Greetings from Choshuenco! Choshuenco is a one-road town about three hours south of Pucon, accessible only by dirt roads that encircle dazzling lake after dazzling lake. We have our own little lake here in Choshuenco and have been taking advantage of the scenery to enhance our classroom environments. The lower Fuy drains into Lago Choshuenco, which makes the take-out a five minute stroll from our cute hotel, La Posada. Everyone is loving the Fuy! The Upper Fuy boasts an awesome run- a super clean 25-footer, Salto Los Leones, followed by an awesome class V section. I’ll let the more experienced boasters describe the run in more colors for you!
Our first afternoon in Choshuenco, we headed to Salto Los Leones for a park and huck. Everyone killed it, including some ladies who were timid at first, then so stoked at their accomplishments! Jessica ran a beautiful line on her first ever waterfall, and Stephen scared us all as he threw his paddle from the top of the drop. Clay and I both got a little bruised from under-rotating or over-rotating our flips from the top of the waterfall into the swimming hole.
Yesterday we took a break from the whitewater and ventured out to Huilo Huilo, to scout two gigantic waterfalls, a 150 footer and a 130 footer! Some of the daredevils think they’re runnable. Either way, it was a gorgeous place to spend an afternoon hiking around.
On the academic front, classes are running smoothly; Eric, Alex and Clay wrote delightful stories to share aloud in class for a creative writing assignment. Lorenzo’s Spanish classes have been learning Spanish through videos, such as Meet the Robinsons and The Lion King. Video class is putting together a video called “How to by Boof, by Billy Harris”.
Yes, we are all happy, healthy and well-fed; we are getting three scrumptious meals a day. Last night for dinner we had a tantalizing soup stuffed with cilantro, potatoes, corn, green beans and carrots. Some of the kids were already starting to leave the table, satisfied, when the second course appeared- sausages and mashed potatoes, with a sweet peach for dessert. The only complaint we have this week is the weather; rain, rain, go away!
In three days, we will return to Pucon for about a week before embarking on our great adventure south to the Futaleafu!
Choshuenco’s weather has been giving us a run for our money! Beautiful and sunny, then cold and cloudy, then wild and crazy rain storms, with wind that shakes the windows. I love it. Ok, so I would prefer warm weather with sun, and a chance to sunbath on the beautiful beach here, but I do love myself a storm!
Gap Year Student David Gorski Runs Salto Los Leones
The first day here, we went to a “park and huck” waterfall called Salto Los Leonas. It is a 25 foot gentle waterfall, with bright blue water. Most of the group ran it, while a few of us walked upstream to a small playwave to tool around. I was of the latter group. It was nice to just get to surf for a bit. I miss playboating A LOT. Hopefully when we return to Pucon, the playhole near Dave’s house will be in.
The next day, The group ran the Lower Fuy. I stayed back with Callie, our wonderful new English Teacher, and taught her to roll. For once, the lake was not peaceful at all. Standing in the water with Callie, I would be swept off my feet by waves. In a lake!!! It was windy, but the warm wind of a storm coming. Callie and I had been in the water only 20 minutes, when she got her roll! We spent the rest of an hour and a half perfecting it, and starting on her hand roll. We had just stumbled through the wind back to the Hostel, when the rain started. And it poured. The rest of the group who had run the Lower Fuy, had a paddle across a lake in it!
Chase Simmons Plugs Los Leones Falls
Yesterday and today has been chilly and cloudy. Not the most encouraging weather to paddle in. But the River here is crystal clear all the way to the bottom, and every run is still a ton of fun.
We are about 3/4 of the way through our stay in quaint little Choshuenco. New to this year is a paved main street as well as paved sections of road on the way into the town. We are staying at La Posada a small hostel right in the middle of town. There is a large beach here lake side and a pretty frickin sweet rusted up old boat. We have however not only brought the party to this town, but also the rain. It has rained here non-stop since day two and there are no signs of it lightening up.
The Fuy is definitely a highlight of this little venture. There are three sections to this river. The upper is a mixture of steep rapids and waterfalls highlighted by the park and huck 25 footer. The middle and lower are both boulder garden type drops. The middle and lower sections can be run one to the other however to run the upper into everything else may be a bit of a venture.
