Posts Tagged ‘Go Huge Experiences’
Friday, April 16th, 2010
The Nantahala Outdoor Center is a bustling place with restaurants, whitewater rafting, equipment rentals, picnic tables right at the playhole for boater viewing and a whole plethora of cabins and campsites. Good thing it’s still the off-season! Much of the time, we have this whitewater Disneyland to ourselves. We are camped at a more remote location which is about a five-minute walk from Base Camp, where we have classes, meals and heated showers. The Base Camp facilities are pretty awesome- the biggest kitchen we’ve seen yet and many shower stalls flowing with endless piping-hot water! Not that steamy showers are a huge neccessity this week because the weather is tricking me into believing that we are actuallly in the middle of July. It is downright HOT. Luckily, the icy Nantahala River is a five-minute stroll, tops. This week’s location is a bit unusual for us as we are normally in more remote areas. It is almost a special treat for the students to be able to interact with other kids, boaters, Appalachian Trail hikers and vacationers, not to mention having the ability to buy a pizza for lunch! Our campsite is just right for us, 7 wooden platforms and canvas tents surrounding a fire-pit. Tino made excellent use of the fire-pit for his mentor activity last night. The group grilled out over an open fire, letting tasty meats and veggies cook slowly on a bed of coals, then building the fire back up to roast s’mores!
As previously mentioned, this week is focused solely on playboating. The students will be competing in the NOC Shoot-out this weekend, up against all the playboating superstars. (I’ll be sure to post the results!) After many hours of practice on the NOC wave this week, I’m confident that they will do great! The wave here is a bit special – it is a man made wave, formed by a collective effort of throwing rocks into the river. There is even a sign posted which reads, “Please do not change the wave!” There will also be an attainment (upriver) race, which some of the staff are competing in.
The group is getting along great. We are taking advantage of this excellent group space to play evening games of Catan and Scrabble. Last night we celebrated Alex Anderson’s 16th birthday with a German chocolate cake. All the students are upbeat and excited about this weekend’s competition.
Our base here is somewhat of a traveling-teacher’s dream, with tables and quiet study space galore. Several students are working on cool projects to break up the monotony of indoor work, such as Tino’s survival class, which is stirring up some fresh, country apple jam!
I hope everyone is doing well back home, and be sure to check back after the weekend for competition results.
Callie
Tags: Academics, Freestyle Kayaking, go huge, Go Huge Experiences, high school, Kayak School, new river academy, whitewater kayaking
Posted in Academics, Kayak School, Kayaking | Comments Off
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
For our first photo assignment of the quarter, we were shown a few funny looking photos and told to guess what our next assignment was. At first we were all quite confused, but of course the genius that Matti Hill is, he guessed it, abstract. We needed to take abstract photos consisting of: man-made, light, color, nature, and texture. It was a pretty fun assignment a lot of things involved getting up close and personal to the items or distorting the item all together to get the desired effect. For my nature photo, I even had to set up a bunch of leaves in many rows to get what I wanted. It’s pretty cool how when you actually get up close to many things/items they can look take on a whole different look. All in all I really liked this assignment, It was a really fun one. The best part was seeing what everyone had found and gotten interesting pictures of.
The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..
Tags: abstract photography, go huge, Go Huge Experiences, Huge Experiences, Kayak School, Kayaking, new river academy, Photography, taylor cote, whitewater kayaking
Posted in Academics, Kayak School, Kayaking, Photography | 1 Comment »
Wednesday, April 14th, 2010
The recent photo project by Matt Hill about abstract photography. I think these images are pretty sweet.
See you on the water!
The Flash Player and a browser with Javascript support are needed..
Tags: Academics, Freestyle Kayaking, Gap Year, gap year abroad, go huge, Go Huge Experiences, go huge kayaking, high school, kayak, kayak high school, Kayak School, Kayaking, matt hill, new river academy, Photography, whitewater, whitewater kayaking
Posted in Academics, Kayak Gap Year Abroad, Kayak School, Kayaking, Photography, Uncategorized | Comments Off
Monday, February 15th, 2010
All of my English students are reading and writing up a storm! Classes have been full of thoughtful discussions, inspiring authors, and story, essay and poem construction. If that doesn’t sound like paradise, bear in mind that all this occurs outdoors, perhaps under a shady tree, with a breathtaking view of the volcano.
Our daily schedule begins with Taylor and I furiously scribbling sentences in Creative Writing; currently, we are dissecting Coleridge’s “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”. Taylor’s passion for words makes her a delight to have in class! My AP English seniors, Stephen, Matti and Tracy, are analyzing their opinions on the effects of war and the possibility of peace as we read Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut. Zoe and Kyle are busy discussing Alice in Wonderland as an allegory for adolescence, and writing endlessly, developing skills to construct the perfect essay. In World Literature, Eric, Alex and Clay just finished essays on the importance of freedom after reading Ayn Rand’s Anthem. Now we are studying Chilean history as we embark on The House of the Spirits, a political, semi-autobiographical novel by Isabel Allende, one of Chile’s best-known authors. My British Lit students, Jessica and Chase, are reading poetry by Chaucer and Shakespeare as they dream up sonnets and soliloquys of their own.
