Here are the pictures from Patagonia. Enjoy!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Patagonia/
Friday, November 23, 2007
Patagonia
Saturday November 3rd:
Today the group awoke bright and early to hop on a bus that would take them to the town of Santa Lucia. There they would get on a different bus, for eight hours, which would take them to Coihaique for the night. When they got to Santa Lucia, however, they encountered their first real problem of the trip. Their transportation to Coihaique was well, not what they had expected. They were told that there would be a bus, a private bus, waiting for them in Santa Lucia. But, when they pulled into town they saw a small seventeen passenger van, with no luggage rack, waiting for them. And not only was there no luggage rack or trailer, the driver of the van had sold the two remaining seats to some local travelers. The bottom line was; there was absolutely no way that they could get to Coihaique in that vehicle. So, the group waited… and waited… and waited… as Mark tried to get a hold of Daniel to try and sort out this whole mess. Finally, about four hours later Mark, with the help of Daniel and our guides from Futaleufu, had rounded someone in the town with a pickup truck to drive the stuff to Coihaique. So, twelve of them piled in the van along with the two random people and Mark and Eric D. got in the truck with the guy driving the bags. Finally, they got on the road and it wasn’t more than 20 minutes in the van that they passed a broken down truck with two people standing on the side of the road holding their thumbs out! And if there is one thing that stood out to me most during my travels in Chile, it is that everyone on the road is very friendly… it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are going there will be someone around to help you out. So, what did the van driver do… he stopped and picked them up. And once again the van was at maximum capacity. They found out that their new friends were from Oregon and down here on vacation. Fortunately, this would be the last of their troubles for the day. When they arrived in Coihaique they said goodbye to their new friends and went to the hostel and prepared themselves for tomorrow, which would involve another eight hour bus ride to Patagonia.
Sunday November 4th:
This morning the group awoke the same as they did the day before and hoped on a public bus to take them the eight hours to the Baker River crossing. From there the people from Patagonia Park would meet them and take them to their camp. When they arrived at the river crossing the group was happy to discover that their days of being transported by tractor had not yet come to an end! There was a tractor waiting to take them to their base camp. When they arrived at the main camp they were treated to yet another lamb roast, which was delicious. They socialized with some volunteers from Patagonia Clothing Company, participated in a riveting game of soccer, and listened to a presentation about what the point of Patagonia Park is all about.
Monday November 5th:
Today the group prepared themselves for yet another tractor ride! They loaded their things and hoped in. The tractor took them about an hour into the Patagonian wilderness. When they arrived at their destination there was a small cabin with a wood burning stove and their guide Rene. Rene is native to the Patagonia area and usually is in charge of tracking huemules (a type of deer native to Chile) and pumas. They discussed what kind of work they would be doing. The work involved taking down about four miles of fence. They decided that they would work for four days then have three days off and then work until the fence was complete.
At this point I will not detail every day because the majority of the work days were the same….
The work that the group did on the fence was not necessarily hard but it was very time consuming. The job consisted of coiling the row of barb wire, taking every staple out of the stays and support posts, coiling the other six rows of regular wire, filling the holes that were left from the support posts, and packing out everything except the wood. In four days they completed about ¾ of their work.
For their days off the group split up and did several different things. Walker, LB, Casey, and Joe wanted to go on a mountain climb. So, with the help of Rene they did a first ascent of a 6,000+/- ft peak. According to Rene these guys were the first ever to summit this peak, so they named it Gringo Guanaco. Tommy, Jen, and Esther went to the lake on a fishing expedition, which was unsuccessful. However, they did get the chance to see a lot of different kinds of wildlife. They saw guanacos, many different kinds of birds, and they even found an armadillo (but it had been eaten by a fox so only its shell survived). Mark, Albee, and Eric D. went on a fishing expedition as well, only they left a day later. They came back a lot more successful though, they caught eight trout, and all of them were about 20”. Izzi and Josh went on an expedition back to the main base camp where all of the employees stay. They went there on an ipod charging mission and were very successful! Drew and Erik O. stayed at the group’s base camp and hung around there for the three days off.
After their days off they went back to work and quickly finished taking down the fence in just two more days. When they finished they had two more days to just hang around camp until the tractor came to pick them up and take them back to the main base camp. They spent their time playing cards and baseball. They made a bat out of a log and made a ball out of some bones, a bandana, and lots of tape.
Finally their time in Patagonia had come to an end. On the 18th they were off to Coihaique again, which meant another eight hour bus ride. They stayed in Coihaique for one night and in the morning they had a one hour bus ride to Balmaseda. When they arrived they hoped on an airplane and flew to Santiago. There the trip was officially over. They all went their separate ways.
It can easily be said that everyone had an amazing experience, while some had a different experience than other it is truly something that they will never be able to forget!
Today the group awoke bright and early to hop on a bus that would take them to the town of Santa Lucia. There they would get on a different bus, for eight hours, which would take them to Coihaique for the night. When they got to Santa Lucia, however, they encountered their first real problem of the trip. Their transportation to Coihaique was well, not what they had expected. They were told that there would be a bus, a private bus, waiting for them in Santa Lucia. But, when they pulled into town they saw a small seventeen passenger van, with no luggage rack, waiting for them. And not only was there no luggage rack or trailer, the driver of the van had sold the two remaining seats to some local travelers. The bottom line was; there was absolutely no way that they could get to Coihaique in that vehicle. So, the group waited… and waited… and waited… as Mark tried to get a hold of Daniel to try and sort out this whole mess. Finally, about four hours later Mark, with the help of Daniel and our guides from Futaleufu, had rounded someone in the town with a pickup truck to drive the stuff to Coihaique. So, twelve of them piled in the van along with the two random people and Mark and Eric D. got in the truck with the guy driving the bags. Finally, they got on the road and it wasn’t more than 20 minutes in the van that they passed a broken down truck with two people standing on the side of the road holding their thumbs out! And if there is one thing that stood out to me most during my travels in Chile, it is that everyone on the road is very friendly… it doesn’t matter who you are or where you are going there will be someone around to help you out. So, what did the van driver do… he stopped and picked them up. And once again the van was at maximum capacity. They found out that their new friends were from Oregon and down here on vacation. Fortunately, this would be the last of their troubles for the day. When they arrived in Coihaique they said goodbye to their new friends and went to the hostel and prepared themselves for tomorrow, which would involve another eight hour bus ride to Patagonia.
Sunday November 4th:
This morning the group awoke the same as they did the day before and hoped on a public bus to take them the eight hours to the Baker River crossing. From there the people from Patagonia Park would meet them and take them to their camp. When they arrived at the river crossing the group was happy to discover that their days of being transported by tractor had not yet come to an end! There was a tractor waiting to take them to their base camp. When they arrived at the main camp they were treated to yet another lamb roast, which was delicious. They socialized with some volunteers from Patagonia Clothing Company, participated in a riveting game of soccer, and listened to a presentation about what the point of Patagonia Park is all about.
Monday November 5th:
Today the group prepared themselves for yet another tractor ride! They loaded their things and hoped in. The tractor took them about an hour into the Patagonian wilderness. When they arrived at their destination there was a small cabin with a wood burning stove and their guide Rene. Rene is native to the Patagonia area and usually is in charge of tracking huemules (a type of deer native to Chile) and pumas. They discussed what kind of work they would be doing. The work involved taking down about four miles of fence. They decided that they would work for four days then have three days off and then work until the fence was complete.
At this point I will not detail every day because the majority of the work days were the same….
The work that the group did on the fence was not necessarily hard but it was very time consuming. The job consisted of coiling the row of barb wire, taking every staple out of the stays and support posts, coiling the other six rows of regular wire, filling the holes that were left from the support posts, and packing out everything except the wood. In four days they completed about ¾ of their work.
For their days off the group split up and did several different things. Walker, LB, Casey, and Joe wanted to go on a mountain climb. So, with the help of Rene they did a first ascent of a 6,000+/- ft peak. According to Rene these guys were the first ever to summit this peak, so they named it Gringo Guanaco. Tommy, Jen, and Esther went to the lake on a fishing expedition, which was unsuccessful. However, they did get the chance to see a lot of different kinds of wildlife. They saw guanacos, many different kinds of birds, and they even found an armadillo (but it had been eaten by a fox so only its shell survived). Mark, Albee, and Eric D. went on a fishing expedition as well, only they left a day later. They came back a lot more successful though, they caught eight trout, and all of them were about 20”. Izzi and Josh went on an expedition back to the main base camp where all of the employees stay. They went there on an ipod charging mission and were very successful! Drew and Erik O. stayed at the group’s base camp and hung around there for the three days off.
After their days off they went back to work and quickly finished taking down the fence in just two more days. When they finished they had two more days to just hang around camp until the tractor came to pick them up and take them back to the main base camp. They spent their time playing cards and baseball. They made a bat out of a log and made a ball out of some bones, a bandana, and lots of tape.
Finally their time in Patagonia had come to an end. On the 18th they were off to Coihaique again, which meant another eight hour bus ride. They stayed in Coihaique for one night and in the morning they had a one hour bus ride to Balmaseda. When they arrived they hoped on an airplane and flew to Santiago. There the trip was officially over. They all went their separate ways.
It can easily be said that everyone had an amazing experience, while some had a different experience than other it is truly something that they will never be able to forget!
Saturday, November 17, 2007
Futaleufu Pictures!
Here are the pictures for Futaleufu!!!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Futaleufu/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Futaleufu/
Pumalin Pictures!
Here are the pictures of our sea kayaking adventures... sorry they are so late!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Pumalin/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Pumalin/
Futaleufu October 27th-November 2nd
Saturday October 27th:
Today the group met up with Expediciones Chile, their kayaking guides. They met them at the hot springs to have an introduction to kayaking and to practice rolling. It was really nice to be able to practice rolling a kayak in the warm water. For the most part everyone in the group got down some kind of roll, some people of course are more confident than others but all in all it was a very successful day. When they were done they got in the vans and drove about four hours to the Futaleufu. The group was scheduled to stay at Ex Chiles eco camp, but because of the weather and the fact that it really early in the season the group got to stay in their hostel! No more dealing with the rain! And lets just say that this hostel is very comparable to the hostel at Punta de Lobos… can you say spoiled? However, it was a great relief to the group because now they have a nice dry place to sleep and dry out all of their wet clothes.
Sunday October 28th:
Today was the first day that the group would get wet in some real water, cold river water! In the morning after breakfast they outfitted all of their kayaking gear to get ready to go out on the river after lunch. They went to a spot called the Secret Lagoon, which is an inlet right off the Espolon River, which is the river that the group would be learning on. There they learned all of the essential kayaking skills such as; t-rescuing (t-rescuing is a technique where, when unable to roll on your own, another kayak comes to the side of your boat so you can get leverage off of it to flip over with out getting out of your boat), front paddle, back paddle, front sweep, back sweep, and ferrying (ferrying is a technique used when trying to cross currents or enter eddy’s). After they had learned all of those skills and were sufficiently chilled to the bone they got out and headed back to the hostel for a delicious dinner.
Monday October 29th:
After breakfast the group got ready to hop in their kayaks once again. They went to the Secret Lagoon again for some fine tuning of their kayaking skills. After their guides, Julian, Juan Pablo, and Andres were satisfied with their skills they got ready to take them down a short stretch of the river. The only problem with this was, it was a little hard to actually get on the river because of a very strong confluence current. While the majority of the group made it across with out much problems, there were a few that didn’t quite make it, Joe and Erik O. And not only did Joe flip once, after he got back in his boat he decided to try it one more time and then flipped again! Once everyone got safely back in their boats they continued down the river. On the way down they continued to practice their ferry angles into and out of eddy’s. However, there was one particular eddy that was strong and it caught Casey off guard and flipped him over. But fortunately, he did a successful t-rescue and was able to stay in his boat. Joe, once again, managed to find and eddy line that didn’t agree with him and flipped over, and once again he swam. At the very end of their run they were able to hit one cool rapid that was pretty small, but still a fun little wave train. They went back to the hostel for lunch and then some of the group went back out on the water for some more practice on a little bit longer stretch of river. They started a little higher up in the river but ended at the same spot. They all ended their day on a good note and had lots of fun. I would like to give a shout out to Joe for swimming the most in one run, 3 times in fact, and overcoming mild hypothermia… Joe you’re a trooper!!!
Tuesday October 30th:
Today the group prepared themselves for a long day on the river. They started up higher on the river and ended further down. With that they got to hit three cool rapids instead of just one. At one point there was a small hole where some of the people who felt comfortable could try surfing it. Drew, Casey, Albee, Eric D., and of course Josh were the only brave ones. Drew and Casey rocked it, Albee tried but flipped and then did a successful t-rescue, and Eric D. swam. The whole group had a great time and was satisfied with their last day on the river. Once the group got all warmed up some of the group had a telephone conference with the owner of Expediciones Chile and pro kayaker, Chris Spelius. After they ate dinner and then prepared themselves for a Halloween party! Everyone got dressed up and they had a good celebration.
Wednesday Nivember 31st:
Today was the group day off! While most stayed at the hostel and just kind of bummed around town some went on an adventure across country lines… L.B., Walker, Erik O., and Esther went to Argentina. Josh and Julian went on an adventure as well, they went to kayak the Rio Azul which is a class 3,4 river. All together, it was a nice relaxing day off.