Yesterday we took a small break from the river and went to Huilo-Huilo private park or something like that, I don’t think it was a national park. There was 2 huge waterfalls one a 130 footer and the other a 90 footer called Salto de Puma.
See you on the water!
Listen to the people yelling dinner is ready. Scurry over to the glowing, leafy haven of the quincho. Pick out a good seat next to a friend and some colorful grub. Chat away about the going-on’s of the day. Look out, as Lorena places more scrumptious food on the table. Inhale all the aromas wafting around you. Smell the roasting pork and beef on the crackling fire. Hear the ooh’s and aah’s of the marvelous feast. Hold up the ginormous sphere of bread that is bigger than your face. Munch on the tomato-y mixture of the pico de gallo. Glance around at your big, crazy, smiling family. Comment on something you find absolutely absurd. Let yourself laugh joyfully with everyone else who got the most recent joke. Join the chorus of “thank-you’s” to Dave and Lorena. Watch the embers of the once-large fire sparkle in the coming darkness. Grab your dirty dish to clean off in the sink. Wait in line behind the other five people who decided to do the same. Help out with the rest of the dirty dishes. Walk back to the cabins; chill out and watch the newest downloaded movie. Sigh happily; another amazing day at the best school around.
This run was done by geography teacher Matt Smink, and student Stephen Forster. I did not take part as I was not in the country. I am however conveying this information to you to better your river running experience. Photos on map by Matt Smink.
This is the drive from Pucon to the put-in Of the Rio Llancahue. The drive goes past the Termas Geometricas near Conaripe. Be wary though as the road is not maintained as well as others in the area so nice weather and a four wheel drive car is recommended. The put in will be marked with a sign that says: “No a las centrales hidroelectricas de paso en una zona de turistica.”
The run is a solid class 4 venture beginning with a good twenty foot drop. There are many other drops which can be run, scouted and portaged with the help of the riverside road. After the three waterfalls there is however a mandatory portage on river right due to log jams. (See photos).
The run ends after a short twisting slide, and are able to be seen from the road. Be sure to keep your suit on as tons of hot springs are close by!
P.S. Be sure to watch out for wood, and the drops can be easily portaged on the road that runs alongside
So yeah. Here we are in ‘The’ land of amazingness. Clear water, clean drops and tons o’ gorgeous beauties. Here is the keeping parents happy part of the blog. First off all our flights went well, and we all had tons of fun. Second, we are getting tons of good food. Third we have a coach who is alright, oh what am I saying he’s pretty good. Mr. Billy Harris is one of the greatest kayak instructors to come out of the great white north. Canada! We have also met up with the gap year kids, David, Kyle, and Katie and all our other teachers. So sad to see Melina go but Callie is a great replacement. Aside from Callie we also have Lorenzo, the new all chilean, all the time spanish teacher.
We spent a few days in Pucon and now we are in the little, but growing, town of Choshuenco near the Rio Fuy. the Fuy is great with both play and drops, like today. Today, we had a little park and huck sesh, with Jess lightin’ up her first drop. Yeah Jess! And we’ll see what tomorrow brings!
See you on the water!
Well i made it to Chile in one piece and met david and katie for the first time at the baggage claim area. Soon after i saw the familiar face of Matt Smink and he introduced us to our super cool spanish teacher Lorenzo. We all then hopped into the truck and drove off only to run into our first problem of the trip as the radiator pipe burst. After we used the magical powers of duck tape to repair this we headed of to our home for the next four days at San Alfonso. Our home is right next to the river maipo which has two sections the upper and lower. The upper is grade 4/5 and the lower is grade three. There is also an adventure resort called Cascada de las Animas (Waterfalls of the Spirits) where there is a bar, restaurant and campsite where we will be spending tomorrow night.
After we ate we all stood and told what we were thankful for. I forgot to say how thankful I am that I have the great opertunity to map Chile rivers and share with everyone information on the rivers for a geography project. So, I’m saying it now.
