The newest installment of the Chile Rivers project. The Rio Achibueno is an amazing class III-IV river with great boof practice.
Make sure to visit the Rio Achibueno on your trip to Chile.
Posts Tagged ‘gap year abroad’
The Rio Achibueno | Chile Rivers Service Learning Project
Monday, December 14th, 2009Rio Claro | New River Academy
Friday, December 11th, 2009Here is the Chile Rivers installment of the Rio Claro!
The kayak school has been hard at work producing a video guide series of all the major Chile Whitewater hotspots!
In appreciation of the photography students
Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009I am incredibly proud of my photography students: Zoe Ross, Taylor Cote and Matt Hill. Being a photographer at New River Academy is no easy task. A camera and the necessary gear such as batteries, film cards, cables, lenses, tripods and cleaning supplies, are delicate, heavy, and expensive things. Caring for them, particularly under our circumstances of constant travel and camping, can be quite an arduous task.
With each adventure we take as a school, the photo students have an added task to contend with. They carry their boat over their shoulder, their paddle in one hand and their pelican box in the other. While the rest of us contemplate our perfect line down the waterfall, the photo students are computing in their heads the equation of light + action+ and available vantage point for shooting. They climb cliffs, scramble down into river beds, fight through steep hillsides of bamboo and thorns, and drag themselves across zip lines to get the most innovative shot.
Being a photography teacher has given me a new appreciation for a photographer’s role in their photographs. This should seem obvious- who else but the photographer could be responsible for their own shot? But before this semester, I never payed homage to the photographer at all. Looking at a photograph of David Hughes running a huge waterfall, I would think to myself, “David is doing something so awesome! And that waterfall is beautiful! I wish I did things like David did so I could have photos of me like that!” I gave the subject all the credit! And while it’s true, without the handsome boys and girls running big drops in pretty places, none of us would have the portfolio we do. But I never would think, “Wow, what composition this photographer achieved! The exposure is perfect, look how the water seems to be suspended mid air, it must have been difficult to use such a fast shutter speed in that limited light. And the area is so remote- amazing that photographer lugged her giant lens and delicate camera so far into the wilderness!”
Watching Zoe, Taylor and Matt constantly adjusting their focus, change out lenses, climb trees and give up their own oppertunity to run a drop in order to shoot someone else running it, really makes me appreciate how far they go and how hard they work. Photography is one of those rare things that everyone benefits from. The photo students glow with pride when others admire their work, and the subjects of those photos glow with pride when they put them up on facebook and everyone at home raves about their latest big adventure.
Of course, then there is the hours spent in front of their screen touching up photos, uploading them to Flikr, giving slide shows and writing blog posts. With internet that flickers in and out, this can be a long a tedious process. My students work for hours at a time perfecting and sharing their photos, and always with positive, energetic diligence.
Thank you Zoe, Taylor and Matt, I am so proud of the work you do!
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- (C) Melina Coogan
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- (C) Tracy d’Arbeloff
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- (C) Taylor Cote
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- (C) Melina Coogan
Achibueno! Gehzuntight!
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009Although my actual river time on the Achibueno was limited (see past article about teacups and back pain), time spent taking photos definitely made up for it. Situated in a quaint little chalet type lodge, surrounded by snowcapped peaks, and access provided only by a Chilean 4×4 road (the road was not so much a road, but an adventure) our Achibueno base was by far the most rustic, as well as the most relaxing. We arrived late in the afternoon to a warm fire and dinner only an hour away. We have been eating like kings, so don’t worry mom and dad. I set up my hammock and did a little homework. As the sun was starting to wane the time arrived for some longer exposure shots. I captured an excellent photo of Andy writing our physics test by head-lamp. The next day after a half day of school we did the never ending run. What we thought was 9 kilometers turned into 900… minus like 885, the last half of which we were barely scraping over rocks. The upper section, though short was just as fun. There are more boofs per mile than any other river ever, there were more bpm’s than techno music. After two colder days off I pulled my self up by my bootie straps and ran the upper section. Though short it did provide tons of fun. With some more technical maneuvers, and some burlier holes the run turned into a super sweet game of follow the leader.
The time off the water did provide me with some great pictures. For our photo class our assignment was to do long exposure shots. The grand fire place provided a great source for lighting as well as the gathering of people. It was hard to get star trails this time around, but the clouds did move relatively fast so that helped to provide some cool night shots. The time spent at the Achibueno was great, no interwebs and limited electricity brought us closer together, but the smell from camping and wet gear may have driven us a little apart, however I am very grateful for dave for organizing such a wonderful string of destinations. High five Dave!