Thursday November 1st:
This morning the group prepared to go hiking. Their destination was an old farmer’s house name Bene. It would be the first time that they had to carry their own gear. They walked for six hours until they reached his farm. When they got there it was like a little self-sustaining paradise in the hills. It was amazing to see that they pretty much had everything they needed to live on their farm. There were many animals there; cows for milk, milk products, and eating, chickens for eggs and eating, ducks for eggs and eating, turkeys for eating, sheep for wool for hand crafts and eating, pigs for sale and eating, a baby goat for milk, rabbits for sale and eating, oxen for transportation to and from the town and the farm, dogs for protection and keeping control of the animals, and a cat for a friend. It was a lot of fun seeing all of the animals and well… trying to catch them. They even witnessed the sale of about 5 little piglets. It was interesting to see how they did it. Two farmers came and they put all the pigs into two bags, threw the bags over their shoulders and then took off walking down the trail. Dinner was a traditional Chilean soup made with products grown on their farm. It was a fun day.
Friday November 2nd:
Today the group woke up and prepared themselves for another day of hiking. They left Bene’s house and hiked for about five hours along the Futaleufu. Halfway through their hike they stopped for lunch at a rapid called the Throne Room, it was a really big, strong rapid. When they were finished they hopped on the bus and came back to the hostel for dinner. During dinner the mayor of Futaleufu came to talk to them about tourism and economic and environmental issues within the city.
Today the group met up with Expediciones Chile, their kayaking guides. They met them at the hot springs to have an introduction to kayaking and to practice rolling. It was really nice to be able to practice rolling a kayak in the warm water. For the most part everyone in the group got down some kind of roll, some people of course are more confident than others but all in all it was a very successful day. When they were done they got in the vans and drove about four hours to the Futaleufu. The group was scheduled to stay at Ex Chiles eco camp, but because of the weather and the fact that it really early in the season the group got to stay in their hostel! No more dealing with the rain! And lets just say that this hostel is very comparable to the hostel at Punta de Lobos… can you say spoiled? However, it was a great relief to the group because now they have a nice dry place to sleep and dry out all of their wet clothes.
Sunday October 28th:
Today was the first day that the group would get wet in some real water, cold river water! In the morning after breakfast they outfitted all of their kayaking gear to get ready to go out on the river after lunch. They went to a spot called the Secret Lagoon, which is an inlet right off the Espolon River, which is the river that the group would be learning on. There they learned all of the essential kayaking skills such as; t-rescuing (t-rescuing is a technique where, when unable to roll on your own, another kayak comes to the side of your boat so you can get leverage off of it to flip over with out getting out of your boat), front paddle, back paddle, front sweep, back sweep, and ferrying (ferrying is a technique used when trying to cross currents or enter eddy’s). After they had learned all of those skills and were sufficiently chilled to the bone they got out and headed back to the hostel for a delicious dinner.
Monday October 29th:
After breakfast the group got ready to hop in their kayaks once again. They went to the Secret Lagoon again for some fine tuning of their kayaking skills. After their guides, Julian, Juan Pablo, and Andres were satisfied with their skills they got ready to take them down a short stretch of the river. The only problem with this was, it was a little hard to actually get on the river because of a very strong confluence current. While the majority of the group made it across with out much problems, there were a few that didn’t quite make it, Joe and Erik O. And not only did Joe flip once, after he got back in his boat he decided to try it one more time and then flipped again! Once everyone got safely back in their boats they continued down the river. On the way down they continued to practice their ferry angles into and out of eddy’s. However, there was one particular eddy that was strong and it caught Casey off guard and flipped him over. But fortunately, he did a successful t-rescue and was able to stay in his boat. Joe, once again, managed to find and eddy line that didn’t agree with him and flipped over, and once again he swam. At the very end of their run they were able to hit one cool rapid that was pretty small, but still a fun little wave train. They went back to the hostel for lunch and then some of the group went back out on the water for some more practice on a little bit longer stretch of river. They started a little higher up in the river but ended at the same spot. They all ended their day on a good note and had lots of fun. I would like to give a shout out to Joe for swimming the most in one run, 3 times in fact, and overcoming mild hypothermia… Joe you’re a trooper!!!
Tuesday October 30th:
Today the group prepared themselves for a long day on the river. They started up higher on the river and ended further down. With that they got to hit three cool rapids instead of just one. At one point there was a small hole where some of the people who felt comfortable could try surfing it. Drew, Casey, Albee, Eric D., and of course Josh were the only brave ones. Drew and Casey rocked it, Albee tried but flipped and then did a successful t-rescue, and Eric D. swam. The whole group had a great time and was satisfied with their last day on the river. Once the group got all warmed up some of the group had a telephone conference with the owner of Expediciones Chile and pro kayaker, Chris Spelius. After they ate dinner and then prepared themselves for a Halloween party! Everyone got dressed up and they had a good celebration.
Wednesday Nivember 31st:
Today was the group day off! While most stayed at the hostel and just kind of bummed around town some went on an adventure across country lines… L.B., Walker, Erik O., and Esther went to Argentina. Josh and Julian went on an adventure as well, they went to kayak the Rio Azul which is a class 3,4 river. All together, it was a nice relaxing day off.
Thursday November 1st:
This morning the group prepared to go hiking. Their destination was an old farmer’s house name Bene. It would be the first time that they had to carry their own gear. They walked for six hours until they reached his farm. When they got there it was like a little self-sustaining paradise in the hills. It was amazing to see that they pretty much had everything they needed to live on their farm. There were many animals there; cows for milk, milk products, and eating, chickens for eggs and eating, ducks for eggs and eating, turkeys for eating, sheep for wool for hand crafts and eating, pigs for sale and eating, a baby goat for milk, rabbits for sale and eating, oxen for transportation to and from the town and the farm, dogs for protection and keeping control of the animals, and a cat for a friend. It was a lot of fun seeing all of the animals and well… trying to catch them. They even witnessed the sale of about 5 little piglets. It was interesting to see how they did it. Two farmers came and they put all the pigs into two bags, threw the bags over their shoulders and then took off walking down the trail. Dinner was a traditional Chilean soup made with products grown on their farm. It was a fun day.
Friday November 2nd:
Today the group woke up and prepared themselves for another day of hiking. They left Bene’s house and hiked for about five hours along the Futaleufu. Halfway through their hike they stopped for lunch at a rapid called the Throne Room, it was a really big, strong rapid. When they were finished they hopped on the bus and came back to the hostel for dinner. During dinner the mayor of Futaleufu came to talk to them about tourism and economic and environmental issues within the city.
Monday, October 29, 2007
Fjords/Pumalin Park October 19th - 26th
Hola everyone! We are back in the real world... So, here is the story of our adventures sea kayaking this past week! Keep an eye out because pictures will be soon to follow!
Friday October 19th:
Today the group packed all their things to get ready to leave Pucon. They took a JAC bus to Puerto Varas, where they would start their next adventure through the fjords. JAC bus is kind of like the Greyhound of Chile and so far it has done the group well! One thing that the group would get used to is the rain, although they left Pucon, they would not be leaving behind the rain. They arrived at their hostel where they were warmly greeted by L.B. and Walker, as well as their guide, Heralgdo. (The spelling on this is definitely not right… we had enough trouble just saying his name. So, for the rest of the time I will call him Guide H.) They also had a guide named Pepe who stayed with them throughout the rafting and fjord trip and was a huge help and a lot of fun during the trip. Soon after they arrived at the hostel they loaded into vans and took off towards the river. They were off to have their first river experience in Chile, rafting the Petroquehue. They put on wetsuites, gloves, splash tops, and lifejackets and jumped into the rafts! The river was crazy with a high water level and the water was incredible clear and blue, it almost looked frosty. The whole group had a great time!
Saturday October 20th:
Today the group awoke to prepare themselves for their first week of real camping. They went to the grocery store to buy a week worth of food for each cook group, then they were off the fjords. They drove for about three hours then stopped in a small fishing town to wait for a ferry to take them closer to their destination. In the town they experienced one of Chile’s delicacies… delicious empanadas. After the ferry ride they drove a little further until they reached their put-in spot. They fitted their kayaks and jumped in the water. They paddled for about three hours until they reached their hostel for the night. During the paddle, actually within the first ten minutes, they discovered one of the animals that they would become very accustomed to, the sea lion. One came to greet them in the form of popping up 5 feet behind Tommy and Jen’s boat and then staring them down. During a small break in the rain they also got to experience an incredible sunset. They arrived at they hostel to find a delicious meal of meat and mussels waiting for them. After dinner the group went outside to enjoy one of many hot springs that would grace their presence during their trip.
Sunday October 21st:
This morning they group boarded their support vessel and took a nice, relaxing, and very rainy boat ride to their next destination. Today would be the first day that they would really learn how crazy the tides inside the fjords are. When they arrived at their destination it was not high tide so they had to walk about a half mile through leech infested slippery grass and rocks, as well as cross some knee high rivers, to get to where we needed to be. But if they had waited for about five hours, until high tide, they would have been about 500 yards from their boat. They set up camp and once again enjoyed the hot springs in the continuous, pouring rain.
Monday October 22nd:
This morning the group awoke to an incredible site, SUN! They sky way actually blue and there was sunshine. Since the group was going to spend another night at the same campsite they had the option of either fishing or kayaking. So, Tommy, Drew, Josh, Esther, and Jen went fishing while the rest went kayaking. The group who went kayaking visited some magnificent waterfalls. As for the group that went fishing, Tommy was the only one who caught a fish, the first one in Chile! Josh collected some mussels for dinner and learned that, if you make the hot springs hot enough, you can actually cook the mussels in the hot springs.
Tuesday October 23rd:
They left camp this morning in the kayaks and really had a chance to appreciate the sunshine. They saw some amazing waterfalls along the way. They paddled for about two hours to a small rock beach where they stopped to eat lunch. After lunch they witnessed a once in a life time experience… They noticed that it was really starting to smell fishy in the air and as they paddled around a corner they saw around 500 sea lions sitting on the rocks. It was incredible! Soon after they saw the sea lions they arrived at the Fundacion Huinay which is a facility for studying the marine and terrestrial areas surrounding the fjords. After, they jumped on the boat and road to their next destination, which is a campground owned by a local lady. When they arrived they went on a hike to the hot springs there. It was a really neat hike through the forest, and the hot springs were really cool too. It was like a river of hot springs, with dams in it to make the pools, on one side and then on the other side was a regular river. After the hike they set up camp and cooked dinner, relaxing around the fire after a long day of ocean travel.
Wednesday October 24th:
Today the group got packed up to get to their next destination. They rode the boat for about 30 minutes and then loaded all of their things onto a trailer pulled by a John Deere tractor. There they said goodbye to the boat and the captain and crew, Rudy and Victor, who were born and raised in the fjord area. They jumped in the tractor and rode for one hour to a farm. They got to tour this farm; they produced organic honey, jam and wool. It was really cool to see how they produce they honey, recycling the wax and how they were able to sustain a large scale production of honey in such a remote area, planes are very important! Once their tour was over the tractor took them to their ferry where they loaded their things and prepared themselves for a storm on the way to their next destination. When they arrived they unloaded all of their belongings in the rain and went to their campsite. On the way to their campsite they crossed a really neat swinging bridge. For dinner that night the group was treated to a traditional lamb roast and it was delicious.
Thursday October 25th:
Today the group packed their things and jumped in the vans. On the way to their next campsite they stopped to take a 20 minute hike through the sacred Alerce trees. The Alerce is like the redwood of Chile, they have some documented as being 4,000 years old. After the hike they went to their campground and spent the day waiting out the rain that never stopped…
Friday October 26th:
Today the group prepared themselves for a wet, cold jungle hike. This hike would take them to some really amazing waterfalls and through some incredible Alerce trees. It was crazy how wet it was in the forest, it was kind of like the Olympic National Park in Washington but still original to Chile. Guide H was able to point out many endemic plants and trees and the group visited one of the most photographed places in Parque Pumalin. By the time they finished the hike everyone was soaked to the bone. They drove to their next campground where they were once again graced with hot springs. Unfortunately, the group mourned the loss of a very important member, Manwell. They forgot him on one of the sea kayaks… God bless Manwell and may your adventures through Chile be fabulous! Today would end their adventure through the fjords.
Friday October 19th:
Today the group packed all their things to get ready to leave Pucon. They took a JAC bus to Puerto Varas, where they would start their next adventure through the fjords. JAC bus is kind of like the Greyhound of Chile and so far it has done the group well! One thing that the group would get used to is the rain, although they left Pucon, they would not be leaving behind the rain. They arrived at their hostel where they were warmly greeted by L.B. and Walker, as well as their guide, Heralgdo. (The spelling on this is definitely not right… we had enough trouble just saying his name. So, for the rest of the time I will call him Guide H.) They also had a guide named Pepe who stayed with them throughout the rafting and fjord trip and was a huge help and a lot of fun during the trip. Soon after they arrived at the hostel they loaded into vans and took off towards the river. They were off to have their first river experience in Chile, rafting the Petroquehue. They put on wetsuites, gloves, splash tops, and lifejackets and jumped into the rafts! The river was crazy with a high water level and the water was incredible clear and blue, it almost looked frosty. The whole group had a great time!
