David Miller is happy to be back on the water in Chile!

After spending time at home in the midst of a Canadian winter for 6 weeks I was very ready to come back to Pucon, one of my favorites places in Chile. When I found out that we would only be here for 5 days I was a little disappointed but I knew it was going to be a great 5 days to say the least. The hostel has changed since we have been here last semester making it even safer and more comfortable. There are more places to lock up your gear and electronics. There is even another dome which we use for morning workouts and hanging out in. The boy’s dorm is finished as well. It looks great! There are big rooms with many beds and beautiful paintings on the wall. The family-like atmosphere of the hostel is even better with more paddlers and more students. We have two new additions to our school this semester: Paul and Keaton. They joined us to take part in the gap year program at NRA. They take a few classes with us and paddle with us everyday!

Another thing that was scarce in Canada in the winter was paddling. It was so great to get back to Chile and paddle the first day right in our own backyard. On the Rio Trancura there is a fun play hole that we paddled our first day with our new coach Stephen Wright. Not only is he one of the best playboaters in the world but he is also an amazing creeker. He is extremely well qualified to teach us both playboating and creeking and has already taught me and everyone else so many new things. He was able to help me improve my bow stall immensely by saying a simple two words. We are definitely lucky to have !Stephen! as a coach. The first day we were back on the water we had every student out there paddling which is a rarity for us. It was an awesome way to start off the quarter.

As much as we love the hostel we won’t be here for long. In two days we are leaving for the Fuy to meet up with the parent trip before returning to Pucon. The Fuy is about two hours away from Pucon. The section that we will be running is a class 3+ creek with a few drops. It is a few hours south so it may be a little bit more chilly. After the Fuy we will be back in Pucon for a few days then we are heading to the Futalafu. The Futa will be a long journey for us. It is about and 18 hour drive south so it will definitely be colder in Futa. On the Futalafu we will be doing lots of playboating. It is a big volume river with lots of fun play waves. Can’t wait to make it to these other two destinations but I will sure miss Pucon.

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After much time spent viewing the scenery and interacting with others from ‘No Alto Maipo” we left for the 4 hour drive to the coast. The drive took us back through the mountains, and out into the agricultural valley below. We passed by Santiago and what seemed like endless miles of vineyards and farmland until we finally began to rise once again into the the hills which flank the ocean. The feeling was electric when we finally glimpsed the vast body of water- massive waves, relentless surf, and long dark beaches. We had finally arrived at our play boating destination; Pichilemu. This small town would be our base for the next 5 days as we tested our skills on the ocean waves. We managed to get out on the surf the first day, however we took it easy and went directly out as opposed to going to the large point break which forms farther down the beach. The waves surprised me in their size and magnitude, they made arial tricks not only possible, but almost hard NOT to throw! Our second day was even better, we headed out to the point break and caught some of the big waves there. Here they dwarfed us in our little play boats and frequently caught us and tossed us around, it seemed that the wave was demanding a toll for every trick. Most of the time we caught them but on occasion one of us would get close, miss, and go head over the heels into a tumble lasting a couple seconds, making for some hilarious wipeouts and beat downs. Fortunately we had 2 GoPros with us, meaning we got plenty of footage of tricks, and the subsequent beat downs. On one such occasion I threw a Pan-Am, (a trick I have been working on all year) and caught it on camera (finally!).

The surf might be the thing that brought us to Pichilemu, but it was the lifestyle that has enticed me to want to come back. The towns culture is unlike anything I have ever seen. A kind of cross between California surf culture, and small town Chilean customs. There is a big main strip consisting of everything from surf shops, to empanada stands. Horse’s and carriages parade around the town, enticing tourists and locals alike, and coffee shops dot the sidewalks offering a temporary reprieve from the hustle and bustle of the surfing lifestyle.

And that brings us to where we are now, sitting in a cafe writing these blogs and updating our Facebook, preparing for another day of paradise and surfing, we leave for the Rio Claro tomorrow, and though I will miss this place, I cannot help but be excited for the next leg of our trip; the infamous Pucon.

portaging "Sunshine"

I have come here looking
to come to terms with myself and my past through kayaking. This is my 40 days
in the desert, it is my chance to figure out who I am and what I will do in the
world, and why. I hope to realize the faults I’ve made throughout my life and
what I can do to fix myself. Other than that, I am just going to kayak as hard
as I can and become as good as I possibly can, with the hopes that kayaking
will free me from the chains that have been holding me back all my life.

Video by Hunt Jennings.

Earlier this year when the water was higher, Mariman,  combined with “last laughs” is normally the portage of the run but with lower water levels, and having spent a lot of time on the Trancura, those two rapids are now our favorites.

The rapid consists of two boofs. The first one bring you over a reactionary that leading to the bad side of the hole. The second one is needed to get through the river wide hole seen in the pictures below. As Eric Bartl discovered the the last time we ran the rapid it is very shallow on the left side of the hole. An unlucky line resulted in several skinned knuckles and a rock in his back.

The rapid is very manageable and it is super fun. It is amazing training run and rapid for big water paddling.

Drooping in to hole

Driving right for the boof

Aside from coaching many great paddlers, Joey himself is a very accomplished playboater, having travelled all over the world to pursue this passion. His accomplishments in kayaking include: “being a three time member of the Canadian Freestyle Team, winning some contests here and there, they just kind of all disappear into the past.” Some of Joey’s best times paddling were in Mexico and Chile. His favorite river other than his home river is the Futalafu in Chile. Another big part of his boating career is his new boat that he designed himself and took for a test drive this summer in Germay. “It is called the LSD and it is still in constant change,” he says. Joey has a second prototype coming out in the spring this year. It is definitely the boat of his choice. It has been so good to him so far as it lasted all summer: in Germany and then on the Ottawa in holes and on wave features. The first prototype is made out of a kevlar and fiberglass infusion. It is great material as he has still not had to fix it yet, which is a huge struggle for most custom made boats.

Although Joey is a world traveller, his heart rests at home in the Ottawa Valley with his favorite river and growing business. Growing up in the Ottawa Valley, it is no wonder that he got into playboating at an early age. He started off in a Dancer, a boat worlds away from the playboats we use today, when he was 12. His river of choice is no doubt his home river, the Ottawa, where he learned to kayak and did his first rolls. The Ottawa is also home to his favorite playspots: Bus Eater and Gladiator, two huge waves where he throws down even bigger tricks! In the summer Liquid Skills, Joey’s business, keeps him busy at home. He runs many clinics for anyone from beginners to advanced playboaters on the Ottawa River. He says, “One of my biggest accomplishments in kayaking would be staying with Liquid Skills from day 1. With owning it for past few years we’re just keeping the dream alive. It keeps us in close touch with the kayaking community.” This summer he plans to add new big things to Liquid Skills. There is going to be SUP classes, a boot camp program, and the usual whitewater clinics with occasional guest instructors for the playboating clinics. In the winter months Joey runs clinics in Costa Rica. Sounds like a pretty good life to me!

Joey Hitchins on his home river getting ready for a session at Garburator.

Joey ripping it up on Garburator.

Sticking in a stabilizing rudder stroke on Gladiator.

Canadian Freestyle Kayaking Team 2011.

Joey and DL with their son Calder, starting him off young.

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