Emily catching fish Click on pic to view Huge Experiences' photogallery

Email this story to a friend»

Quick Bio

Hometown: Rock Island, TN

First boat: Peddle Jumper

Favorite boat: T1

Favorite river: The middle channel on the Ottawa, because it has some awesome playspots.

Favorite park & play spot: Push Button on the Ottawa, because it is a great spinning and cartwheeling hole.

Whitewater hero: My dad (former World Champ Eric Jackson), because he has always been there for me and pushed me along even when I was crying.

Best thing that has happened to you at Huge Experience: Meeting all these cool people and being able to improve my boating both physically and mentally.

Scariest or biggest thrill in whitewater: I was really scared when I got worked in the Rock Island hole.

November 28, 2003

After creeking the Ojos Del Caburga for the past two days it was great to find a small lefty cartwheel hole. The hole is directly under an orange swinging bridge outside of Pucon. When the sky is clear you can see one of the three volcanoes in the area. The hole has an eddy and is a good place to learn lefty spins and cartwheels. The first day we went to the orange bridge hole - it was sunny and beautiful. Our drive in the vans packed with students and gear was livened by the vibrant yellow flower bush trees that lined the dirt road.

When we arrived, David Hughes, our coach and founder of Huge Experiences, gave us instruction on the fundamentals of cartwheeling. It was both appropriate and beneficial as he stressed the pros and cons of the skill. I learned a lot.

We put on our gear and rushed past the yellow bush trees to the "entrada." We raced to make a line, but then David stopped and made us warm up. This was a bigger warm-up than normal, as it was a cold day and he wanted us sweating prior to waiting in line. Also, he was "building our skills," by having us do warm-up drills in the eddy. Finally, I was waiting in line for my turn. It came at last - I paddled up the eddy behind the rock, hit two spins, flushed, and I was in the back of the line. This was how most of my rides went, except for the great stern initiations that were whipping me around vertically.

On our second day at the orange bridge I was already hitting three point cartwheels. This was a great success for me, and I cannot wait for our next lefty play hole.

November 8, 2003

Here in Chile all sorts of disgusting creatures haunt me. I go to bed knowing any moment earwigs may crawl around my face, and when I walk barefoot a scorpion could be in my path waiting to sting.

Our campsite overlooking the Rio Maipo is full of earwigs, scorpions, weird fuzzy beetles, and enormous bees. There are more, but they are less noticed. We are most cautious around the scorpion, as we watch this unfamiliar yet intriguing insect.

The scorpion scares me most, and I am terrified. I saw the first one at our Rio Maipo campsite. I hope it is the last. As I prepared to nap off the jetlag of the DC to Santiago flight something next to me moved. Curiously, I discovered its presence. It's tail looked deadly enough to me with its curled stinger poised to attack me. I called, "David--Grant." They asked, "What is the matter?" as I could only point. They began playing with it immediately. I was dumbfounded, "IT'S A SCORPION." I smiled and continued their torturous process pouring water on it. It appeared as if they were playing with a grasshopper for the first time. I was shocked, not knowing what to do next, yet observing the boys have fun with something dangerous.

Standing there helped me realize, "WOW! it's just a bug." I am still scared, but then again they are just bugs.

Return to Huge Experience main journal page