Saturday October 20th:
Today the group awoke to prepare themselves for their first week of real camping. They went to the grocery store to buy a week worth of food for each cook group, then they were off the fjords. They drove for about three hours then stopped in a small fishing town to wait for a ferry to take them closer to their destination. In the town they experienced one of Chile’s delicacies… delicious empanadas. After the ferry ride they drove a little further until they reached their put-in spot. They fitted their kayaks and jumped in the water. They paddled for about three hours until they reached their hostel for the night. During the paddle, actually within the first ten minutes, they discovered one of the animals that they would become very accustomed to, the sea lion. One came to greet them in the form of popping up 5 feet behind Tommy and Jen’s boat and then staring them down. During a small break in the rain they also got to experience an incredible sunset. They arrived at they hostel to find a delicious meal of meat and mussels waiting for them. After dinner the group went outside to enjoy one of many hot springs that would grace their presence during their trip.
Sunday October 21st:
This morning they group boarded their support vessel and took a nice, relaxing, and very rainy boat ride to their next destination. Today would be the first day that they would really learn how crazy the tides inside the fjords are. When they arrived at their destination it was not high tide so they had to walk about a half mile through leech infested slippery grass and rocks, as well as cross some knee high rivers, to get to where we needed to be. But if they had waited for about five hours, until high tide, they would have been about 500 yards from their boat. They set up camp and once again enjoyed the hot springs in the continuous, pouring rain.
Monday October 22nd:
This morning the group awoke to an incredible site, SUN! They sky way actually blue and there was sunshine. Since the group was going to spend another night at the same campsite they had the option of either fishing or kayaking. So, Tommy, Drew, Josh, Esther, and Jen went fishing while the rest went kayaking. The group who went kayaking visited some magnificent waterfalls. As for the group that went fishing, Tommy was the only one who caught a fish, the first one in Chile! Josh collected some mussels for dinner and learned that, if you make the hot springs hot enough, you can actually cook the mussels in the hot springs.
Tuesday October 23rd:
They left camp this morning in the kayaks and really had a chance to appreciate the sunshine. They saw some amazing waterfalls along the way. They paddled for about two hours to a small rock beach where they stopped to eat lunch. After lunch they witnessed a once in a life time experience… They noticed that it was really starting to smell fishy in the air and as they paddled around a corner they saw around 500 sea lions sitting on the rocks. It was incredible! Soon after they saw the sea lions they arrived at the Fundacion Huinay which is a facility for studying the marine and terrestrial areas surrounding the fjords. After, they jumped on the boat and road to their next destination, which is a campground owned by a local lady. When they arrived they went on a hike to the hot springs there. It was a really neat hike through the forest, and the hot springs were really cool too. It was like a river of hot springs, with dams in it to make the pools, on one side and then on the other side was a regular river. After the hike they set up camp and cooked dinner, relaxing around the fire after a long day of ocean travel.
Wednesday October 24th:
Today the group got packed up to get to their next destination. They rode the boat for about 30 minutes and then loaded all of their things onto a trailer pulled by a John Deere tractor. There they said goodbye to the boat and the captain and crew, Rudy and Victor, who were born and raised in the fjord area. They jumped in the tractor and rode for one hour to a farm. They got to tour this farm; they produced organic honey, jam and wool. It was really cool to see how they produce they honey, recycling the wax and how they were able to sustain a large scale production of honey in such a remote area, planes are very important! Once their tour was over the tractor took them to their ferry where they loaded their things and prepared themselves for a storm on the way to their next destination. When they arrived they unloaded all of their belongings in the rain and went to their campsite. On the way to their campsite they crossed a really neat swinging bridge. For dinner that night the group was treated to a traditional lamb roast and it was delicious.
Thursday October 25th:
Today the group packed their things and jumped in the vans. On the way to their next campsite they stopped to take a 20 minute hike through the sacred Alerce trees. The Alerce is like the redwood of Chile, they have some documented as being 4,000 years old. After the hike they went to their campground and spent the day waiting out the rain that never stopped…
Friday October 26th:
Today the group prepared themselves for a wet, cold jungle hike. This hike would take them to some really amazing waterfalls and through some incredible Alerce trees. It was crazy how wet it was in the forest, it was kind of like the Olympic National Park in Washington but still original to Chile. Guide H was able to point out many endemic plants and trees and the group visited one of the most photographed places in Parque Pumalin. By the time they finished the hike everyone was soaked to the bone. They drove to their next campground where they were once again graced with hot springs. Unfortunately, the group mourned the loss of a very important member, Manwell. They forgot him on one of the sea kayaks… God bless Manwell and may your adventures through Chile be fabulous! Today would end their adventure through the fjords.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Pucon!
The groups week in Pucon is coming to an end. They all are ready to start new adventures after their week off! Tomorrow they will get on a bus and head for Puerto Varas to enjoy a week of sea kayaking through the Pumalin Fjords!
Here are some highlights:
L.B. and Walker went on a climbing adventure somewhere around the Puerto Montt area. They left the second day the group was in Pucon and will meet up with them in Puerto Varas. Nothing is known about how their adventure went.... but we will soon find out!
It was rainy five out of the eight days that they were in Pucon....
Casey, Drew, Tommy, Jen, Esther, Josh, Nick, Albee, and Bob went to the Los Pazones Hot Springs for an afternoon and it was amazing! It was a bunch of warm, clear, non-sulfuric pools along side a river. It was very relaxing. (I´d like to give a shout out to Bob! We met him at our hostel. He is a Harvard Med student doing in exchange program around the Santiago area and was visiting Pucon for the weekend. Keep it real Bob!)
Casey, Albee, and Eric D. rented a car and visited some waterfalls.
Esther, Izzi, Josh, and Bob rented bikes and rode to the same waterfalls as Casey, Albee, and Eric D. drove to.
Mark, Josh, Esther went on a hunt for the river to go fishing... They walked for ever, never found the river, and then got a taxi to take them there. They fished for a while, didn´t catch anything, their taxi returned and they came home.
Tommy, Jen, Drew, Esther, and Joe rented a row boat on the lake. Their intentions were to go fishing but when they tried they learned that it´s not the right season, they didn´t have permits, and the fish in the lake have diseases.... it was a great time!
Tommy, Jen, and Albee indulged themselves in massages!
All in all the group had a great time in Pucon, but nonetheless they are ready to get out and continue on with there adventures!
Editors note- I am not sure how often we will have internet access for the rest of the trip so the updates may be few and far between, but keep checking and I will post whenever I have the opportunity!
Here are some highlights:
L.B. and Walker went on a climbing adventure somewhere around the Puerto Montt area. They left the second day the group was in Pucon and will meet up with them in Puerto Varas. Nothing is known about how their adventure went.... but we will soon find out!
It was rainy five out of the eight days that they were in Pucon....
Casey, Drew, Tommy, Jen, Esther, Josh, Nick, Albee, and Bob went to the Los Pazones Hot Springs for an afternoon and it was amazing! It was a bunch of warm, clear, non-sulfuric pools along side a river. It was very relaxing. (I´d like to give a shout out to Bob! We met him at our hostel. He is a Harvard Med student doing in exchange program around the Santiago area and was visiting Pucon for the weekend. Keep it real Bob!)
Casey, Albee, and Eric D. rented a car and visited some waterfalls.
Esther, Izzi, Josh, and Bob rented bikes and rode to the same waterfalls as Casey, Albee, and Eric D. drove to.
Mark, Josh, Esther went on a hunt for the river to go fishing... They walked for ever, never found the river, and then got a taxi to take them there. They fished for a while, didn´t catch anything, their taxi returned and they came home.
Tommy, Jen, Drew, Esther, and Joe rented a row boat on the lake. Their intentions were to go fishing but when they tried they learned that it´s not the right season, they didn´t have permits, and the fish in the lake have diseases.... it was a great time!
Tommy, Jen, and Albee indulged themselves in massages!
All in all the group had a great time in Pucon, but nonetheless they are ready to get out and continue on with there adventures!
Editors note- I am not sure how often we will have internet access for the rest of the trip so the updates may be few and far between, but keep checking and I will post whenever I have the opportunity!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Pichilemu Pictures!!!
Here are the pictures for Pichilemu... Enjoy!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Pichilemu/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Pichilemu/
Pichilemu October 9th - 11th
Tuesday October 9th:
Today they group went to the beach break at Punta de Lobos to go surfing. The waves were perfect and the whole group had a great time. Josh brought along a kayak and surfed some waves. While most were still surfing, Esther and Jen decided to go on a dangerous mission and hunt for crabs. There were huge ones walking around the shore line, so all you had to do was grab them…. Not as easy as it sounds, but they managed to catch one and they enjoyed it for dinner that night! After three hours of a good surf session the group came back to the lodge for lunch and chilled out for the afternoon. Izzi and Nick went to a house/museum and saw a bunch of clay pottery. It was really cool because all of the clay they used was gathered right from their backyard! After the house they went to a real museum where they witnessed a lot of odd local culture. For the most part there was nothing really famous there but just a lot of interesting stuff. After awhile the rest of the group went out for another evening surf session. The waves weren’t as big but it was still a lot of fun. When they were done they got a chance to go into town and hang out and go shopping. All in all it was a great day for surfing!
Wednesday October 10th:
Today Joe, Casey, Mark, and L.B. woke up for an “early morning” surf session, it would be the last time that they would get to surfing in Chile; for today was their last day in Pichilemu. While they went surfing the other group members had a relaxing morning of packing and resting their weary muscles. After lunch they packed all of their things into the trucks and headed out to Santiago. On the way they stopped at a winery and had a wine tasting and wine tour. The place where they had the wine tour was an organic winery; the lady said they were the only organic winery in Chile and quite possibly the only one in South America. Then they were off to another wine tour and this place had vines that were almost 100 years old! After the tour they drove to Santiago to catch their bus to Pucon. When they got to the bus station Izzi got the sickness. They got on their bus around 10:30pm and prepared themselves for a 10 hour ride. The bus ride wasn’t too bad though because there was a lot of leg room for a medium sized person. It you were anywhere from 5’8”-6’0” you were comfortable… otherwise the seats were uncomfortably big or uncomfortably small. Their next stop would leave them in Pucon for their week off.
Thursday October 11th:
Today the group arrived in Pucon! They checked in at their hostel and were immediately bombarded by some imposter guides. They thought that these people were the people they were supposed to be talking with but after a bunch of very small inconsistencies and misunderstandings they realized that these three people were not Andreas, their real guide. He would be coming the next day to give us information on all the things they could do in Pucon. For the most part the group realized that most things in Pucon are very expensive… so they really would not be doing to much while they are here.
I am not going to keep a day by day update on the blog while we are Pucon because this is the groups week off and everyone is doing their own thing, climbing, hot springs tours, or enjoying the town of Pucon. But come the end of our stay I will give a big update!
Today they group went to the beach break at Punta de Lobos to go surfing. The waves were perfect and the whole group had a great time. Josh brought along a kayak and surfed some waves. While most were still surfing, Esther and Jen decided to go on a dangerous mission and hunt for crabs. There were huge ones walking around the shore line, so all you had to do was grab them…. Not as easy as it sounds, but they managed to catch one and they enjoyed it for dinner that night! After three hours of a good surf session the group came back to the lodge for lunch and chilled out for the afternoon. Izzi and Nick went to a house/museum and saw a bunch of clay pottery. It was really cool because all of the clay they used was gathered right from their backyard! After the house they went to a real museum where they witnessed a lot of odd local culture. For the most part there was nothing really famous there but just a lot of interesting stuff. After awhile the rest of the group went out for another evening surf session. The waves weren’t as big but it was still a lot of fun. When they were done they got a chance to go into town and hang out and go shopping. All in all it was a great day for surfing!
Wednesday October 10th:
Today Joe, Casey, Mark, and L.B. woke up for an “early morning” surf session, it would be the last time that they would get to surfing in Chile; for today was their last day in Pichilemu. While they went surfing the other group members had a relaxing morning of packing and resting their weary muscles. After lunch they packed all of their things into the trucks and headed out to Santiago. On the way they stopped at a winery and had a wine tasting and wine tour. The place where they had the wine tour was an organic winery; the lady said they were the only organic winery in Chile and quite possibly the only one in South America. Then they were off to another wine tour and this place had vines that were almost 100 years old! After the tour they drove to Santiago to catch their bus to Pucon. When they got to the bus station Izzi got the sickness. They got on their bus around 10:30pm and prepared themselves for a 10 hour ride. The bus ride wasn’t too bad though because there was a lot of leg room for a medium sized person. It you were anywhere from 5’8”-6’0” you were comfortable… otherwise the seats were uncomfortably big or uncomfortably small. Their next stop would leave them in Pucon for their week off.
Thursday October 11th:
Today the group arrived in Pucon! They checked in at their hostel and were immediately bombarded by some imposter guides. They thought that these people were the people they were supposed to be talking with but after a bunch of very small inconsistencies and misunderstandings they realized that these three people were not Andreas, their real guide. He would be coming the next day to give us information on all the things they could do in Pucon. For the most part the group realized that most things in Pucon are very expensive… so they really would not be doing to much while they are here.
I am not going to keep a day by day update on the blog while we are Pucon because this is the groups week off and everyone is doing their own thing, climbing, hot springs tours, or enjoying the town of Pucon. But come the end of our stay I will give a big update!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Pichilemu October 4th - October 8th
Hey all, I have returned from our week at the ocean where we had very limited internet access. Here is some of the stuff from Pichilemu. Enjoy! There will be more to come.... including pictures soon.
