Drive east from Horno Piren. Turn left before river; there are several locked gates, but if you ask around town you can find someone that has the keys. Continue driving down a dirt/gravel road until you reach a cow field and a wide place in the road where there is a house and room to park. Walk straight through the field and you can find a trail. The hike to get to the river is long and sketchy, but the river is worth it. The nature of the river is pool drop, friendly, and has many different line options. Coming down the last rapid you will see a bridge; eddy out because this is the take out.

Drive to Rio Blanco

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Hey Guys,

Here is a video made by our very own Jess in Video 1 Class. Hope your like and and enjoy seeing some of the things around our camp.

Well to our dismay it began to rain and the Palguin River rose to a level that was to high to hold the race on. We are now far south in Hornopiren and something lucky and amazing has happened. The Rio Negro which snakes around the side of our camp is even better than the Palguin to hold our down river race! This means, STAY TUNED, for the Rio Negro race coverage.

I hope every one is well,

Coach Specht

 Our time  in Pucon is quickly winding down; tomorrow is our last day of school here, then we are southward bound. We have a long day of travel ahead of us on Saturday, as we have to get all the way to the town of Hornopiren, which is about 10 hours south of here. We will be camping in a beautiful, waterfall-encircled area in order to run the Rio Negro.

 We have had a fun week in Pucon, complete with plenty of time in town to write e-mails home, finally wash that stinky laundry, do some research for assignments, and eat our fill of fresh-baked kuchen, a German-style fruit tart. Unfortunately, our planned race on the Palguin got rained out due to high water, and Stephen and David are now planning a boatercross on the Upper Trancura for tomorrow afternoon. The group did get to spend some time on the Palguin this week, along with the Trancura and playboating beneath the bridge, under the watchful eyes of Stephen and David, who are taking over as our coaches this week.

 As a group mentor activity we went to the hot springs one night this week and enjoyed relaxing our tired muscles in the soothing, hot water. Jessica, Tracy and I prepared a dessert of melted chocolate with sliced fruit for dipping; it was delicious! We probably got more chocolate on our faces than inside our mouths… but we’re not claiming to be a tidy group.

 Our schedule has been fairly relaxed this week. We let the kids sleep in and had half-days of school so that everyone could catch up on their rest and their homework. This afternoon, we came into town and took everyone to the climbing gym for an afternoon of indoor bouldering. Some of the kids were pretty impressive with their upper body strength!

 That’s pretty much a wrap for this week. Our internet connection will be limited in the coming weeks, so don’t worry too much if your kids aren’t writing as frequently! I will be updating you again in about a week from Hornopiren.

Eric climbing in Pucon

chocolate fondue night

(c)David Gorsky; Kyle following Tino down the Palguin

Imagine a river in Patagonia that flows from one natural lake to the next through a forest of huge trees. Between these lakes the river runs down miles of rapids and countless waterfalls. After kayaking many sections of this river, surfing the waves, running the waterfalls and immersing in the culture surrounding the river; I’m happy to say that the Rio Fuy is my favorite whitewater destination. That’s why I’ve taken particular interest in increasing awareness of the hydroelectricity prospects for this river. During my stay at the Rio Fuy last week I met Christian Labrana, a leader in ecotourism on the river. Christian grew up in the local river town, Choshuenco, and he’s been rafting the river since the 1980’s. For the past eight years he has been bringing ecotourism to the Rio Fuy with a rafting and fishing company. An interview with Christian Labrana reveals the potential future for this river in hydroelectricity.
Chile has always been a mining country, 84% of the national product is copper. As these mines are exporting more, they demand more electricity. The easiest way to get this is not through wind power, wave power, or thermal energy; but from rivers like the Fuy. This river may have never been touched by someone with an edge for river enthusiasm if a dam project hadn’t fell through in the 70’s do to lack of funding. Now a hydropower company based in Madrid, Spain called HidroAysen is planning to build an underground power plant and dam on the Rio Fuy. HidroAysen also plans to dam other Patagonia rivers such as the Baker, Futalefu, and Pascua.
Evidence of this project first appeared in the newspaper in 1996 and was presented to the towns surrounding the river in 2003. The plan is to take water from the Upper Fuy near lake Pinhueico and transport it underground to Neltume Lake where a hydropower station will be built at the town of Neltume. Christian claims that only 30% of the population in Neltume supports this project. The water will then run by natural flow from Lake Neltume back into the Rio Fuy. This project will virtually dry all of the Rio Fuy except for a short section at the end, where it runs into lake Panguipulli. This section is to be dammed by the same company. HidroAysen attempts to convince the locals that this project will ultimately improve their lifestyle by benefiting the economy, but locals like Christian have visions of a better economic future in ecotourism. Paved roads are currently being established in the area for the first time. This will lead to more business in ecotourism, and ultimately a better economy. “Our life, life on the river is much better than the other one,” said Christian.
The driving force for the push to dam more rivers in Chile comes from a few different sources. One is the need for power in the growing city of Santiago. This is perhaps the only worthwhile source. Another source is the need for electricity in mines that are being built in the north of Chile. According to the International Journal of Environment and Pollution, many of the pollutants from copper and iron ore in these mines are discharged into the ocean. Also, most of the resources that are taken from these mines are to be exported to Italy and Spain. So this project only benefits Chile in the short term advantages of selling land rights, and hurts Chile’s environment in more ways than one. “They’re never thinking about the future,” said Christian. As for the city of Santiago, the growing need for electricity can be satisfied in less destructive ways. An alternative suggested by Christian is wind power. Chile is also an ideal place for thermal energy and wave power.
My research on the subject of hydropower in Chile always seems to ultimately lead to the same problem, power. Chile, as well as other countries facing similar problems, is being attacked by powerful international agencies who seem to be convinced that globalization is the best thing for our world. The hydropower projects in Chile prove that this idea overlooks places like Patagonia and the Pacific Ocean.
By, David Gorski

Works Cited
Inderscience Publishers. 17 Feb. 2010. http://inderscience.metapress.com/app/home/contribution.asp?referrer=parent&backto=issue,1,28;journal,77,87;linkingpublicationresults,1:110851,1

Patagonia Times. 17 Feb. 2010. http://patagoniatimes.cl/index.php/20080721599/News/Environment/CHILE-DAM-CONTROVERSY-AIRED-IN-SPAIN.html

My dad came to Chile to visit me. It had been rainy and dark until he came; I suppose he brought good weather. Now, here I sit, the day after his leaving, looking out at the rain and clouds again. This bad weather really makes me appreciate the sunny days. Yesterday was a bummer because my dad went back home, but it was also one of the best days I’ve had on the river. As soon as we put in I was, for some reason, afraid to get out of the eddy. I sat, trying to talk myself into going out and playing, but I couldn’t. Tracy came over and made me roll a few times in the eddy; everyone of them was successful. Then, Gorski and Tracy convinced me to roll in the current. The next thing I know Jess is telling me to try to loop. By the end of the session I was getting the first half of my loop. I’m so grateful for having Jessica, Gorski, and Tracy’s patience, and me being in their group.