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Published: September 11th 2006
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Rapids
Hitting some rapids After getting back into Quito for a night, I headed off for the Jungle town of Tena. Tena is about 5 hours by bus from Quito and is considered the rafting and kayaking capital of Ecuador. We loaded all our gear onto the bus and were off for the Amazon Jungle. As we journied from the mountains into the Jungle, the heat and humidity started to seep through the windows on the bus. We arrived in Tena and it was blistering hot. We had a few hours of daylight to spare so we checked into our hostal and got a few hours of practice paddling in the river. We practiced a few of the paddling techniques as well as practiced our wet exits, which reminded me of pulling the practice ripcord from skydiving. When the sun went down we grabbed a quick bite to eat before taking up permanent residence at the tiki bar for the evening. Going to Tena with our guide Diego was a good idea as he taught most of the other rafting guides there how to kayak, we immediately had made contacts w/ all the river guides in Tena if we decide to return. Plenty of beers
later we trekked back to the hotel for a long day of kayaking on the river Tena.
Day two started out w/ a great breakfast of fresh fruit covered in yogurt and granola washed won with a banana smoothie. We took a taxi truck to the put in spot on the River Tena and to our liking a ropeswing was dangling on the other side of the river just waiting to be used. A quick warmup on the swing was a perfect way to start the day.
The first day of training on the river included lots of safety instruction, team paddle or rescues, and just basic kayaking principles while on the water. After lunch we got back on the river to practice more of what we learned in the morning. Before it got dark out we paddled downstream to the front of our hostal. The river wasn't too fast but felt good to feel how the current works. After a long day on the river theres no better way to cool down than with a few ice cold brews.
Day 3 on the river wase a lot more hectic than day 2. We went to the River Napo and
River Cliffs
Huge cliffs on the last day the night before it downpoured all night. When it rains in the jungle the river's run a lot faster than normal, and with higher water levels as well. This river was a class 2+ with at times being a class 3 due to the heavy rain the night before. Entering this river was super intimidating because it's width would make any mistake ten times worse.
We crossed the first set of rapids without any problems but the second set of rapids caught the side of my boat and flipped me over. Panic immeditately set in and I pulled the skirt off of the boat and did a wet exit, but at the same time letting go of my paddle, which was a bad move on my part as I now owe money for the paddle. I learned my lesson however and we continued down the crazy river Napo. We were on the river for about 5 hours when we decided it would be good to stop and grab a bus on the highway back home. Again we ate some good food and washed them down w/ plenty of beers in anticipation for the last day in Tena.
We woke up
Chillin on the Rio
group shot on the river and drove to the Anso River for a full day of kayaking and practicing on the river. Right before lunch we stopped on a beach to practice the combat roll. The roll is essential for whitewater kayaking becauase if you do get flipped by the river, the rollrse will allow you to turn yourself right side up again. We practiced this for about an 20 minutes and put it into practice. I got the roll down right away and after that i felt a ton of more confidence in the kayak. I knew if I flipped I could get myself back on track.
Tena was a great start to the jungle for all of us. Two others who I was with will also be going to the river race in Peru which starts sept. 22. We're leaving Quito on Tuesday for the long trek down. We have atleast a 48 hr bus ride to peru where we will grab a river ferry to the town of Iquitos. We'll be heading into some badass amazon jungle where crocs, piranhas, anacondas, dolphins etc. will all be lurking around. This trip could potentially take a month from quito to quito so I'm not
First Day
gearing up for the first day of practice sure when I'll have contact with ya'll again.
I hope everyone is doing great and getting ready for the football season to start. I miss ya'll and can't wait to see everyone again. Keep flowin and spread good vibes. talk to ya on the flip side
b
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Josh Konz
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I-V-E-R-S-O-N!!!!!!!!!!!!!
what up ivy!!!! so i finally have the inet at my new place along with cable which is so completely fantastic!!! anyways, looks like the kayaking is going well for you. it will be a good warm up for the big race in peru! man, i feel like there are a lot of things i should be catching u up on, but right now i cant really think of any.......... school started and is going fine, but other than that there isnt too much to report. OH, i'm going to see tom petty this tuesday and yonder plays at the orpheum at the end of the month so those are two cool things. other than that it is basically back to the grind that is the university of wisconsin. take care buddy and i will talk to you soon. peace