Thursday October 4th:
They woke up early in the morning to enjoy their last ride on the bus with their driver, Pedro on the way to the airport in Calama. After an entertaining flight, filled with dancing and singing to classic rock, they arrived in Santiago and were greeted by Daniel and the staff from Posada Punta de Lobos to transport us to our surf lodge. The staff consisted of the owner Gonzalo, the kite surf instructor Gobin, and our driver/surf instructor Anjel. They stopped for lunch at a café and were treated to a great lunch where many local surfers stop on the drive to Pichilemu. Tommy got the autograph of the owner because she is featured in many advertisements in local surf magazines and is an important contributor to local surf culture. They arrived at the lodge an hour later and were astounded at the beauty of the lodge, huge windows over looking the ocean, a large campfire pit with bamboo seats, a pool and amazingly comfortable rooms. Gonzalo recently adopted two boxer-ish puppies that were a source of great entertainment for the entire group, they were so cute! The staff at the lodge treated us to a clam bake and fish fry, all locally caught, and the group met their head instructor for the week, Ramon Navarro. For those of you unfamiliar with surf culture, Ramon Navarro is the number one professional surfer in Chile and one of the most accomplished big wave surfers in the world. He was born and raised on the ocean and grew us as a waterman, fishing, swimming, and surfing, and now has many big name sponsors including Quiksilver and Etnies. He was very personable and was a great instructor but also a great friend, hanging out with the group every night, telling his big wave stories and giving them some great tips for their week of surfing that lies ahead.
Friday October 5th:
Today was the first day of surfing! Many of the group members have been looking forward to this day for a long time now, and were super excited to wake up and check out the surf. They unloaded at La Puntilla and, for the next thirty minutes, did the wetsuit dance trying to get outfitted for the frigid waters of South America. After getting their wetsuits on they went to the beach for an in-depth lesson and stretching session. After everyone got the general idea, they took off into the ocean for their first waves. Before the group even got to the lineup Tommy had paddled out and caught the first wave of Chile, thoroughly stoked to be surfing again, but this time in another country! While he stayed outside in the bigger waves, the group took turns getting pushed into waves to develop the feel of surfing and almost everyone was able to stand up and get a few rides under their belt. Unfortunately, Jen dislocated her shoulder paddling for a wave and was unable to surf with us anymore.
After they were thoroughly worn out, they returned to the lodge for a hearty pizza lunch and watched Anjels film. Anjel was our driver and instructor, but his real job is film producer. He works with the Saves the Waves Coalition and produces documentaries on development and pollution that is affecting local towns and areas where there is good surf. In the afternoon they went to a lagoon and started their first lessons in wind surfing and kite surfing.
Many people, Walker in particular, learned that is was pretty easy to get going on with the wind surfing, but found that the most difficult part was getting back to the beach! Walker got stuck on the opposite shore and had to do the “swim of shame” towing the board and sail all the way back to the shore.
After they returned to the lodge, Anjel took Tommy, Casey, Drew and Eric D. out to Diamond Head, a break close to Punta de Lobos, into some 8-10 foot surf! Only Anjel, Tommy, and Casey made it out to the break, Drew and Eric D. got stuck on the paddle out and had to return to the shore because of the crazy surf! Anjel caught one wave but Tommy and Casey decided that they were in a little over their heads and started the paddle to the shore, only to be caught in a huge set and pretty much dragged back to the beach. Let’s just say they were grateful to be back on solid ground after that experience! Claudia and Manuel came down from Santiago to be with us for a few days and the group enjoyed a great bar-b-q dinner with them and the staff that night. Some members wanted to go experience Pichilemu nightlife and wound up at a bar that was full of…nobody. Izzi was the only girl for a half hour! They returned late that night and were allowed to sleep in until 11, surf lodges understand the lifestyle and were very flexible to the groups desires!
Saturday October 6th:
After sleeping in, they woke up to another great breakfast at the lodge and suited up for more windsurfing and kite surfing lessons in the lagoon. Mark was the first one on a windsurfer and took off into the lagoon to finally conquer this sport! Many people cycled through the other board, taking turns with Gonzalo to get a feel for the board and to try windsurfing. Gobin went through kite surfing with a group on the beach, using a training kites so they could get a feel for the wind and the dynamics of the kite. These lessons took a few hours because these sports are very difficult to learn and require a lot of technical skills before you can get into the water and try. For these three hours that people were taking lessons on the beach, Mark was still far out in the lagoon, looking like he was stubbornly trying to perfect the sport. After he finally got back to the beach, they learned that for all three hours, he was only trying to get back to the beach and didn’t mean to spend three hours in the water! As I said before, the hardest part is getting back to the beach, but Mark finally made it and soon after was napping on the sand, thoroughly worn out from his struggle with the wind.
Today was also the first day that people started getting very sick, throwing up anything they ate and they were bed-ridden for at least 24 hours. Walker, Nick, and Josh were the first to have “the sickness” and spent the day at the hostel recovering. This is the start of something big…
In the afternoon the group returned to La Puntilla for a late afternoon/evening surf. They surfed until the sun went down and had another great day riding the wild surf. It doesn’t take recreation majors too long to pick up a sport and almost everyone was catching and riding good waves and having a great time. After surfing a group went into town to explore the surf shops and the local surf town culture. Dinner was lasagna at the lodge and the group went to bed early to prepare for their longest and toughest hike of the trip.
Sunday October 7th:
Today the group woke up early and got ready for a real adventure. They drove to a beach where they met up with their horses and rode along the coastline for about an hour. The group got a first hand look at Chilean horses; short and slow. But some of the group had nice horses and it was a lot of fun. Once they finished with their horses they started their trek on foot. Up and down and up and down, they hiked along the coast for hours. It was an incredible hike, but it was more than most people expected. For some of the time they walked along vast expanses of beach and other times they climbed into the hills and walked along cacti and Litre (a plant like poison ivy except it only harms you it a leaf snaps and the fluid gets on you). After four hours they stopped for lunch on a nice beach. When they were finished they started their trek again. It was five more hours until they would reach they ending place for they night. With about two hours left Jen rolled her ankle again, what a surprise. Finally, they ended their day at a local fisherman’s house and they were served an extravagant meal of seafood that the hosts caught themselves that day. It was incredible! During the meal they learned that they were the first large group to hike that trail ever! They set up their tents next to the ocean and slept with the sounds of the sea.
Monday October 8th:
They awoke the next morning and were treated to a hearty breakfast and a long stretching/yoga session from our guide Paloma. Even though they were aching from the long hike the day before, they packed up their daypacks and took off hiking for 3 more hours along a road that took them right to Topocalma Beach and their boards and wetsuits. Erik O. came down with the sickness and rode in the “sick lame and lazy” truck with Jen and Walker. Erik O. made his way back to the hostel to rest and Jen and Walker transferred to the van to meet the group at the beach. The hiking group beat the van with lunch to the beach and while many members rested for their afternoon of surf, Tommy, Eric D. and Albee went with Gobin to catch some of the amazing waves that were peeling off the point. After a great pre-lunch session, they joined the group for a quick lunch and then they all suited up and charged the waves! The waves were pumping and while some people may have been in a little over their heads, everyone still had a great time catching some bigger waves and getting pounded by the ocean. Unfortuntely, 20 people trying to catch one wave makes for some chaos in the water, and it resulted in Tommy getting cut on the corner of his eye by a fin on the surfboard during a collision, those things are sharp! The Pacific Aquarium was at the beach with us, releasing a sea leopard back into the ocean. He was very stubborn but eventually made his way into the ocean to be free again! As I said before, our pro Ramon is a very good waterman and grabbed a suckerfish off the exposed rock and placed it on his head to be his surfing buddy for the rest of the session. After the group was thoroughly worn out, they drove back to the lodge where a roast of lamb was waiting that had been slow-roasting all day. They ate like kings, again, and then went to sleep, exhausted from their last few days.
Thursday October 4th:
They woke up early in the morning to enjoy their last ride on the bus with their driver, Pedro on the way to the airport in Calama. After an entertaining flight, filled with dancing and singing to classic rock, they arrived in Santiago and were greeted by Daniel and the staff from Posada Punta de Lobos to transport us to our surf lodge. The staff consisted of the owner Gonzalo, the kite surf instructor Gobin, and our driver/surf instructor Anjel. They stopped for lunch at a café and were treated to a great lunch where many local surfers stop on the drive to Pichilemu. Tommy got the autograph of the owner because she is featured in many advertisements in local surf magazines and is an important contributor to local surf culture. They arrived at the lodge an hour later and were astounded at the beauty of the lodge, huge windows over looking the ocean, a large campfire pit with bamboo seats, a pool and amazingly comfortable rooms. Gonzalo recently adopted two boxer-ish puppies that were a source of great entertainment for the entire group, they were so cute! The staff at the lodge treated us to a clam bake and fish fry, all locally caught, and the group met their head instructor for the week, Ramon Navarro. For those of you unfamiliar with surf culture, Ramon Navarro is the number one professional surfer in Chile and one of the most accomplished big wave surfers in the world. He was born and raised on the ocean and grew us as a waterman, fishing, swimming, and surfing, and now has many big name sponsors including Quiksilver and Etnies. He was very personable and was a great instructor but also a great friend, hanging out with the group every night, telling his big wave stories and giving them some great tips for their week of surfing that lies ahead.
Friday October 5th:
Today was the first day of surfing! Many of the group members have been looking forward to this day for a long time now, and were super excited to wake up and check out the surf. They unloaded at La Puntilla and, for the next thirty minutes, did the wetsuit dance trying to get outfitted for the frigid waters of South America. After getting their wetsuits on they went to the beach for an in-depth lesson and stretching session. After everyone got the general idea, they took off into the ocean for their first waves. Before the group even got to the lineup Tommy had paddled out and caught the first wave of Chile, thoroughly stoked to be surfing again, but this time in another country! While he stayed outside in the bigger waves, the group took turns getting pushed into waves to develop the feel of surfing and almost everyone was able to stand up and get a few rides under their belt. Unfortunately, Jen dislocated her shoulder paddling for a wave and was unable to surf with us anymore.
After they were thoroughly worn out, they returned to the lodge for a hearty pizza lunch and watched Anjels film. Anjel was our driver and instructor, but his real job is film producer. He works with the Saves the Waves Coalition and produces documentaries on development and pollution that is affecting local towns and areas where there is good surf. In the afternoon they went to a lagoon and started their first lessons in wind surfing and kite surfing.
Many people, Walker in particular, learned that is was pretty easy to get going on with the wind surfing, but found that the most difficult part was getting back to the beach! Walker got stuck on the opposite shore and had to do the “swim of shame” towing the board and sail all the way back to the shore.
After they returned to the lodge, Anjel took Tommy, Casey, Drew and Eric D. out to Diamond Head, a break close to Punta de Lobos, into some 8-10 foot surf! Only Anjel, Tommy, and Casey made it out to the break, Drew and Eric D. got stuck on the paddle out and had to return to the shore because of the crazy surf! Anjel caught one wave but Tommy and Casey decided that they were in a little over their heads and started the paddle to the shore, only to be caught in a huge set and pretty much dragged back to the beach. Let’s just say they were grateful to be back on solid ground after that experience! Claudia and Manuel came down from Santiago to be with us for a few days and the group enjoyed a great bar-b-q dinner with them and the staff that night. Some members wanted to go experience Pichilemu nightlife and wound up at a bar that was full of…nobody. Izzi was the only girl for a half hour! They returned late that night and were allowed to sleep in until 11, surf lodges understand the lifestyle and were very flexible to the groups desires!
Saturday October 6th:
After sleeping in, they woke up to another great breakfast at the lodge and suited up for more windsurfing and kite surfing lessons in the lagoon. Mark was the first one on a windsurfer and took off into the lagoon to finally conquer this sport! Many people cycled through the other board, taking turns with Gonzalo to get a feel for the board and to try windsurfing. Gobin went through kite surfing with a group on the beach, using a training kites so they could get a feel for the wind and the dynamics of the kite. These lessons took a few hours because these sports are very difficult to learn and require a lot of technical skills before you can get into the water and try. For these three hours that people were taking lessons on the beach, Mark was still far out in the lagoon, looking like he was stubbornly trying to perfect the sport. After he finally got back to the beach, they learned that for all three hours, he was only trying to get back to the beach and didn’t mean to spend three hours in the water! As I said before, the hardest part is getting back to the beach, but Mark finally made it and soon after was napping on the sand, thoroughly worn out from his struggle with the wind.
Today was also the first day that people started getting very sick, throwing up anything they ate and they were bed-ridden for at least 24 hours. Walker, Nick, and Josh were the first to have “the sickness” and spent the day at the hostel recovering. This is the start of something big…
In the afternoon the group returned to La Puntilla for a late afternoon/evening surf. They surfed until the sun went down and had another great day riding the wild surf. It doesn’t take recreation majors too long to pick up a sport and almost everyone was catching and riding good waves and having a great time. After surfing a group went into town to explore the surf shops and the local surf town culture. Dinner was lasagna at the lodge and the group went to bed early to prepare for their longest and toughest hike of the trip.