See you on the water!
New River Academy Poetry Reading
Saturday, November 28th, 2009
Photo by Taylor Cote
Over a beautiful Thanksgiving meal high up in the Andes in a remote lodge on the banks of the Achibueno, the New River Academy enjoyed an inspired poetry reading. Zoe Ross read aloud the poem which was a collaborative effort of the American Literature Class. Zoe, Clay Whitiker, Alex Anderson and Eric Bartl had slaved away on this poem for four consecutive days while we were in Pichilemu, sitting on the beach and using the surf and sand as inspiration. They used their vocab words in the poem; and you could see the jaws drop as they rhymed Convivial with Unbelievable and Unspeakable, Eremitic with Roll the Credits, and many more….Taylor Cote, my ultra-creative creative writing student, read her own poem, the product of many hours of class and free time. Hers utilized an intricate rhyme scheme that pulled us right into her words, and she mentioned every single one of us in her epic. There was a collective murmur of delight when she rhymed “the scenery is breathtaking, even though we be test taking…” Double syllabic feminine rhymes rock!!
Matt Hill read two poems he wrote, both old fashion ballads utilizing an abab rhyme scheme. He is a buddy Robert Frost, which makes me, his Vermonter English Teacher, extremely proud.
Tracy d’Arbeloff and David Hughes read aloud from Pablo Neruda in both English and Spanish, and Tino Specht gave us an unusual treat by reading an EE Cummings poem in both languages as well. EE Cummings takes his poetic licence off-roading, so to speak, and he is a challenge to read aloud in English. So cheer to Tino for the beautiful reading in Spanish! Eric Bartl read aloud from Robert Frost’s The Road Less Taken, The official New River Academy Poem. And I read two poems, one I wrote in creative writing which I’ll post here, and one that I wrote nine years ago, when I attended a traveling adventure high school.
It was a lively, peaceful and rare gem of an evening. There was candle light, fire light, steam on the thick glass windows and outside a sky blazing with stars and a white moon. Inside we listened to one another, applauded each other, and each gave a small speech of personal thanks to each other, our families, the school, the country of Chile, and the people at home who helped us get here.
Thank you! We are so grateful!
–Melina
Vientedos Saltos Run
Saturday, November 28th, 2009The Veintedos Saltos is a run that should not be taken lightly, and neither is the shuttle. Start driving towards the hosterias at the Pargue Ingles just before you reach them there will be a gate. Go through this gate and find another gate that will be lifted. Lift the gate and continue up the road, until you get to a section where there looks like a dry stream comes into the road. This is where the walk starts. Follow the dry stream and cross a stream that will have water in it. After this you will come to a sign saying Parque Ingles and something else. About 100 feet after this sign there will be a faint trail. Follow this trail to another dry stream bed and follow the dry bed to the river. At the river turn left and lower boats to the section below, go upstream and find a seal launch above a seven foot drop. Put-in and now the fun begins! The seven footer is very clean and easy and can be run any way you please. Then there will be a large 25 footer, that is run center with a plug. Next up is a 6 foot slide to 10 foot drop that runs up the left wall. Ride the left wall and boof late to clean the drop. Next comes another slide drop combo about 20 feet tall. Run it left and boof into the left eddy. When you reach a spot where it looks like a double drop where it is hard to judge the height this is the 30 footer. Run the first drop into the boily eddy and then run te 30 footer on the left, charge left to avoid a rock that may impact the bottom of your boat. A boof is inadvisable unless desiring a lower back injury. Take a rest in the pool below. Now comes the “Canyon” a tight S-bend with water flying every which way and a strong hydraulic in the middle. Boof the hole and keep your paddle close in. the rest of the run gets easy from here. There is another drop nearing the end with pillow half way down. It is a bit of a double drop. Ride high on the pillow and boof to clean the drop. On the next drop stay about 2 feet off of the left wall to avoid a hole and then after another small drop float on to the Parque Ingles bridge for the take-out.
Vientedos Saltos
see you on the water!
Siete Tazas Geography Project
Saturday, November 21st, 2009Siete Tazas
Similar to the project I had with mapping the Lower Maipo. I had a project to do on the Siete Tazas, a clean waterfall run. Take a look and enjoy.
