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Siete Tazas - Team Building Evolves to Team Work, November 17

Today, we woke at 6:30 am preparing to drive southwest from the surf town of Pichilemu to Siete Tazas, the seven teacups. The name perfectly describes the plunge pool and pothole geological formed waterfalls in the Rio Claro's basaltic canyon. Each teacup has been carved and smoothly polished for millions of years by the crystal clear water. A kayaker's dream come true.

The previous morning's team building exercise illustrated the group was becoming prompt and efficient as we packed, ate breakfast and departed our beach cabanas prior to 8:00 am. Group packing and cleanup for a high school of thirteen students, five teachers, and a driver is no easy task. This is obvious when you see our truck loaded with gear bags on the cab, boxes stacked above the cab in the bed, a trailer with 14 kayaks and gear stuffed in each crevice, the back two seats packed full with backpacks and laptops, two vans full of students and loaded with the remaining four kayaks and paddles, and lastly our travel kitchen.

The drive to the Rio Claro area was, like most Chilean drives, magnificent. In the regions immediately south of Santiago there are vineyards and wineries along the drive. The Chileans are proud of their quality wine. With this observation I spoke to Andreas, our Chilean driver, regarding a tour for our school. It is possible and likely on our return trip to Santiago.

As we approached the Rio Claro area the roads turned to dirt as we exited the famous Pan American highway. Once you are off of the Pan-Am or route 5 you soon hit dirt and less maintained roads. We drove slow dusty roads for a solid two hours-winding and stopping to see the scenery. This area was dry but not quite desert. Here we drove above and beside the Rio Claro. Often, students gazed at Chileans carting wood with oxen, herding sheep with their dogs on horseback as they wore their warm ponchos and large flat brimmed hats protecting them from rain and sun. Once we arrived at the Rio Claro we checked in with the caballeros, local police, showing them our passports and our destination.

The road up to the Siete Tazas was steeper than the others. We arrived at the put-in/park guard station around 1:30pm. Everyone had lunch while I spoke with the administration regarding the Siete Tazas and another famous run, the Viente Dos Saltos (twenty two falls). The administration informed me the Viente Dos Saltos were now illegal for kayaking. Earlier in the year a person attempted to solo an upper section that was more dangerous than the lower class III-IV section. He broke his arm in the walled in canyon, and it was both difficult and expensive for evacutaion. Park services in these areas do not have many funds allocated for costly evacuations. Thus, they could not allow the situation to possibly present itself and cost them again.

After lunch our group of thirteen students and four instructors began hiking into the dry brush forest of the Siete Tazas gorge. The actual hike to the put-in is less than a half-mile, if you walk straight to the trailhead. We walked past the trail that goes down the canyon to the river. The trailhead was well hidden by brush. I felt we were in the Blair Witch Project as we walked in circles trying to find the trailhead. We walked up and down and eventually Ian Mickle discovered the trail by breaking through the cover down the riverbank.

Ian, a senior and one of our true leaders, marked the trailhead with a PFD and a helmet. We returned to the stationary group in the woods and pointed them in the right direction. Even with the trail marked it was difficult to find the opening.

Now, we began walking down the gorge trail. As we walked the trail became thinner at the same rate as it became steeper. Eventually, I stopped the group and set a safety rope for boats and people. Ian climbed down the bank first. Logan Meyers, a sophomore with dreams of aerial rodeo stardom, passed boats to our belay station. The boats were belayed to Ian safely on the rock landing. Ian unhooked each boat while the owner began their descent. Then, I recoiled the rope as Logan passed me the next boat. Dan Simenc, a junior and another positive team leader, worked the video camera of the team effort. It would take some time to lower all of the crafts.

Once everyone was safe on the secure rocks we gazed and stared at the first velvet blue 13-foot waterfall. The cascade had a perfect spout that would line any boat for a soft landing on the foamy landing pad. The experienced boaters' mouths foamed at the chance to show off their abilities. The first time waterfall runners looked at me with faces of both anxiety and anticipation. They needed reassurance and direction.

Emily Jackson, a thirteen year old who recently became the youngest kayaker to make the US freestyle team in freestyle history and Veronica Bruffy, our science teacher, most notably desired instruction. We spoke about not over-stroking off the lip, how to place the paddle, body position, and the need for patience for a good roll setup if they flipped.

First to run the cascade was Todd Baker with perfection. Todd is our group Tao Berman wanna be. I say that as a compliment. Todd is a great freestyle boater, and actually our best up and coming paddler at the big moves. He will undoubtably appear in several top videos this year with his six foot high Pichilemu Pan Am. But Todd truly loves to run rivers and creeks. This is a characteristic that is hard to find in today's park and play generations.

Next, I set a safety line from above while Dan hopped into his boat. Todd set a safety line near a river left walled pothole area. The semi-encircled wall was not undercut; rather it made more of a ten-foot amphitheater. It would and was easy to paddle into and out of, but would be a concern if someone swam. Todd placed a rope in the amphitheater.

Dan executed a perfect freewheel. Dan sat in the amphitheater with his boat in case a younger paddler came to visit he could give encouragement or paddle them out if they swam. I ran the drop next and set a safety line from the opposite side of the river.

Next, students would run the drop in pairs one after the other. Playful faces plunged the perfect drop to moments of thrill and delight while, frightful faces prepared for their first waterfall. After the drop it was excitement and relief of their previous anxiety illustrated by their faces. They would state, "wow, that was fun, it wasn't bad."

