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In making the transition to Pucon we also made a huge transition in our accommodations. The campsites at the Maipo were nice but sometimes it is nice to have a bed to sleep in and more than a tent roof over your head. At Dave’s little kayaker’s dreamland, Pucon Kayak Hostel: http://puconkayakhostel.com/, located only a ten minute drive from Pucon and backed right on to the Trancura River he has a variety of different accommodations and is still expanding on the project.

Cool Pucon Accommodations 

Right now Pucon Kayak Hostel has two domes that fit three people each, three gypsy wagons holding two people each, and three big hotel rooms.

Hosteria Beds

The hotel rooms have their own bathrooms each with a shower. They all have their own unique layout with lots of room to sleep and common areas as well.

Your Dome Away from Home 

The domes are really neat structures. They are like huge dry bags with two doors and windows to see the stars at night. They are on a platform to avoid flooding of the ground and inside there is a very decently sized space. They have a futon and a huge bunk bed as well as lots of extra room for your stuff.

Gypsy Wagons

The gypsy wagons are small cabins with two beds each and just enough room for your stuff. They are perfect if you plan to do a lot of paddling and not spend too much time in your space. But it is still a warm and cozy space to relax in after your time on the river.

Bathhouse and Changing Rooms for Kayakers

If you stay in the domes or gypsy cabins there is a newly renovated bathhouse outside. It has two changing rooms and 4 standard bathrooms

with great showers.

Future of Hostel is Apparent

The hostel is still growing. Right now a bunkhouse is being built as well as new bathrooms on the back of the hotel rooms. There is plenty of space to stay here!

Delicious Meals Keep Kayakers Going Huge!

For meals there is an outdoor structure called the cincho. With a large fireplace in the middle and two huge dining room tables it is the perfect place to feast after coming off the river.

The Grounds

The grounds are very clean with grassy areas to do yoga, workout, or just relax in the hammock. There are picnic tables for doing work. It has everything!

Whitewater Kayaking in Pucon

Finally, Pucon Kayak Hostel is named for one other huge reason. It’s only minutes away from some of the best kayaking in the world. Check out: http://puconkayakhostel.com/pucon-rivers to see a detailed list of rivers and how to get there.

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Jake on Medio Paulguin

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I first met Jake Greenbaum at Gauley fest this past fall. When he told me he would be in Pucon, Chile that winter, I did not know that meant he would be coaching me for a large portion of the second quarter in Chile.

Jake spent his Jr. and Sr. years of high school at New River Academy. What he gained from this was the sheer time he got to put in to kayaking. Two years of constant paddling mixed with the combination of amazing coaches such as Clay Wright and Bryan Kirk teaching him allowed Jake’s boating to progress really quickly. Kayaking skills weren’t the only thing that he got from the school. The one on one format with teachers was a great change from a traditional, big classroom set up. Jake is now back with the school, not as a student, but as a coach.

Jake grew up in Ohiopyle, PA, a small town but a great one for learning how to kayak. He paddled the Upper Yough for the first time at 11 years old. That made his decision that “This white water stuff is for me.” He got his first boat and took off kayaking from there. Jakes favorite rivers are the Kimshew in Cali, the Palguin river in Pucon, Chile, and the Escimbito river in Argintina.

Wilderness Tours‘ Ryan Wetung recently stated  “the thing that is separating kayakers today is the fact that they are stomping drops with authority”. When I asked Jake about this he said, “of course I stomp drops with authority, why you ask? I must, this is what I have come to do.” Along with this ability to stomp drops with authority Jake claims that magical powers come from his beard that give him amazing balance when kayaking. Jakes most influential mentors on the water have been Chucky Morris and Oliver Growsman. Both are locals that he paddled up with in the Ohiopyle area.

Jake has competed in and won multiple competitions. He has won the Ohbejoyful giant slalom race, the Ohiopyle falls race, and a couple of freestyle over Ohiopyle falls competitions. The big competition that Jake has won is the Palguin race here in Pucon. He took first place last year and is training again for it this year while helping students train at the same time. So far he has been a great coach and will continue to coach us for our trip up north in Chile.

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

Everyday we practice river safety at NRA. We alternate morning workouts to work on perfecting our throw ropes skills. Last week we had the privilege of showing off our skills to Mr. Muck, when he boldly took on the upper Tracura. I have to give him some credit; he stuck with it and did not give up. Rarely do we run into problems on the river, but when we do its good to know that there is a group of well trained boaters that have your back.

Hayley Stuart and Alex Muck warm up with some throwbag catch

Safety is every thing. You never know when you may need it on a run so it is best to always be ready for it.

Accuracy test: Can you get the rope over the cockpit ?

The question is, how can you be ready for “it?” Some of the skills we have been practicing during morning workouts are designed to give us greater proficiency with our ropes. We want to be able to accurately throw our throwbag both near and far, with the rope still coiled in the bag, and also with it out.

Galen Volkhausen does pushups after missing a throw.

It is equally important to practice a “double throw” in case of missing your first throw.

To work on accuracy and distance, we start off our morning workout by playing catch with our ropes. This is a great way to familiarize yourself with your throw rope- because the more you use it, the more you will know how it throws, and gain greater accuracy with each toss.

Alex Zegart Repacks his Rope.

After warming up our throwing muscles, we set up boats at different distances away from us. The goal: to get the rope across the cockpit, or if we are being nice, with-in the grab handles. Miss a toss? 5 push-ups ! If you make your toss, congratulations. Move your boat even further away.

