Six Days Canoeing - Puerto Aysén

Less than a week after I arrived in Coyhaique, I was already leaving. This area is saturated with lakes, rivers, glaciers, fjords, and creeks. Basically, there is a lot of water, and a lot of water means a lot of opportunity to go out and play in it!

From March 12th to the 17th I went out with Pancho, the director of the Escuela de Guías, and 8 students for the Modulo Conoas. The Escuela de Guías, one of my affiliations, is a non-profit school that trains people from all over the Aysén region to be guides. Not only do the students learn technical skills such as mountaineering, horse packing, and canoeing, but also included in the curriculum is leadership, LNT, business strategy, and ways to approach tourism.

During the 6 days we were out we paddled in Lago Riesco, Rio Condor, Laguna Los Palos, Rio Blanco, Lago Portales, and Lago Zenteno. It was rainy or cloudy pretty much the whole time. This area is known for being incredibly wet which makes for really dense and green vegetation. It also means that chances are around every bend you’ll see a waterfall or rainbow. We went over paddling techniques, reading water, river safety, and each day learned 5 “words of the day” for paddling in English.

Besides getting a chance to learn more about how the guide school operates, get out into the field and paddle, this trip was a an immersion into Patagonian culture. In addition to the things I’m accustomed to while in the backcountry, like whisper-lite stoves, dry bags, and synthetic base-layers I learned that paddling breaks include heating up water for mate, that the Spanish here is almost like a whole new language, and that campsites are on someone’s private property, but they are usually more than happy to have us pitch our tents next to their cows.

At the end of each day I was not only physically exhausted but mentally as well. It was a great trip. I was on sensory overload. I can’t wait to become more comfortable with the area and culture and get out again.