Connor Kelleher began the semester three months prior without a solid roll. He worked and pushed daily toward a goal to learn his roll and discontinue his near daily swims. He has not swam while we have been in Chile. It was impressive to see his perfect line off of this beautiful cascade, his visit to the amphitheater with a controlled exit, and his excited elation of running his first waterfall. His hard work and dedication earned him the right to experience one of the most beautiful waterfall canyons in the world.

We paired in twos for safety. Pairs combine a stronger paddler with a rookie paddler, and all of the boys go out of their way to help the girls. I don't think this is because they are gentlemen; it is hard to put a word on it. But to state it in a positive form they are always willing to help Emily and Jennifer Chewning, two wonderful personalities. I previously described Emily. Jennifer is a senior who has became possibly the most productive off-the water leader in our program. She is an excellent student of the Chilean culture, interested in experiential education as she writes about this topic weekly, and continually exemplifies concern for her peers.

Our science teacher Veronica Knight runs each drop after her newly wed husband Christian Knight. Christian is our English teacher, an excellent creek and play boater, and an awarded photo journalist. Typically, Christian assures Veronica of her lines, and always helps her. Veronica has the greatest of attitudes and little anxiety for a person paddling a series of waterfalls and less than a 100% roll. She ran the first drop perfectly but drifted into the left wall. She would eventually swim in the amphitheater as Christian could not roll her boat as he usually does. Dan quickly towed her from the area, as Christian hooked her craft to my throw rope. The boat was towed to the eddy near Veronica. The safety plan was executed perfectly.

I was impressed when I asked Veronica how she was, it was apparent she loved the waterfall and had not experienced a fear that would change her great attitude. She would finish the next six cascades without another flaw.

After the first drop the remaining lines became easier as the remaining six drops also had perfectly formed pools at their end. The students became more playful as they paddled the section. On one six-foot slide students spun the slide. While, Emily and Matt Fithian, a student who is perfecting entry angles on cascades, ran the slide simultaneously as they held each others boats as they plunged into the pool.

The last two drops ranged from 15 to 20 feet. All students by this point had practice on four previous falls, and realized this was one of the most playful creeks they would experience. Teacup number six was near flawless.

Teacup number seven was the largest of the day as it approached twenty feet. It also required a bit more skill unlike some of the others. The lip was wider and shallower than the rest, and thus would cause boats to pivot straight down at its lip. After covering the needed stroke and body placement the students took their spot in line.

Grant Wildman and David Thiede, both freshmen representing the Journeys Youth Kayaking program out of McCall, ID illustrated perfect 60-degree angle entries. This angle kept their heads dry and gave them a smooth impact. Grant and David are two of the youngest, and are already illustrating how fast the youth accelerate their skills in our playful sport. Expect these guys to be winning junior rodeos during the next two years.

Emily and Luke Shurman also had perfect lines with a slightly steeper pitch illustrating their patience during executing their boof stroke. Luke has became the "face man" for the video class with his brilliant and quick humor and video boating experience. He knows what makes quality video both behind and in front of the camera.

Andrew Dunning spent most of the day shooting each rapid. He would shoot at one lip while I paddled to the pool below and sat up a second camera angle. Then, Andrew would run the rapid to the next pool while I would shoot the lip angle. Two cameras were stationed high on the canyon from our driver Andreas and our Argentinean Spanish teacher, Veronica Leone.

After the seventh drop there was one last slide into the canyon with a difficult exit. The forty-five degree angle slide looked like pure fun, but would require a rope for both the boat and person to exit the rounded giant 50-foot pothole. Dan and Todd volunteered/begged to run the drop for the cameras. Vic Simenc, our math teacher and Dan's father would haul the boats to safety prior to dropping them a balance line to climb out of the pool. Vic took a year off from his private business to teach and travel during Dan's junior year. Vic is a tremendous asset to the program in every regard-logistics, excellent instruction, administrative advice, group dynamics, and simply is an impressive person to watch interacting with his son.

The portage out of the canyon would be sketchy with a boat. With 17 persons the chances of a slip on the wet rocks were not an option. Again the team went into action-a rope was thrown across the portage and hooked to each kayak, students hiked above while the hooked kayak was swung across the portage. The students arrived at a safe point as the boat was pulled up it's last stretch to rejoin it's owner. Finally, the students began their ascent out of the nearby stairs as the rope was thrown to the next awaiting student.

Prior to returning to the parking lot Christian and Veronica pointed out a giant tarantula on the ground. I was excited and allowed it to crawl onto my paddle. I dropped my boat and ran to the parking lot with the tarantula on my paddle to show it to the students. I first attempted to scare Dan. The students played and inspected it for thirty minutes. Everyone was on a natural high.

For me it was the feeling of group elation that was one of many trip high points. As we departed the parking lot for our five-hour drive I was off in space thinking about how great the trip was going. A man came running from the woods that led to the waterfalls as he waved his arms for us to halt. This interrupted my thoughts as I stopped and rolled down the window. He asked if it was our boat left on the ground in the woods.

I was glad the students did not give me too much grief since it was me who left Pocket Rocket. I recalled my excitement over the spider, dropping my boat, and running to the parking lot to show the students the spider. After playing with the spider and students I went into autopilot loading gear, instructing students to load, changed my clothes, and rushed the students to get in the vans and leave. It was another day in Chile and it could not have been better.

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