Sunday October 7th:
Today the group woke up early and got ready for a real adventure. They drove to a beach where they met up with their horses and rode along the coastline for about an hour. The group got a first hand look at Chilean horses; short and slow. But some of the group had nice horses and it was a lot of fun. Once they finished with their horses they started their trek on foot. Up and down and up and down, they hiked along the coast for hours. It was an incredible hike, but it was more than most people expected. For some of the time they walked along vast expanses of beach and other times they climbed into the hills and walked along cacti and Litre (a plant like poison ivy except it only harms you it a leaf snaps and the fluid gets on you). After four hours they stopped for lunch on a nice beach. When they were finished they started their trek again. It was five more hours until they would reach they ending place for they night. With about two hours left Jen rolled her ankle again, what a surprise. Finally, they ended their day at a local fisherman’s house and they were served an extravagant meal of seafood that the hosts caught themselves that day. It was incredible! During the meal they learned that they were the first large group to hike that trail ever! They set up their tents next to the ocean and slept with the sounds of the sea.
Monday October 8th:
They awoke the next morning and were treated to a hearty breakfast and a long stretching/yoga session from our guide Paloma. Even though they were aching from the long hike the day before, they packed up their daypacks and took off hiking for 3 more hours along a road that took them right to Topocalma Beach and their boards and wetsuits. Erik O. came down with the sickness and rode in the “sick lame and lazy” truck with Jen and Walker. Erik O. made his way back to the hostel to rest and Jen and Walker transferred to the van to meet the group at the beach. The hiking group beat the van with lunch to the beach and while many members rested for their afternoon of surf, Tommy, Eric D. and Albee went with Gobin to catch some of the amazing waves that were peeling off the point. After a great pre-lunch session, they joined the group for a quick lunch and then they all suited up and charged the waves! The waves were pumping and while some people may have been in a little over their heads, everyone still had a great time catching some bigger waves and getting pounded by the ocean. Unfortuntely, 20 people trying to catch one wave makes for some chaos in the water, and it resulted in Tommy getting cut on the corner of his eye by a fin on the surfboard during a collision, those things are sharp! The Pacific Aquarium was at the beach with us, releasing a sea leopard back into the ocean. He was very stubborn but eventually made his way into the ocean to be free again! As I said before, our pro Ramon is a very good waterman and grabbed a suckerfish off the exposed rock and placed it on his head to be his surfing buddy for the rest of the session. After the group was thoroughly worn out, they drove back to the lodge where a roast of lamb was waiting that had been slow-roasting all day. They ate like kings, again, and then went to sleep, exhausted from their last few days.
Thursday, October 4, 2007
San Pedro Pictures!
Here are the pictures from San Pedro. Enjoy!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/San%20Pedro/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/San%20Pedro/
Valparaiso Pictures!!!
Here are the pictures from Valparaiso. Enjoy!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Valparaiso/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Valparaiso/
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
San Pedro / Atacama Desert Oct 3rd
Today the group got ready to go on an exciting mountain biking adventure. They met their guide, Rodrigo, and set off into the mountains. They got to ride through some streams, some hills, and rocks. The ride took them through Devils Gorge, a spectacluar canyon with some tight turns and small caves they had to ride through! And then when they biked to the top of a great hill they got to ride down it with incredible speed... dodging pot holes, 3 feet deep, along the way. They returned to camp for a relaxing afternoon of packing and hanging out. They must be prepared to leave tomorrow at 7am so they can fly back to Santiago and catch a bus to Pichilemu. On Thursday they will start their surfing adventure!!!!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
San Pedro / Atacama Desert: Sept 25th-Oct 2nd
Wednesday September 26th:
Today was a big day for the group; they were leaving the city and entering a small town in the Atacama Desert, San Pedro. Their flight was early in the morning so they woke up around 4:00am, got all of their things together and set off for the airport. Their flight was about two hours long and then they had a two hour drive through the desert before they got to the city. They slept for a little while and then went on a tour of the city with their guide, Camillo. When they were touring the city they went to an archeological museum of San Pedro. The city is small, so there was not much to tour, but it was still interesting. They went out to dinner and then back to their campsite and were done with the day.
Thursday September 27th:
Today was the first day that the group was really able to appreciate their departure from Santiago, they were relieved to get out of the city life. Camillo picked them up around 9:30 to go on their first real hike in Chile. They hiked through sand dunes and salt canyons. In some spots, if you listened closely, you could hear the hills crackling in the sun! That hike lasted about two hours and once they were done they were off to lunch.
They went to a farm where they were served a DANK (awesome) traditional Chilean meal of empanadas, pasta with chicken, mousse for dessert, and many delicious juices. Everything the hosts served the group at the farm were made locally from their farm. They came back to camp and rested for a little bit, some of them needed it due to the enormous food coma they encountered. They went on their second hike around 4:00pm to the Valle de la Luna (valley of the moon) for the sunset. One highlight was running down the sand dunes as fast as you could, they learned that Drew is very fast when prompted with the idea of a meal out being paid for! They came back to camp and had dinner at a little hole in the wall place, but the food was muy muy bueno.
Friday September 28th:
Today the group woke up and prepared for an overnight adventure in a canyon. They drove to about 15,000ft and hiked about two miles to some very beautiful lakes surrounded by volcanoes. After that they went to have lunch in the village of Socaire and were treated to another traditional Chilean meal of empanadas, soup, and peaches. They went to their campsite down in a canyon at about 13,000ft and got ready for the evening. Some of the group got psyched about all of the awesome climbing in the canyon and went at it. Others explored the canyon and observed the unique wildlife. Later that evening Camillo and his counter parts, our bus driver Pedro, our gear driver Zahel, and his son, made us an incredible Chilean BBQ. After dinner was over some of the group sat down and played a few great games of mafia. (For those of you who don’t know what mafia is, I’m sorry. It’s too hard to explain through trying.) They went to bed, and the question for the morning would be- who would actually be able to sleep well tonight? (because of the high altitude)
Saturday September 29th:
Today they woke up to find out that not to many people slept well during the night. So, it was a good thing that their day would be pretty relaxing. They went on their way to Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, The National Reserve of Flamingoes. After a short hike through some salt flats they arrived at the lagoons where the flamingoes live. They came back to their campsite and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Some did a little shopping and others (Walker, Izzi, L.B., and Eric D) sat down and studied their Spanish, Izzi even made flash cards!
Sunday September 30th:
Today the group woke up very early, 3:30am early to be exact. They packed up their things again and were off to see the Tatio de Gesiser, the Field of Geysers. They had to wake up so early because the geysers are the most incredible just before the sun hits them. It is an incredible sight to see a field of steam at 15,000ft! Once they had seen the geysers they went on a hike. Some of the group; Walker, L.B., Eric D, and Josh decided they didn’t want to go on the normal hike… instead they hiked about 2,000ft up in elevation to the top of a nearby peak. When they finished with their hike they made their way to some nearby hot springs. It was a nice treat for everyone seeing as the majority of them were pretty tired. After a couple hours at the spring they went to the place where they would be camping for the night, the Mapucha Village. This village was at 14,000ft and literally in the middle of nowhere. And the weirdest thing was that there were hardly any people… Some of the group decided to go llama hunting, but as it turned out llamas don’t really like people. So, as some of them turned back to start on dinner Walker, L.B., and Eric O decided they would hike to the top of another peak! They had a great dinner of chicken and beef, and then it was off to bed.
Monday October 1st:
Today the group got ready to go on a beautiful 5 hour hike. It took up most of the day but it was well worth it! They saw lots of ruins and incredible scenery. And without fail, Jen twisted her ankle about two hours into the hike, but fortunately there are 14 Wilderness First Responders that could help. Towards the end of the trek they ventured through a high mountain farming village that seemed to come from nowhere. We passed a few people along the way, but Mark was able to get yelled at by an old lady for accidentally taking a picture of her. Once they were done with their hike they stopped at some petroglyphs, there were a lot of llamas and other animals carved into the rocks from the Incan empire. They made their way back to San Pedro and the group went out for a night on the town!
Tuesday October 2nd:
Today was the group’s day off! So, they split into two groups; one that went sand boarding and one that hung out at base camp. The group that went sand boarding, Drew, Casey, Eric O, Tommy, Joe, Esther, Izzi, and Jen, rented bikes and boards and went in search for the dunes. When they got there they realized that it was not quite as easy as they expected, though Drew was pretty much able to dominate it. The other guys and Esther did pretty well also, Tommy had some nice wipeouts, Izzi found out that sand boarding isn’t her thing, and Jen decided that it would be better if she didn’t try it. They came back to town and had a relaxing rest of the day!
Today was a big day for the group; they were leaving the city and entering a small town in the Atacama Desert, San Pedro. Their flight was early in the morning so they woke up around 4:00am, got all of their things together and set off for the airport. Their flight was about two hours long and then they had a two hour drive through the desert before they got to the city. They slept for a little while and then went on a tour of the city with their guide, Camillo. When they were touring the city they went to an archeological museum of San Pedro. The city is small, so there was not much to tour, but it was still interesting. They went out to dinner and then back to their campsite and were done with the day.
Thursday September 27th:
Today was the first day that the group was really able to appreciate their departure from Santiago, they were relieved to get out of the city life. Camillo picked them up around 9:30 to go on their first real hike in Chile. They hiked through sand dunes and salt canyons. In some spots, if you listened closely, you could hear the hills crackling in the sun! That hike lasted about two hours and once they were done they were off to lunch.
They went to a farm where they were served a DANK (awesome) traditional Chilean meal of empanadas, pasta with chicken, mousse for dessert, and many delicious juices. Everything the hosts served the group at the farm were made locally from their farm. They came back to camp and rested for a little bit, some of them needed it due to the enormous food coma they encountered. They went on their second hike around 4:00pm to the Valle de la Luna (valley of the moon) for the sunset. One highlight was running down the sand dunes as fast as you could, they learned that Drew is very fast when prompted with the idea of a meal out being paid for! They came back to camp and had dinner at a little hole in the wall place, but the food was muy muy bueno.
Friday September 28th:
Today the group woke up and prepared for an overnight adventure in a canyon. They drove to about 15,000ft and hiked about two miles to some very beautiful lakes surrounded by volcanoes. After that they went to have lunch in the village of Socaire and were treated to another traditional Chilean meal of empanadas, soup, and peaches. They went to their campsite down in a canyon at about 13,000ft and got ready for the evening. Some of the group got psyched about all of the awesome climbing in the canyon and went at it. Others explored the canyon and observed the unique wildlife. Later that evening Camillo and his counter parts, our bus driver Pedro, our gear driver Zahel, and his son, made us an incredible Chilean BBQ. After dinner was over some of the group sat down and played a few great games of mafia. (For those of you who don’t know what mafia is, I’m sorry. It’s too hard to explain through trying.) They went to bed, and the question for the morning would be- who would actually be able to sleep well tonight? (because of the high altitude)
Saturday September 29th:
Today they woke up to find out that not to many people slept well during the night. So, it was a good thing that their day would be pretty relaxing. They went on their way to Reserva Nacional Los Flamencos, The National Reserve of Flamingoes. After a short hike through some salt flats they arrived at the lagoons where the flamingoes live. They came back to their campsite and relaxed for the rest of the evening. Some did a little shopping and others (Walker, Izzi, L.B., and Eric D) sat down and studied their Spanish, Izzi even made flash cards!
Sunday September 30th:
Today the group woke up very early, 3:30am early to be exact. They packed up their things again and were off to see the Tatio de Gesiser, the Field of Geysers. They had to wake up so early because the geysers are the most incredible just before the sun hits them. It is an incredible sight to see a field of steam at 15,000ft! Once they had seen the geysers they went on a hike. Some of the group; Walker, L.B., Eric D, and Josh decided they didn’t want to go on the normal hike… instead they hiked about 2,000ft up in elevation to the top of a nearby peak. When they finished with their hike they made their way to some nearby hot springs. It was a nice treat for everyone seeing as the majority of them were pretty tired. After a couple hours at the spring they went to the place where they would be camping for the night, the Mapucha Village. This village was at 14,000ft and literally in the middle of nowhere. And the weirdest thing was that there were hardly any people… Some of the group decided to go llama hunting, but as it turned out llamas don’t really like people. So, as some of them turned back to start on dinner Walker, L.B., and Eric O decided they would hike to the top of another peak! They had a great dinner of chicken and beef, and then it was off to bed.
Monday October 1st:
Today the group got ready to go on a beautiful 5 hour hike. It took up most of the day but it was well worth it! They saw lots of ruins and incredible scenery. And without fail, Jen twisted her ankle about two hours into the hike, but fortunately there are 14 Wilderness First Responders that could help. Towards the end of the trek they ventured through a high mountain farming village that seemed to come from nowhere. We passed a few people along the way, but Mark was able to get yelled at by an old lady for accidentally taking a picture of her. Once they were done with their hike they stopped at some petroglyphs, there were a lot of llamas and other animals carved into the rocks from the Incan empire. They made their way back to San Pedro and the group went out for a night on the town!
Tuesday October 2nd:
Today was the group’s day off! So, they split into two groups; one that went sand boarding and one that hung out at base camp. The group that went sand boarding, Drew, Casey, Eric O, Tommy, Joe, Esther, Izzi, and Jen, rented bikes and boards and went in search for the dunes. When they got there they realized that it was not quite as easy as they expected, though Drew was pretty much able to dominate it. The other guys and Esther did pretty well also, Tommy had some nice wipeouts, Izzi found out that sand boarding isn’t her thing, and Jen decided that it would be better if she didn’t try it. They came back to town and had a relaxing rest of the day!
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Santiago Pictures!
Here are some pictures from Santiago... I will try to get some from Valparaiso as soon as I can!
