon was not offering much of the mid-day sun.  So, sunny spots were areas where we congregated together and cheered the next run.  Soon, we were packing our supplies and walking down the trail to our van.  It was another natural high.  Palmer Miller stated, “Tress altos was my favorite activity yet.”

On the way home we stopped for ice cream, sodas, and candy.  We returned at 2:00 pm and simply laid around the yard soaking up the sun.  It was an exciting day off of the water.

By- David Hughes, Jason Craig, and Isaac Holden