Student dynamics are great in all of my classes, and I am thrilled with the level of cooperation and the willingness to discuss.
Callie Morgigno
Tags: Academic Report, Academics, Go Huge Experiences, go huge kayaking, high school, kayak high school, study abroad programs
Posted in Academics, Kayak School | Comments Off
Monday, February 15th, 2010
Tino and Lorenzo in the quincho
(c) David Gorsky; Stephen and Matti on throw-rope drills
We have had a whirlwind week since returning to Pucon! Finally blessed with sun-drenched days, we have been entertaining visiting parents and kayaking down the Rio Palguin. The Rio Palguin has a waterfall around every bend, literally, and the visiting parents were able to snap photos of their kids from beautiful, riverside vantage points.
Some of the older kids are helping to plan a race down the Palguin, tentatively taking place tomorrow; it should be exciting as our kids are quite the little competitors. Tino has been taking advantage of our location, which is a five-minute walk from the Rio Trancura, to practice safety drills under the bridge. He had the kids out swimming and perfecting their rope-throwing skills.
On the homefront, we have re-settled nicely into our cozy living situation at Dave’s place in Pucon. The gap year kids are sleeping out in the “gypsy cabins” – treehouse-like cabins out in the woods – and loving the extra space. The girls are pretty stoked to have two big rooms to themselves with plenty of table space for studying… or rather, for scattering all of their clothes on top of.
Weather-wise, we have had a gorgeous week, with nearly constant sunshine. This morning I took notice of my surroundings while helping Jessica and Chase write sonnets in British Lit, and saw students reading and learning while lying on the grass in the sunshine. What an awesome classroom!
attentive to Tino's talk-up at the Palguin
lining up to do it again at the Palguin
Tags: Academics, Freestyle Kayaking, Go Huge Experiences, new river academy, Photography, whitewater kayak photography, whitewater kayaking
Posted in Academics, Kayak Gap Year Abroad, Kayak School, Kayaking, Photography, Uncategorized, Whitewater Countries, chile whitewater rivers | 1 Comment »
Friday, February 12th, 2010
We just arrived back in Pucon from our last destination, Choshuenco. It was a very small town with a lovely little beach and lake we would paddle across after our day of paddling. The days we would run in the mornings were always quite funny you would pass almost everyone at least once because of how few streets there were in it. The people who were hosting us were absolutely delightful. They were so caring and offered us any help we needed. They also cooked us some pretty yummy dishes. They even made everyone’s favorite American dish one night, Pizza!
The river we had there was amazing, it offered many different types of paddling with varying classes. The Upper Fuy consisted of more waterfalls and boofs. The Middle and Lower Fuy however had amazing playboating and wave filled rapids good for working on downriver moves, such as kickflips and wave wheels. We also had Billy Harris with us this whole time and he was a great wealth of knowledge, everyday he would make sure we were boofing up a storm. He was super helpful with little tips to help improve your boating.
Tags: chile whitewater, Choshuenco Chile, Go Huge Experiences, huge exoeriences, Kayak School, Kayaking, kayaking abroad, pucon chile, taylor cote, whitewater, whitewater kayaking
Posted in Academics, Kayak Gap Year Abroad, Kayak School, Kayaking, Photography, Whitewater Countries, chile whitewater rivers | Comments Off
Sunday, February 7th, 2010
(c) Zoe Ross
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!
Callie
Tags: Academics, Chile, Freestyle Kayaking, Gap Year, Go Huge Experiences, Huge Experiences, Kayak School, study abroad programs, whitewater kayaking
Posted in Academics, Kayak School, Kayaking, Photography, Uncategorized, Whitewater Countries, chile whitewater rivers | Comments Off
Saturday, February 6th, 2010
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!
Tags: Academics, Chile, Freestyle Kayaking, Gap Year, gap year abroad, Go Huge Experiences, high school, Huge Experiences, Kayak School, Kayaking, matt hill, new river academy, whitewater, whitewater kayaking
Posted in Academics, Culture, Intructional, Kayak Gap Year Abroad, Kayak School, Kayaking, Uncategorized, Whitewater Countries, chile whitewater rivers | Comments Off
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
Sit silently; enjoy the morning sun. Breathe deeply as the warmth spreads throughout your body. Inhale the freshness that comes just after sunrise. Take a mental picture- sparkling Lago Choshuenco dancing in the slight breeze. Marvel at the green, rolling mountains enveloping the lake; admire the perfection in the clouds sitting timidly atop the hills. Tune your ears to the chirp-chirps and the peep-peeps; find the birds scuttling beneath the leafy, shade trees. Now look just beside you at the student who is also writing on this beautiful morning at this enchanting lake. Watch your student enjoying the serenity of this place as she puts her own feelings on paper. Welcome to New River Academy!
Enjoying class on the lake
Tags: AP english class, creative writing class, go huge, Go Huge Experiences, kayak Chile, new river academy
Posted in Academics, Kayak School, Whitewater Countries | Comments Off
Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010
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.
Tags: Academics, Chile, creative writing, go huge, Go Huge Experiences, Kayak School, new river academy, pucon chile, taylor cote, traveling school, Whitewater Countries
Posted in Academics, Kayak School, Kayaking, Whitewater Countries, chile whitewater rivers | Comments Off