Although I don't know when I will be able to post next becasue we are going to San Pedro and I don't know how much internet I will have... So talk to you soon!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Santiago/
Although I don't know when I will be able to post next becasue we are going to San Pedro and I don't know how much internet I will have... So talk to you soon!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Santiago/
Monday, September 24, 2007
Santiago September 21st-25th
Friday September 21st:
Today was field trip day. The group boarded a bus in the morning and enjoyed a two hour ride to the city of Valparaiso. Upon arrival, they went for a tour through the building that houses the Congress of Chile. Manwell was quick to take over the seat of the President in the Senate meeting room and controlled the floor during a pressuring interview. They interviewed a secretary of a congressman and asked questions relating to their energy policy and their plans for sustainable energy. After the tour ended they made their way to Pablo Neruda’s house. Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Peace Prize wining poet and author who was Chilean born and raised. He has houses all over Chile and after his death they were remodeled and turned into cultural museums highlighting his life and works. The group boarded the bus and drove to the coast for lunch, which they enjoyed along a pier in the bustling port of Valparaiso, Chile’s first and biggest port city. After a lunch of pizza and sushi (interesting combination…) they took to climbing and exploring the city’s hills. The city of Valparaiso is situated on over 30 hills, called cerros, which overlook the ocean and port. As they rode the trolley up Cerro Allegre, they were treated to an amazing view of the city and the colors of the buildings. They were able to walk off they lunch as they made their way around Cerro Allegre to Cerro Concepcion. The remarkable part of this area was the artwork they discovered on the walls of the buildings. Some may call it graffiti, but the local culture was displayed through cartoons, paintings, and murals lining the city streets. These works obviously took a significant amount of time and talent and were a unique addition to the culture of the city. After descending Cerro Concepcion, they took a quick detour to Vina Del Mar, a bustling coastal town on the outskirts of Valparaiso. They were then treated to a local ice cream parlor by the teachers of Spanish class. A lot of the members were surprised to find out what flavors they ordered! After a nice walk along the beach during an amazingly colorful sunset, they boarded the bus and returned to Santiago.
Saturday September 22nd:
After a long day of touring and walking through Valparaiso, the group woke up ready for another day of class and tours. Luckily, they were staying close to their hostel, exploring the Santa Lucia area. First stop was the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, which specialized in representing the culture of each region in Chile through the art of their native crafts and carvings. After an engaging tour with a bilingual guide (a nice treat) the group walked to the Plaza de Armas, which is a courtyard that was used by the conquerors from Spain as an area to store weapons and artillery. While there, they toured a Catholic church built in that time period. They enjoyed lunch in a park close to the church where they take Spanish classes and afterwards settled in for another afternoon of class. After class, the group took showers and got “gussied up” to go to a local Chilean salsa club to attempt to learn, or embarrass themselves while trying, the salsa. It was a long interesting night and the cultural experience that the group had will not be soon forgotten.
Sunday September 23rd:
After dancing the night away at the salsa club they group was treated to restful day off. Most of them woke up around noon and then formulated their plans for the day. While some members rested at the hostel others took off to explore the city a little more. They came upon a bazaar filled with local crafts and artwork. It seems that, even though they are thoroughly enjoying their time in Santiago and being in a big city, the group mentality seems to be turning to the adventures that lie ahead of them in the Atacama Desest…
Monday September 24th:
Today they went to school first thing in the morning. And they learned about numbers and money! During their afternoon café Claudia took some of them shopping. They bought yarn so Esther could crotchet hats and scarves, and power adapters so they could plug in their electronics. In the afternoon they went to the Senatur (which is the National Tourism Center). They listened to a presentation about tourism in Chile. There was a joke that had been going on all day as well. Claudia mentioned to them that tomorrow (Tuesday) they would practice waking up early for their flight on Wednesday. They were going to have to wake up and be ready by 5:00am so they could prove to Claudia that they could be on time… fortunately Jen proposed the question; what if we pack up all of our stuff the night before and make sure that every one is packed, then can we not wake up early? Though after a short time and a group vote about waking up early they learned that it was only a joke!
Tuesday September 25th:
Today was their last day of school!!! YAY! They tried to watch a Chilean movie about the school system, but they couldn’t get the sound to work and without the sound the movie was pointless. So, instead they went to Universidad Catolico and played some sports in their field. A bunch of the boys played an amazing game of basketball. Around 2:00pm they said goodbye to their teachers and went home. When they got back they spent some time packing their stuff so they can hop on a airplane to go to the Atacama desert tomorrow!
Today was field trip day. The group boarded a bus in the morning and enjoyed a two hour ride to the city of Valparaiso. Upon arrival, they went for a tour through the building that houses the Congress of Chile. Manwell was quick to take over the seat of the President in the Senate meeting room and controlled the floor during a pressuring interview. They interviewed a secretary of a congressman and asked questions relating to their energy policy and their plans for sustainable energy. After the tour ended they made their way to Pablo Neruda’s house. Pablo Neruda was a Nobel Peace Prize wining poet and author who was Chilean born and raised. He has houses all over Chile and after his death they were remodeled and turned into cultural museums highlighting his life and works. The group boarded the bus and drove to the coast for lunch, which they enjoyed along a pier in the bustling port of Valparaiso, Chile’s first and biggest port city. After a lunch of pizza and sushi (interesting combination…) they took to climbing and exploring the city’s hills. The city of Valparaiso is situated on over 30 hills, called cerros, which overlook the ocean and port. As they rode the trolley up Cerro Allegre, they were treated to an amazing view of the city and the colors of the buildings. They were able to walk off they lunch as they made their way around Cerro Allegre to Cerro Concepcion. The remarkable part of this area was the artwork they discovered on the walls of the buildings. Some may call it graffiti, but the local culture was displayed through cartoons, paintings, and murals lining the city streets. These works obviously took a significant amount of time and talent and were a unique addition to the culture of the city. After descending Cerro Concepcion, they took a quick detour to Vina Del Mar, a bustling coastal town on the outskirts of Valparaiso. They were then treated to a local ice cream parlor by the teachers of Spanish class. A lot of the members were surprised to find out what flavors they ordered! After a nice walk along the beach during an amazingly colorful sunset, they boarded the bus and returned to Santiago.
Saturday September 22nd:
After a long day of touring and walking through Valparaiso, the group woke up ready for another day of class and tours. Luckily, they were staying close to their hostel, exploring the Santa Lucia area. First stop was the Museum of Pre-Colombian Art, which specialized in representing the culture of each region in Chile through the art of their native crafts and carvings. After an engaging tour with a bilingual guide (a nice treat) the group walked to the Plaza de Armas, which is a courtyard that was used by the conquerors from Spain as an area to store weapons and artillery. While there, they toured a Catholic church built in that time period. They enjoyed lunch in a park close to the church where they take Spanish classes and afterwards settled in for another afternoon of class. After class, the group took showers and got “gussied up” to go to a local Chilean salsa club to attempt to learn, or embarrass themselves while trying, the salsa. It was a long interesting night and the cultural experience that the group had will not be soon forgotten.
Sunday September 23rd:
After dancing the night away at the salsa club they group was treated to restful day off. Most of them woke up around noon and then formulated their plans for the day. While some members rested at the hostel others took off to explore the city a little more. They came upon a bazaar filled with local crafts and artwork. It seems that, even though they are thoroughly enjoying their time in Santiago and being in a big city, the group mentality seems to be turning to the adventures that lie ahead of them in the Atacama Desest…
Monday September 24th:
Today they went to school first thing in the morning. And they learned about numbers and money! During their afternoon café Claudia took some of them shopping. They bought yarn so Esther could crotchet hats and scarves, and power adapters so they could plug in their electronics. In the afternoon they went to the Senatur (which is the National Tourism Center). They listened to a presentation about tourism in Chile. There was a joke that had been going on all day as well. Claudia mentioned to them that tomorrow (Tuesday) they would practice waking up early for their flight on Wednesday. They were going to have to wake up and be ready by 5:00am so they could prove to Claudia that they could be on time… fortunately Jen proposed the question; what if we pack up all of our stuff the night before and make sure that every one is packed, then can we not wake up early? Though after a short time and a group vote about waking up early they learned that it was only a joke!
Tuesday September 25th:
Today was their last day of school!!! YAY! They tried to watch a Chilean movie about the school system, but they couldn’t get the sound to work and without the sound the movie was pointless. So, instead they went to Universidad Catolico and played some sports in their field. A bunch of the boys played an amazing game of basketball. Around 2:00pm they said goodbye to their teachers and went home. When they got back they spent some time packing their stuff so they can hop on a airplane to go to the Atacama desert tomorrow!
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Dinosaur National Monument River Trip Pictures!
Here are the pictures for the river trip. Enjoy!
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/River/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/River/
Crawford Pictures
Sorry I took the pictures off the blog, I think it is easier this way. Let me know if you guys can't view them or something! I think all you have to do is click on this link.
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Crawford/
http://s237.photobucket.com/albums/ff91/jenniferyoung120/Crawford/
Friday, September 21, 2007
Santigo: Sept. 17th-120th
Monday September 17th:
This day three of the group’s members arrived in the great city of Santiago, Chile. Josh had arrived the morning before and was standing outside of customs with Claudia and Manuel. Claudia is our guide while we are in the Santiago and Manuel is her husband (note the difference between Manuel, Claudia’s husband, and Manwell, the C.O.R.E. mascot). Tommy and Jen arrived in Santiago and prepared to meet the rest of the group with the welcoming committee, but soon learned that only Izzy would be arriving today, Eric D, Eric O, L.B., and Walker’s flight was cancelled so the whole rest of the crew would be arriving, together, the next morning. It was definitely an adventure getting to Santiago. Manwell rode the whole way on Jen’s carry-on bag; it was an adventure for him too. The four musketeers went to Claudia’s house for some breakfast and had many questions answered about Chilean life. It is Chile’s independence week so there were not many cars on the street and not many people out. After breakfast she took them to their hostel, Hostel Oveja Negra (the black sheep), and the four of them took a nice afternoon nap. Around 2:30 she picked them up again and they went to an Independence Day fair at a local park. They really got to experience Chilean culture there. They each got chicken or meat on a stick and sat down to watch a Navy reenactment of a significant battle in Chilean history. After they were finished with the fair they went to a huge grocery store called Jumbo, which is actually a supermarket, construction store, and a mall all in one enormous building. They went out to dinner to a Chilean/Mexican restaurant that was DELICIOUS! One interesting thing that they noticed was that the Chilean people eat really late… they finished dinner around 10:00pm and it was at that time that the restaurant was the busiest! They went back to the hostel and crashed for the night ready to see the rest of the group in the morning.
Tuesday September 18th:
This morning the rest of the group arrived and the team was now complete! Unfortunately, thanks to the Gunnison Airport, Casey and Drew’s bags did not arrive with them, but whose mood could be ruined by such news when you first arrive in a new country! It was also great to see the arrival of their fearless leaders, Mark and Nick. The group seemed a little antsy so they decided to take a walk up the hill right outside their hostel called Santa Lucia. It’s a hill in the middle of the city that contains remnants of a castle. It’s really neat but they have been told not to go there at night, apparently if you do you might come back broke and naked. Around 3:00pm they went to lunch/dinner at an authentic Chilean restaurant. They sat down and immediately received wine, bread, beer, pisco, and empanadas. (Pisco is a very common drink in Chile, Claudia says that if you want to experience some Chilean culture, get a Pisco at every restaurant and taste the differences). When it was time to order they got a choice of salmon, beef, pork, or chicken. When the food came it was exactly that, a hunk of meat or fish on a plate. The restaurant was so confident in the taste of the entrée they did not feel the need to provide side items, but let me tell you it was DELICIOUS!! They went back to the hostel and got ready for their evening out, they were going to a place called La Yein Fonda! (in Spanish a Fonda is a party so this place was like a play on words for Jane Fonda). It was a very interesting place. They paid about $20 USD for a night of some very different music. Four bands played that night and apparently they were some of the top recording artists in Chile! Even though no one understood the songs they danced the night away and got a true taste of Chilean culture.
Wednesday September 19th:
They woke up leisurely in the morning and that afternoon they met up with Claudia, Manuel, and their son Diego. Diego taught them how to use the subway system so they went to check out where their language school was. After strolling through the streets of Santiago and stopping for lunch, they made their way back to the hostel. That night they thought it would be nice to have a good time at the hostel. The family who owns the hostel was there so the group prepared them dinner and played some popular American songs for them. Everyone danced and had a great time, then at the stroke of midnight we celebrated the birthday of Casey Davis! Happy Birthday Casey!
Thursday September 20th:
Today they woke up bright and early and started their day with a visit to the presidential palace. They were able to see the changing of the guards, which I believe was because the president of Chile was coming. They toured the palace and learned a lot of information about the history of Chile and the way their government works. After they were done with the palace they walked around a small museum that had a display of different kinds of handy crafts from the different regions of Chile. Once they were done there they were off to their first day of language school. The group learned some important vocabulary words and phrases that would help them communicate on a very basic level for the time being. After a short snack break, they learned the basics of the country and culture of Chile, such as how the country is divided and some of the unique characteristics of each region. Nick did his best to be our translator for the teachers because they were reluctant to speak any English to the group; immersion is the key to language success! After language school was done the group split up, some went back to the hostel and the others went food shopping. A little while later, the group that went shopping came home only to give us the news that Albee got his pocket picked on the subway. It was a real eye-opener for the rest of the group and everyone has been very conscientious of their belongings since then.