Why I paddle
Friday, November 13th, 2009They say that the paddling community has only 85% the number of participants than in 2000. Where are the youth paddling? Are they paddling? After traveling all around the country with New River Academy I have noticed that there is a surprising lack young paddlers. On the Gauley I observed that the average paddler was between the age of 25 and god-knows-how-old. The only other young paddlers out there I saw other than our group was that of World Class Academy. Even here in Colorado I am noticing a lack of younger paddlers. When I go out and paddle it is me and about 4 of my friends, we make up a lot of Steamboat’s core youth paddling community.
Kayaking has taught me many great life skills. Perseverance, attitude, hard work. Now tell me if you are a parent or parent figure, these are qualities that you would like your child to have, eh? Sure paddling may be scary at first but given the right time and frame of mind, which is a very important thing to have, kayaking can be a life long endeavor. I don’t think that I will ever stop kayaking; it is a firm tree that has taken root in my heart and provides me the fruit of joy and personal growth.
Kayakers are always willing to help. Many ‘normal’ people only help after finding out what’s in it for them. More than just help fellow humans I believe that kayakers also have a better connection with their earth as well. We look out for our rivers, we look out for the fish in them, and we look out for the people who use them; not just for recreation, but for other things like irrigation and drinking water. We loath pollution, like that of mining waste filling valleys, or dumping of chemical; we protect fish populations, or at least try to help them by opposing dams that inhibit natural migration.
Determination. Huge part of kayaking. In the middle of a rapid you can’t just give up, you need to keep going and you need to do it right. This may be a fear of death but it is all about determination. You have to be determined to get to the end in one piece, to get past the obstacle by paddling as hard as possible. Your muscles may burn, your hands may be blistered but you need to get past that and think only about what must be done at that one moment. This may also be called perseverance, and with out it I feel like I would not accomplish anything, not try anything. That’s another thing kayaking is all about trying new things. New experiences, Huge Experiences.
This is why I am so lucky to go to New River Academy. I get to travel all around the world while kayaking at the same time. See new places, meet new people, and see different ways of living. I like to think of my kayak as a passport. Not only as a way to get from point A to point B, but also a way of meeting new people, and interacting with different cultures. I see kayaking and rivers as a worldly venture, one that can not be bound to certain areas or demographics. Kayaking can not be put into a box and stored, it needs to stay free, to crash down the tumbling rapids, and wind lazily down the canyons.
Kayaking is my life, river water is my blood, and my gear is my skin. The numbers may be declining, there may be less youth paddling, but kayaking will never die. It is a lifestyle, a teacher, and a friend. Open the front door and let him in, and like a friend who is a pilot, kayaking will take you places you’ve never imagined.
This article can also be found on Paddlinglife.net
Mentor Activity #1: Historic Field Trip
Wednesday, November 11th, 2009Our first mentor activity of the year was a sobering one. With local brothers Lorenzo and Pangal as our guides, we drove high into the chilly air of the Andean mountains. There, where the road disolved into gray scree and the glaciated peaks of rose sharply in all directions, we found the crumbling remains of one of Pinochet’s Death Camps.
In 1972, Augusto Jose Pinochet Ugarte was appointed commander in cheif of the Chilean army by president Salvador Allende. In August 1973, with strong and active support from the CIA, Pinochet led a coup d’etat, which overthrew Allende’s democratically elected government. In addition, it disolved the Chilean navy, air foce and national police force. Under Pinochet’s reign, some 200,000 people went into exile, 80,000 were interned, 30,000 were tortured, and 4,000 were murdered (although these figures are widely thought to be grossly underestimated.) High up in the mountains around San Alfonso del Maipo, New River Academy students view the remains of Pinochet’s handiwork. 
Kayak School Academic Report | Us History Civil War Project
Friday, November 6th, 2009Well the kayak school is back in session, and we hit the ground running. The students in my US History class are about to start studying one of the most pivotal moments in our countrie’s history, the Civil War. We spent all week analyzing the causes of the civil war and next week we will study the war itself.
Students will research the major battles of the Civil War and use this research to create a series of battle maps. Each map will describe a major battle of the war in order to help students understand how the war moved across the eastern US.
In addition to the map, students will create a comic strip style narrative, which will explain how the battles developed and were resolved. My students are always encouraged to be as creative as possible with their work and I am looking forward to seeing what they come up with.
New River Academy
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