Hey Everyone!

Here is a video update and introduction to Pichilemu. We spent a week there together exploring the culture and the waves. Its a pretty amazing place full of friendly chileans and lots of pasteries. Hope everyone is well

Hey Everyone,

We are back for a night in the world of internet. We disappeared into the mountains for a week in the valley of Rio Claro “clear river”. This river sets its self apart from any other moving body of water in the world with its unique tendency to form perfectly clean waterfalls that end in small rounded pools nick named by onlookers as tea cups. They turn out to be the perfect training for paddlers working on perfecting their waterfall training. They are very very safe but still challenge you to hit your line and over come that feeling of not being able so see an entire rapid from the top. Our week went well with everyone getting off the river everyday raving about the latest waterfall we had rediscovered. Here are a few shots of the drops! Hope all is well.

Coach Tino

Stephen and David Hughes pushing on through the canyon!

The Group Dropping into the Siete Tazas Canyon!

Group on the last two drops of Siete Tazas

!!!!!!!!!!!

This past week has not only blown my mind but my back as well. The waterfalls were clean and the water, the most amazing color ever. There was just so much fun to be had there. We stayed at this super quaint hosteria right on the banks of the Rio Claro, at the put-in of the Entresaltos and the take out of the Vientedos saltos. Both were super epic runs. The first day we did a little warm up on the Entresaltos just to get our boofs down pat. Then the next day Stephen, Haakon, Matt, Dave and I all ran the Vientedos Saltos, while everyone else did the Tazas. It was without a doubt one of the most epic experiences for me. The run started with a seal slide into 7 footer followed by this super clean 25 foot drop. I unfortunately landed flat, causing a little back ache, but this would be a recurring theme through out the week, and not just for me. After two sweet slide drops that rode up a little on the wall we came to one of the most adrenaline filled moments of my life. We approached a blind thirty foot drop with absolutely no info about it. The drop is actually a double drop where there is eight footer that leads into the grand drop. I was happy that I plugged the drop, but I did run a little to close to the right wall and hit my elbow on aforementioned wall. Thank god for elbow pads, eh? After a harrowing run through a tight little canyon filled with boils and a strong hole we came to the easy part. After a few more drops we came to the take out at our cabins and had a nice dinner before a great nights rest.

Two days later Stephen, Tino, and Dave got to run the craziest drop I have ever seen. It is a 180 degree slide into a 25 foot drop. They then met us at the take out. It was raining super hard that day, and then it started to thunder, so we did not run the Seven Teacups as planned that day. We did paddle the next day though and I finally got to run the Teacups. Those were the cleanest water falls I have ever done. Chile is the land of clean waterfalls! Don’t think that I did not document this occasion either, I have some super sweet photos for your viewing pleasure!

See you on the water!

I remember when I went to a traveling a boarding school, my parents were much more inclined to hear about where I was sleeping, what I was eating, and how I was feeling than to hear about the latest dazzling outdoors adventure. And so I will begin by filling you in on all those ‘details’ of our everyday life.

The students sleep inside a wooden dorm house. The girls have their own rooms and the boys are divided into two. Each student has their own bed; some even have a double bed all to themselves.  The beds are outfitted with sheets, blankets, a down comforter (!!!) and pillows. The boys and girls each have their own bathroom with a hot shower, although to be quite honest the showers have a penchant for oscillating between freezing and burning in the same minute. Regardless, we manage to stay warm and relatively clean. In fact, we’re all looking quite dapper lately, because we all did our laundry (for free) in Pichilemu.

We are served three meals a day, which means no cooking, shopping, or cleaning for us! Heaven! The meals have been the best of the trip so far. We’ve eaten ‘melt in your mouth beef’, hot soup, empanadas and pizza. The vegetarians are served elaborate plates of veggies, hard boiled eggs, salad and avocado worthy of making even the most carnivorous 16 year old envious. With every meal we are served fresh bread that is baked three steps away from the kitchen in the bake house. If you wake up early enough, you can catch a glimpse of our hosts making it each morning.

We eat by candlelight. After dinner, the generator hums on and the dining room is aglow with yellow light. We hurry to charge up our cameras and computers, because electricity is not available at any other time. Coke, fanta and the world’s best hot chocolate (and I am an expert on the subject) is available for purchase at the kitchen at any time, and a well stocked store offers chips and giant chocolate bars. However, so far we’ve been so well fed and busy we don’t have the time or need to resort to snacks.

Classes are continuing to speed ahead. We beat the blazing heat of the day by studying in a shady patio. English classes are finishing up their raps that they will read aloud at tomorrow’s dinner time poetry slam. All students and staff are invited and encouraged to share their own poetry, or that of their favorite poets.

I hope that provides you with some idea of how content and safe we are here at the Rio Claro. This group has bonded more than any group of student’s I have witnessed. I love poking my head in the door to remind everyone that study hall begins in 10 minutes, and finding all the students sitting around laughing and telling stores. Limited electricity and no internet is a huge, huge blessing.

I’m going to send this now in case my internet fizzles out. Stay tuned for another email about the incredible, amazing, stunning, ridiculous and “sick” (the term of the hour) adventures we are having running waterfalls on the Rio Claro!

Photo by Zoe Ross