This day three of the group’s members arrived in the great city of Santiago, Chile. Josh had arrived the morning before and was standing outside of customs with Claudia and Manuel. Claudia is our guide while we are in the Santiago and Manuel is her husband (note the difference between Manuel, Claudia’s husband, and Manwell, the C.O.R.E. mascot). Tommy and Jen arrived in Santiago and prepared to meet the rest of the group with the welcoming committee, but soon learned that only Izzy would be arriving today, Eric D, Eric O, L.B., and Walker’s flight was cancelled so the whole rest of the crew would be arriving, together, the next morning. It was definitely an adventure getting to Santiago. Manwell rode the whole way on Jen’s carry-on bag; it was an adventure for him too. The four musketeers went to Claudia’s house for some breakfast and had many questions answered about Chilean life. It is Chile’s independence week so there were not many cars on the street and not many people out. After breakfast she took them to their hostel, Hostel Oveja Negra (the black sheep), and the four of them took a nice afternoon nap. Around 2:30 she picked them up again and they went to an Independence Day fair at a local park. They really got to experience Chilean culture there. They each got chicken or meat on a stick and sat down to watch a Navy reenactment of a significant battle in Chilean history. After they were finished with the fair they went to a huge grocery store called Jumbo, which is actually a supermarket, construction store, and a mall all in one enormous building. They went out to dinner to a Chilean/Mexican restaurant that was DELICIOUS! One interesting thing that they noticed was that the Chilean people eat really late… they finished dinner around 10:00pm and it was at that time that the restaurant was the busiest! They went back to the hostel and crashed for the night ready to see the rest of the group in the morning.
Tuesday September 18th:
This morning the rest of the group arrived and the team was now complete! Unfortunately, thanks to the Gunnison Airport, Casey and Drew’s bags did not arrive with them, but whose mood could be ruined by such news when you first arrive in a new country! It was also great to see the arrival of their fearless leaders, Mark and Nick. The group seemed a little antsy so they decided to take a walk up the hill right outside their hostel called Santa Lucia. It’s a hill in the middle of the city that contains remnants of a castle. It’s really neat but they have been told not to go there at night, apparently if you do you might come back broke and naked. Around 3:00pm they went to lunch/dinner at an authentic Chilean restaurant. They sat down and immediately received wine, bread, beer, pisco, and empanadas. (Pisco is a very common drink in Chile, Claudia says that if you want to experience some Chilean culture, get a Pisco at every restaurant and taste the differences). When it was time to order they got a choice of salmon, beef, pork, or chicken. When the food came it was exactly that, a hunk of meat or fish on a plate. The restaurant was so confident in the taste of the entrée they did not feel the need to provide side items, but let me tell you it was DELICIOUS!! They went back to the hostel and got ready for their evening out, they were going to a place called La Yein Fonda! (in Spanish a Fonda is a party so this place was like a play on words for Jane Fonda). It was a very interesting place. They paid about $20 USD for a night of some very different music. Four bands played that night and apparently they were some of the top recording artists in Chile! Even though no one understood the songs they danced the night away and got a true taste of Chilean culture.
Wednesday September 19th:
They woke up leisurely in the morning and that afternoon they met up with Claudia, Manuel, and their son Diego. Diego taught them how to use the subway system so they went to check out where their language school was. After strolling through the streets of Santiago and stopping for lunch, they made their way back to the hostel. That night they thought it would be nice to have a good time at the hostel. The family who owns the hostel was there so the group prepared them dinner and played some popular American songs for them. Everyone danced and had a great time, then at the stroke of midnight we celebrated the birthday of Casey Davis! Happy Birthday Casey!
Thursday September 20th:
Today they woke up bright and early and started their day with a visit to the presidential palace. They were able to see the changing of the guards, which I believe was because the president of Chile was coming. They toured the palace and learned a lot of information about the history of Chile and the way their government works. After they were done with the palace they walked around a small museum that had a display of different kinds of handy crafts from the different regions of Chile. Once they were done there they were off to their first day of language school. The group learned some important vocabulary words and phrases that would help them communicate on a very basic level for the time being. After a short snack break, they learned the basics of the country and culture of Chile, such as how the country is divided and some of the unique characteristics of each region. Nick did his best to be our translator for the teachers because they were reluctant to speak any English to the group; immersion is the key to language success! After language school was done the group split up, some went back to the hostel and the others went food shopping. A little while later, the group that went shopping came home only to give us the news that Albee got his pocket picked on the subway. It was a real eye-opener for the rest of the group and everyone has been very conscientious of their belongings since then.
Adventure 1: Part 2 River Trip
Friday September 7th:
Directly after their adventures in Crawford the group was on their way to Dinosaur National Monument for a four day raft trip. First stop: Grand Junction. They went to REI and then made a stop for lunch/dinner at the note worthy Golden Corral. It is an all you can eat buffet place and the food, you could say, was less then excellent. If remembered correctly, there were even a few people asleep on the floor trying to digest their food so they could eat more.
As they were leaving they passed a Salvation Army and decided that, since the last night on the river was a costume party, they needed costumes. After ravaging through the store everyone was able to come out with some kind of costume. As we were leaving Justin Albee found the perfect C.O.R.E mascot. He’s some kind of donkey… or maybe a dog… but anyway they call him Manwell Jorge Rodriguez. He is C.O.R.E.s 16th member, and if you watch closely you will find him on all of our adventures. He was tied to the hood of the car and then they were off!
So, the group was on the road again and only about an hour away from their destination for the evening they were pulled over for a routine traffic stop. Unfortunately, the lights on the trail were out and only the blinkers and the break lights were working. The officer let them off with a warning and we drove to the nearest camp ground to try and fix the problem. While Albee was hard at work trying to get the lights on the trailer to work correctly the rest of the group practiced their slack line abilities on a thin pipe that circled the campground. Walker and Casey were the ones who made it the farthest. 20 minutes later the group was off again.
They finally pulled into their campground around 11:00pm; the group set up camp and got ready for 4 days on the river.
Saturday September 8th:
Today the grouped helped Adrift Adventures get all their boats situated. Manwell was transferred to the front of Josh’s kayak for the day’s river adventures.
Their take off point was through the Gates of Ladore, the scenery was incredible. A couple of hours later they arrived at their camp ground, Pot Creek 2. They set up their camp, prepared dinner and then relaxed for the evening. The beach was really nice, not too windy, and the stars were amazing!
Sunday September 9th:
The team woke up, ate breakfast, and packed up the boats. They were off for day 2 of their adventure. Today the group prepared themselves for the two roughest rapids that they would see for the entire trip, Triplet and Hell’s Half Mile. They stopped at a nice beach and Mark taught them a very critical skill in desert survival, how to catch a lizard with a piece of grass. After Lizard Lassoing they ate lunch and went on a really cool waterfall hike. For some of them, getting to stand under fresh running water was a life saver (for them and the group, there are some stinky kids!). They got back on their boats and continued towards their final destination for the evening, Wild Mountain. The evening was spent sending problems (a.k.a. rock climbing/bouldering), drumming, and doing nifty tricks off of a little sand dune. Once again it was a great night.
Monday September 10th:
This day was packed FULL of excitement! After breakfast the group got on their way. After a short while down the river they beached the boats and went on a hike to a plateau where you could see for miles down the canyon. It was really amazing. Once they got back on the boats Chris, the head raft guide and manager of Adrift Adventures, told them that they were to zip their mouths and throw away the key. The next 6 miles were to be a silent float. This gave everyone a chance to look at the scenery and just take it all in. At the end of the 6 miles the group entered Echo Park, a huge canyon at the confluence of the Yampa and the Green. Your echo’s lasted forever! Mark even pulled out a drum and started rocking out, it was really cool. When they got through Echo Park the group stopped and Chris explained that this was where the Yampa River meets the Green River. It was really amazing to see the two kinds of water collide; the Yampa was a lot clearer than the Green and also noticeably warmer. They went down the river a little ways and stopped for lunch. Dustin had them all sit in a circle so he could give a Dam Yampa speech… haha. But really, it is something he is very passionate about. He explained to them that the Yampa is the last major free flowing river in the Colorado River System and that the future of the entire Colorado River System depends on maintaining the health of the Yampa. If a dam was constructed on the Yampa the health of all of the rivers in the Colorado River System would deteriorate exponentially and the scenery they enjoyed so much would be lost forever. The day concluded at a campsite called Jones Hole. There the group went on the longest hike of the trip. They experienced two waterfalls and received a brief history on the Freemont Indians while viewing some pictographs leftover on the canyon walls from years ago. The first waterfall that they went to was just a small one, but you could walk all the way underneath is and it was COLD! The second fall was Butt Dam falls, this one was especially interesting because you could sit at the top and stop the water with your butt and then someone would stand under where the water came out, and as soon as it built up you let it go and the person at the bottom would get pounded with water. They went back to camp to find Jambalaya ready to eat. Because it was the last night on the river you were required to be in costume to get dinner. So everyone dressed up and the party started. There was drumming and dancing and fun all around. And then came dessert….. It was, you could say, strawberry shortcake river style. One would hold their mouth open and head back while a square of cake, strawberry, and whip cream were shoved into your mouth by Elvis, John Wayne and Sister Markenna (Nick, Albee, and Mark, respectively). The challenge was that you could not use your hands to finish it. The cake was in honor of our guide Chris, because it was his birthday. The night ended with a pounding drum circle and a roaring campfire.
Tuesday September 11th:
Today the group went through the longest and flattest stretch of river EVER! It is called Island Park. It was really slow, but many members of the group were able to have a turn at guiding the oarboats. It was really cool that Adrift let people row the boats as much as they did, and I am sure the guides enjoyed the break also!. While the group was in Island Park it seemed as though there was a car in the river, and as they got closer it was true! There was a Ford Bronco stuck, stuck, stuck in the river bed. During a stop they informed some park rangers who took off to take care of the eyesore on an otherwise pristine river. They ended the day at the take out point and helped pack up all the gear on the trailers. They got back to Adrift’s warehouse and helped them clean boats, organize the warehouse, and get everything ready to sit through another winter in Utah. It was really a great trip! They took off from the warehouse around 8:00pm; it took about 6 hours to get home… The finally arrived at Western around 2:00am, what a long day! The group dispersed, and for most of them they would not see each other again until they arrived in Santiago! Their adventures had truly begun.
Directly after their adventures in Crawford the group was on their way to Dinosaur National Monument for a four day raft trip. First stop: Grand Junction. They went to REI and then made a stop for lunch/dinner at the note worthy Golden Corral. It is an all you can eat buffet place and the food, you could say, was less then excellent. If remembered correctly, there were even a few people asleep on the floor trying to digest their food so they could eat more.
As they were leaving they passed a Salvation Army and decided that, since the last night on the river was a costume party, they needed costumes. After ravaging through the store everyone was able to come out with some kind of costume. As we were leaving Justin Albee found the perfect C.O.R.E mascot. He’s some kind of donkey… or maybe a dog… but anyway they call him Manwell Jorge Rodriguez. He is C.O.R.E.s 16th member, and if you watch closely you will find him on all of our adventures. He was tied to the hood of the car and then they were off!
So, the group was on the road again and only about an hour away from their destination for the evening they were pulled over for a routine traffic stop. Unfortunately, the lights on the trail were out and only the blinkers and the break lights were working. The officer let them off with a warning and we drove to the nearest camp ground to try and fix the problem. While Albee was hard at work trying to get the lights on the trailer to work correctly the rest of the group practiced their slack line abilities on a thin pipe that circled the campground. Walker and Casey were the ones who made it the farthest. 20 minutes later the group was off again.
They finally pulled into their campground around 11:00pm; the group set up camp and got ready for 4 days on the river.
Saturday September 8th:
Today the grouped helped Adrift Adventures get all their boats situated. Manwell was transferred to the front of Josh’s kayak for the day’s river adventures.
Their take off point was through the Gates of Ladore, the scenery was incredible. A couple of hours later they arrived at their camp ground, Pot Creek 2. They set up their camp, prepared dinner and then relaxed for the evening. The beach was really nice, not too windy, and the stars were amazing!
Sunday September 9th:
The team woke up, ate breakfast, and packed up the boats. They were off for day 2 of their adventure. Today the group prepared themselves for the two roughest rapids that they would see for the entire trip, Triplet and Hell’s Half Mile. They stopped at a nice beach and Mark taught them a very critical skill in desert survival, how to catch a lizard with a piece of grass. After Lizard Lassoing they ate lunch and went on a really cool waterfall hike. For some of them, getting to stand under fresh running water was a life saver (for them and the group, there are some stinky kids!). They got back on their boats and continued towards their final destination for the evening, Wild Mountain. The evening was spent sending problems (a.k.a. rock climbing/bouldering), drumming, and doing nifty tricks off of a little sand dune. Once again it was a great night.