We practice under “pressure” situations, doing a 20 yard sprint to our throw bags and back before tossing, or having simulated swimmers in safe spots on the river.

Galen holds the record for the fastest recoil, or repacking his rope into his bag for his next throw. Currently, his fastest time is around 40 seconds. This is a great skill to practice because on the river, every second counts if you need to rescue someone.

Alex Zegart was surprising good, having some of the most accurate tosses under pressure. The girls have been getting better at throwing the ropes, and have gotten really good at throwing the rope once it is out of the bag. Seth, Myself and Galen are still competing for furthest throw.

One of the most shocking mistakes? Forgetting to hold onto the rope when you throw it ! Remember, you need to hold onto something to tow someone back to shore.

Practicing skills like throw ropes and general safety- knots and pins and z drags, can make your group more efficient on the water, and brings the group together because you begin to trust each other. It makes everyone feel safer to know that we have the skills we need to support each other on and off the water.

* All photos Thanks to Anna Bruno

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hey every one its drew here,

today i am going to talk to you guys about how they do compost in down here in Chile. So for there compost it start the same as ours in north amarica we save up all the food we dont want and put it some were, now heres were i found the change comes in. In north amarica we just let some one come pick it up and take it away, but in Chile they will take all the extra compost and use it for there gardens.

Setps:

1 get a lot of old food that will brake down

2 get some fresh soil and put it on top of the food

3 next you want to add some horse poo on top,

4 then to top it off you add worms from California

5 you mix it up and leave it for a bit to decompose

6 last but not least you add it to your plants to help it grow!

In Spanish

Hoy voy a hablar con ustedes acerca de cómo hacer compost en aquí en Chile. Así que para que se inicie el abono misma que la nuestra en el norte de Amarica nos ahorramostoda la comida que no quiero y lo puso algunos eran, ahora se heres me encontré con el cambio entra en escena En el norte de Amarica que acaba de dejar a alguien a recogerloy se lo quite, pero en Chile se tomará todas las abono adicional y utilizarla para que los jardines.

Setps:

1 obtener una gran cantidad de restos de comida que se rompieron

2 y obtenga un poco de tierra fresca y lo puso en la parte superior de los alimentos

3 próxima vez que quiera añadir un poco de caca de caballo en la parte superior,

4 y luego para colmo se agregan las lombrices de California

5 que se mezclan y se deja por un tiempo en descomponerse

6 por último pero no menos importante que lo agregue a sus plantas para ayudar acrecer!

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Hey everyone its Drew McEachern here. Today I am writing about the Playwave on the Trancura River, right next to Pucon Kayak Hostel.  About 2 weeks ago there was this sick fast play wave in right beside the Hostel where we were staying. Perfect for afterschool or during school paddling.

Towing onto the Wave. Photo by Alex Zegart

The problem with this wave is that  you would have to get out and hike way up stream to catch it. But on the bright side, there was this random little eddy made by a hole up stream. You could sit in this eddy without much trouble, but you could not paddle into the wave from it. After trying for about 2 hours to catch this wave with little success, we decided to get a throw bag out and tow onto the wave.

Kincaid trying to pull us onto the wave from shore. Photo Alex Zegart

We tried lots of different ways to pull us into the wave, some worked some failed, but we did find one good way to do it. There is a bridge right above the play wave so we thought we may as well use the random eddy! So with the kayaker in the random eddy , we would throw them the rope from the bridge just upstream. Then we would pull back over to drop them into the wave.

Figuring out the system: Colin and Kincaid help tow us onto the wave from the bridge. Photo Alex Zegart

It took alot of practice to get it right, but Alex Z and I got really good at pulling them up into the wave. We got to watch Eric toss a few air screws and then packed it in for the day. it was a fun day trying to get people to surf and working together to make a better system for the wave. Teamwork and throw ropes at its best!

Eric Bartl tows onto the wave in his Rockstar. Photo Alex Zegart

Figuring out how to use the rope. Photo Alex Zegart

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Its Easy to Apply to New River Academy

For the American holiday of Thanksgiving we had quite an eventful day. Being Canadian, I had already celebrated thanksgiving in October, but this day was a whole different experience. Usually I don’t get to go kayaking on thanksgiving. I spend it at home preparing for a huge dinner with my family. This American Thanksgiving, I got to go kayaking on one of my favorite runs in Chile: the Upper Palguin. However, like anything we do at NRA, it was an experience. Since I was preparing dinner then heading paddling after everyone else, I stayed behind in the morning. Shortly after they left the Sprinter was back and this was a shock. It turns out a kayak had gone through the window and the rest of the boys were stranded on the side of the road with our trailer! They waited patiently for two hours for the girls and Seth to come rescue them prepared with lunch and snacks. After that part of the day everything went pretty smoothly. We lapped the Palguin then enjoyed an amazing feast of turkey, vegetables, rice, soup, and salad. At dinner, like any other Thanksgiving dinner that I have been at we mentioned what we were thankful for. Many things came up such as being thankful for being in Chile, Kayaking everyday, and family and friends. Personally I am thankful for all those things and more. I am so thankful that I have such an amazing group of people to spend my time in Chile with and I am very thankful to have the opportunity to do so, which I can thank my parents for. There is so much to be thankful for and we should think about this not only on Thanksgiving but everyday. Don’t forget to be thankful for everything that you have and give it back to others!

Wayne Poulsen sharing a poem after dinner.

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