If you want to know what it is all about you should join us for the Gap year in Patagonia. The Futaleufu is in danger of being damned and lost forever. So get down there and show your love for free flowing rivers.! Patagonia Sin Represas!
You can apply now its easy!

This mission brought us to the Rio Petrohue, Hornopiren’s Rio Negro and Rio Blanco, and Cochamo. Cochamo is like Yosemite National Park but without roads or people. It is a true wilderness experience. Hopefully someday New River Academy students will have an opportunity to explore this gem.

Patagonia has remarkable stretches of undeveloped country, just waiting to be explored, climbed, hiked, and paddled.

Who wants to join us this year in Chile? Its easy to apply CLICK HERE.

Sorry I have not been blogging much.

Things have been awesome here in Chile. Everyone loved The Maipo, and I know that we are all sad to leave Pichilemu tomorrow. It has been really nice to have a town a block away from us. There has been lots of chilean foods to taste here. Mainly sweets…but hey, whos counting?

Haakon and I!!

Meals have been beyond great. The cooks we have here are AWESOME! Every meal is delish and healthy. We always have fresh juice and bread. And when I say fresh juice, I mean, made with a blender right before the meal. Usually the ingrediants include strawberries or kiwis, or pinapple, and water. But this morning we had bananas blended with milk. I think I had a whole blender full just by myself!

Tino Specht at a Waterfall near the Maipo, Chile

Another cool part of living in town is that we are so immersed in Chilean culture here. If you want anything at all, you have to use spanish to get it. And there are always people willing to talk and learn more about you. I hope that by the end of next quarter, I am fluent in spanish. It is not going to be easy, but I think that Stephen Forster and I may just be able to achieve that goal.

Speaking of Stephen, survival class rode horses in the sand dunes yesterday to look at beach herbology. It was really fun. And I have to say, I do not think Matt Hill has a future as a cowboy. He looked like a wet noodle. But he had fun! The ride was beautiful, except I couldnt get my horse to walk! It only wanted to run. Stephen and I ended the ride with a gallop along the surf. It was so much fun…until a pack of stray dogs started chasing us. I was worried that the horses would buck, but they just ran faster, and the ride ended with no harm to anyone. Although, the horse seemed really to like running in the actual water. I didn’t mind…but my last clean pair of socks got really sandy and wet. Boo.

Haakon on a Kid's ride in Pichilemu Chile...Goof.

Laundry here is hung out in the sweet fresh air to dry. It smells delicious when dry. And do not worry Moms, the boys did laundry today…FINALLY!!! This car ride might actually smell decent! Huzzah!

Everyone has been throwing huge in the water. On the first day out, there was a huge seal swimming right among us. At one point he popped up ten feet from my boat! He was adorable! It was a really cool experience. I think that all the kids have been loving ocean surf. It can be intimidating, but it is really good practice for boofing holes, and the tricks go really big!!

Some Closed Store Fronts in Pichilemu Chile

Classes have amped up in intensity. Actually, In all my classes, we are ahead of the syllabus…meaning we have zoomed past public school course syllabus. Even in AP English we are way far ahead. It has allowed us a little flexability in upcoming projects. One day in physics, we went to the beach to draw elipses and learn more about tangential speed, and the planets in orbit. Pretty cool studying the moon and its affects on the tides when we are right near a beach depending on the tides for wave size.

I cannot wait to see what this next week and the Sietes Tazas have to hold. It is supposed to be one of the most picturesque places in Chile. Just one more adventure in this once in a lifetime experience we are having here in Beautiful Chile…

-Tracy d’Arbeloff

Trip to Salto Yeso

see you on the water!