Monday September 10th:
This day was packed FULL of excitement! After breakfast the group got on their way. After a short while down the river they beached the boats and went on a hike to a plateau where you could see for miles down the canyon. It was really amazing. Once they got back on the boats Chris, the head raft guide and manager of Adrift Adventures, told them that they were to zip their mouths and throw away the key. The next 6 miles were to be a silent float. This gave everyone a chance to look at the scenery and just take it all in. At the end of the 6 miles the group entered Echo Park, a huge canyon at the confluence of the Yampa and the Green. Your echo’s lasted forever! Mark even pulled out a drum and started rocking out, it was really cool. When they got through Echo Park the group stopped and Chris explained that this was where the Yampa River meets the Green River. It was really amazing to see the two kinds of water collide; the Yampa was a lot clearer than the Green and also noticeably warmer. They went down the river a little ways and stopped for lunch. Dustin had them all sit in a circle so he could give a Dam Yampa speech… haha. But really, it is something he is very passionate about. He explained to them that the Yampa is the last major free flowing river in the Colorado River System and that the future of the entire Colorado River System depends on maintaining the health of the Yampa. If a dam was constructed on the Yampa the health of all of the rivers in the Colorado River System would deteriorate exponentially and the scenery they enjoyed so much would be lost forever. The day concluded at a campsite called Jones Hole. There the group went on the longest hike of the trip. They experienced two waterfalls and received a brief history on the Freemont Indians while viewing some pictographs leftover on the canyon walls from years ago. The first waterfall that they went to was just a small one, but you could walk all the way underneath is and it was COLD! The second fall was Butt Dam falls, this one was especially interesting because you could sit at the top and stop the water with your butt and then someone would stand under where the water came out, and as soon as it built up you let it go and the person at the bottom would get pounded with water. They went back to camp to find Jambalaya ready to eat. Because it was the last night on the river you were required to be in costume to get dinner. So everyone dressed up and the party started. There was drumming and dancing and fun all around. And then came dessert….. It was, you could say, strawberry shortcake river style. One would hold their mouth open and head back while a square of cake, strawberry, and whip cream were shoved into your mouth by Elvis, John Wayne and Sister Markenna (Nick, Albee, and Mark, respectively). The challenge was that you could not use your hands to finish it. The cake was in honor of our guide Chris, because it was his birthday. The night ended with a pounding drum circle and a roaring campfire.
Tuesday September 11th:
Today the group went through the longest and flattest stretch of river EVER! It is called Island Park. It was really slow, but many members of the group were able to have a turn at guiding the oarboats. It was really cool that Adrift let people row the boats as much as they did, and I am sure the guides enjoyed the break also!. While the group was in Island Park it seemed as though there was a car in the river, and as they got closer it was true! There was a Ford Bronco stuck, stuck, stuck in the river bed. During a stop they informed some park rangers who took off to take care of the eyesore on an otherwise pristine river. They ended the day at the take out point and helped pack up all the gear on the trailers. They got back to Adrift’s warehouse and helped them clean boats, organize the warehouse, and get everything ready to sit through another winter in Utah. It was really a great trip! They took off from the warehouse around 8:00pm; it took about 6 hours to get home… The finally arrived at Western around 2:00am, what a long day! The group dispersed, and for most of them they would not see each other again until they arrived in Santiago! Their adventures had truly begun.
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Adventure 1: Part 1 Crawford CO
Their next adventure was to a little city called Crawford CO. They were on their way to Daniels ranch. All they knew was that they were going to be learning more about their adventures in Chile and they were going to help build a straw bale house.
Tuesday September 4th:
They set out on their adventure to Crawford late in the afternoon. Everyone was excited to see what Daniels ranch had to offer. On the way they stopped at Mineral Point for a short bathroom break and to see the San Juan Mountains.
Tuesday September 4th:
They set out on their adventure to Crawford late in the afternoon. Everyone was excited to see what Daniels ranch had to offer. On the way they stopped at Mineral Point for a short bathroom break and to see the San Juan Mountains.
Finally, they arrived at Daniels place around 5:00pm only to understand how much they loved fitting 15 people into a 15 passenger van (4 of those people being at least 6'2"). They started dinner and set up camp for the first night.
Wednesday September 5th:
The team woke up ready to help build a straw bale house, but first Daniel gave them a tour of his mostly finished straw bale
Wednesday September 5th:
The team woke up ready to help build a straw bale house, but first Daniel gave them a tour of his mostly finished straw bale
house. He explained to us some of the basics about building with straw bales and how everything he purchased for his house came locally... The straw bales came from Delta, the lumber came from a local lumber yard, and all the plasters for the house came from their property. They learned a lot of really interesting things about sustainable ways to build homes.
After their tour they walked down to road to Tony's house, a friend of Daniels who also lives on and owns the property. Our mission was to help build his house. He told us that he had been working on it for about 4 years now it is just about finished. The really cool thing was that there was still straw bales exposed so they could really get a good look at the dynamics of the house. Their job was to put slip directly on the straw bales, it was made from sifted dirt and water and created this really tin light gray mud. Imagine.... mud.... 15 college students..... imagine..... They put a light coat of the slip over all of the straw.
After they were finished with that they took a lunch break and listened to Tony talk about his days working for Outward Bound and what he thought about it.
After lunch the group put a thicker mud mixture over the slip. This mud was concocted of dirt and sand and water and it went on a lot thicker. This would be the "plaster" of the house. And after about 3 or so coats it would be finished.
The group learned about about sustainable housing and helping to build a straw bale house was something that they will never forget.
And after a long day of playing in the mud the group decided to go for a dip in a pond on the property.... which could have been even more muddy than the mud they used on the house....
A few people also got the chance to go on a trail ride later that evening; Jen, L.B., and Esther. They got to go on a dusk ride through some mountains on Daniels property.
After their tour they walked down to road to Tony's house, a friend of Daniels who also lives on and owns the property. Our mission was to help build his house. He told us that he had been working on it for about 4 years now it is just about finished. The really cool thing was that there was still straw bales exposed so they could really get a good look at the dynamics of the house. Their job was to put slip directly on the straw bales, it was made from sifted dirt and water and created this really tin light gray mud. Imagine.... mud.... 15 college students..... imagine..... They put a light coat of the slip over all of the straw.
After they were finished with that they took a lunch break and listened to Tony talk about his days working for Outward Bound and what he thought about it.
After lunch the group put a thicker mud mixture over the slip. This mud was concocted of dirt and sand and water and it went on a lot thicker. This would be the "plaster" of the house. And after about 3 or so coats it would be finished.
The group learned about about sustainable housing and helping to build a straw bale house was something that they will never forget.
And after a long day of playing in the mud the group decided to go for a dip in a pond on the property.... which could have been even more muddy than the mud they used on the house....
A few people also got the chance to go on a trail ride later that evening; Jen, L.B., and Esther. They got to go on a dusk ride through some mountains on Daniels property.
Thursday September 6th:
Field Trip day! They woke up that morning ready to go tour the town of Paonia CO. Their schedule was; Chaco Factory, Solar Energy International, and the High Country Times office.
Chaco Factory:
They went to the factory not really knowing what to expect.... They received a tour of the whole factory. They learned that there are only 2 factories that exist; the main one in Paonia and one in China. At the end of their tour they where delighted to find out that they would be able to purchase 2nd hand Chacos (they had pretty much nothing wrong with them) for only $10!
Solar Energy International:
They drove just down the road to a little place called Solar Energy International. This company was situated upon educating people about solar and wind energy, as well as sustainable ways to build homes. They have a hands on learning environment where you can take classes on how to use and manage solar and wind energy and how to build using sustainable resources.
High Country Times:
Here the group got a tour of the High Country Times office. This is a magazine that focuses on issues in the western states. The group was able to listen about what the company is really about and what they strive for.
After a full day of touring the group returned to Daniels ranch and enjoyed a nice evening of dinner and drums, a classic pass time.
Field Trip day! They woke up that morning ready to go tour the town of Paonia CO. Their schedule was; Chaco Factory, Solar Energy International, and the High Country Times office.
Chaco Factory:
They went to the factory not really knowing what to expect.... They received a tour of the whole factory. They learned that there are only 2 factories that exist; the main one in Paonia and one in China. At the end of their tour they where delighted to find out that they would be able to purchase 2nd hand Chacos (they had pretty much nothing wrong with them) for only $10!
Solar Energy International:
They drove just down the road to a little place called Solar Energy International. This company was situated upon educating people about solar and wind energy, as well as sustainable ways to build homes. They have a hands on learning environment where you can take classes on how to use and manage solar and wind energy and how to build using sustainable resources.
High Country Times:
Here the group got a tour of the High Country Times office. This is a magazine that focuses on issues in the western states. The group was able to listen about what the company is really about and what they strive for.
After a full day of touring the group returned to Daniels ranch and enjoyed a nice evening of dinner and drums, a classic pass time.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Taylor Challenge
For this adventure there was only 9 of them. L.B. was off to Denver on some very important business, Josh was freshening up his medical skills, and the T.A.'s and Mark were bonding together....
As for the rest of them, they woke up bright and early excitied to work with the 8th graders. Their purpose at this point was still a little unknown to them. They arrived at the school and meet with an advisor they were assigned to. They hoped on busses and were on their way.
When they arrived in the foothills of the Taylor Challenged they were briefed on the camp, and from their they started activities. Jen, Tommy, Esther, and Erik went with low and high ropes. Drew and Casey went rafting and rock climbing. Walker, Izzy, and Joe went mountain biking, studied bugs in the water, and tried to find brightly colored planks of wood for orienteering.
At by this point the group had learned that the outhouses at this camp, even the 2 story ones, were quite possibly the worst smelling outhouses to exist in the whole world. The people at the camp told them not to throw toilet paper into the "toilet" because it created an aweful smell... but I'm not totally convinced that it helped controll the smell.....
For the most part it rained on them everyday..... But you can't controll the weather....
Some of them, Casey and Izzy for the most part, even got to use their new found WFR (wilderness first responder) skills. One girl ate it on the mountain bike and Izzy made her up a nice bangade. Then one boy threw a rock at another boy , to get his attention of course, and it hit him in the head.... Leaving a rather bloody mess for Casey to try and take care of. Off to his cabin he ran, to get his first aid kit... And from there the rest is history.
Each of them, for the most part, got a chance to participate in every activity. And by the end of the 3 days they were all exahusted. They had 3 days off before their next adventure. And it would prove to be an interesting one. 3 days at Daniel's ranch (Daniel is the person who helped organized where they will go when they get to Chile) in Crawford CO and then 3 days on the river is all they knew to expect.......
As for the rest of them, they woke up bright and early excitied to work with the 8th graders. Their purpose at this point was still a little unknown to them. They arrived at the school and meet with an advisor they were assigned to. They hoped on busses and were on their way.
When they arrived in the foothills of the Taylor Challenged they were briefed on the camp, and from their they started activities. Jen, Tommy, Esther, and Erik went with low and high ropes. Drew and Casey went rafting and rock climbing. Walker, Izzy, and Joe went mountain biking, studied bugs in the water, and tried to find brightly colored planks of wood for orienteering.
At by this point the group had learned that the outhouses at this camp, even the 2 story ones, were quite possibly the worst smelling outhouses to exist in the whole world. The people at the camp told them not to throw toilet paper into the "toilet" because it created an aweful smell... but I'm not totally convinced that it helped controll the smell.....
For the most part it rained on them everyday..... But you can't controll the weather....
Some of them, Casey and Izzy for the most part, even got to use their new found WFR (wilderness first responder) skills. One girl ate it on the mountain bike and Izzy made her up a nice bangade. Then one boy threw a rock at another boy , to get his attention of course, and it hit him in the head.... Leaving a rather bloody mess for Casey to try and take care of. Off to his cabin he ran, to get his first aid kit... And from there the rest is history.
Each of them, for the most part, got a chance to participate in every activity. And by the end of the 3 days they were all exahusted. They had 3 days off before their next adventure. And it would prove to be an interesting one. 3 days at Daniel's ranch (Daniel is the person who helped organized where they will go when they get to Chile) in Crawford CO and then 3 days on the river is all they knew to expect.......
An Overview
Over the summer they waited... and waited... and waited.... They waited for some kind of information about this journey to Chile. Only a few of the members knew what to expect of the upcoming trip.
They had been sent an e-mail, sometime around the middle of the summer saying that there would be an information meeting on Monday, August 27th. It would be at 9am and the location, TBA.
When they arrived no one really knew what to expect... so they waited patiently for the arrival of their beloved instructor Mark Gibson. And they waited... and waited... and waited...
When he came everyone was still a little apprehensive about what to expect. They went over some basics: gear, answering questions, and a little bit more of what the trip would entail. Then they went to lunch and on the way back from Blue Iguana (the best Mexican food in town) it sounded like Mark was making plans for us to go on an adventure some where deep in the Taylor Canyon.
Later they found out that this adventure would take place 2 days later. Our instructions were this: Be at the middle school at 6:00am ready to be support for a bunch of 8th graders on a beginning of school retreat kind of thing...
They had been sent an e-mail, sometime around the middle of the summer saying that there would be an information meeting on Monday, August 27th. It would be at 9am and the location, TBA.
When they arrived no one really knew what to expect... so they waited patiently for the arrival of their beloved instructor Mark Gibson. And they waited... and waited... and waited...
When he came everyone was still a little apprehensive about what to expect. They went over some basics: gear, answering questions, and a little bit more of what the trip would entail. Then they went to lunch and on the way back from Blue Iguana (the best Mexican food in town) it sounded like Mark was making plans for us to go on an adventure some where deep in the Taylor Canyon.
Later they found out that this adventure would take place 2 days later. Our instructions were this: Be at the middle school at 6:00am ready to be support for a bunch of 8th graders on a beginning of school retreat kind of thing...
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