Getting to Futaleufu and rafting
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2008
1
35
40
Trip End
May 15, 2009
Futaleufu,
Chile
Friday, January 2, 2009
It turned out that the number we had to call was Natalia the girl who had picked me up at the bus station and who we had spent the previous evening with at the dance party. She and her mum came to pick us up but they didnīt know that they were supposed to take us to the border and they couldnīt get hold of Josh either!! So they took us anyway. They helped us get through both border crossings but couldnīt take us any further. They rang a friend in Futa to see if they could find Josh and if not then the friend would pick us up at the border. As you can imagine we were not happy bunnies especially as we were all paying $900 each for the 3 day trip. At least there were four of us is all I can say. Well we didmīt know how long we had to wait and I wasnīt walking 10kms with my 18kg pack!! Fortunately for us a pick up arrived ar the checkpoint going to Futa and the very kind border guard arranged for us to get a lift with him in the back of his truck. As we neared Futa we saw Josh go past to pick us up!!
We finally arrived hot, sweaty, dirty and very hungary. Josh finally turned up and didnīt understand the confusion....a complete space cadet!! He did buy us some beer and god did we need it and took us to a restautant which looked like it was in someones house. We had a good meal which is all we cared about. Tom and Kat camped behind the rafting office and Trisha and I stayed in a house which rented rooms out.
2nd Jan 09 - Rafting begins - photos on facebook
Well the Futaleufu river is supposed to be the best river in South America to raft with grade III, IV and V rapods. Grade V is the highest grade you can raft commercially.
The day started with the worst bit choosing your wet suit! Not the most flattering piece of clothing you will ever wear especially when you are a chubber like me!! Once we were all suied and booted we were taken to the lodge which was going to be our home for the next few days. Its a log cabin on the side of the river, such a cool place, great views and a little beach. From here we were going to do out first day of rafting, aboit 4 hours.
We were joined by a chilean couple and our guide, Santiago (Santi, 24yt old Peruvian) so there were 7 of us in total in the raft. Santi started us off in the water going through the instructions he would be yelling to us whilst we were rafring and how to use the paddles. He sat at the back of the raft with two large oars which enable him to steer and paddle the raft. In NZ the guide just paddled like us and didnīt sit at the back with oars so this was very different for me. He then got us to get in the water so we could practice rescuing each other. Not too much fun for someone to haul my heavy ass out of the water!!
We then went to out first rapids class III. Well this was great fun, big water and loads of waves crashing into our faces. Once we finished this part of the river the chileans left us as we were moving onto out first clase IV and V rapids. Patricia, Santiīs german girlfriend joined us for this. I was bricking it I can tell you but we managed them just fine. Whilst rafting we have two dafetly kayaks with us and a safety cat, they are there to rescue us if we get dumped out of the raft. This was not part of my plan if I could help it.
We met the other kayakers for lunch on the side of the river. We were all starving from all the paddling we had done and from all the adrenaline we had running around our bodies. Lunch was sandwiches and biscuits, just what the doctor ordered. We then paddled for a bit down the flat river to where we were met by the minibus to take us back to the lodge.
Andrew, one of the kayakers and Santi made us dinner. We had beef and wine, what more could we ask for!!
Santi thrn had to make the decision of whether we were going to run the Inferno the next day. This depended on gow he thought we had done during the day and if he had confidence in us as this is class IV with a lot of consequences as it is in a canyon and other than the safety guys you canīt be rescued and there are a lot of boulders in the water. They didnīt run this section of the river at all with clients last season and hadnīt run this yet this season. Well he decided we should do it!!!
The next day was going to be a long day, about 8 hours on the water. We set off mid morning and the first part was nice and calm with a few small rapids to get us in the mood. We then stopped to check out the first part of the camyon. I stayed in the boat Iīd rather not see what we were up against and just do it. We watched another raft go through before us and they struggled a bit and then it was our turn. Well what an adrenalin rush, big water. big holes to avoid and rocks. I nearly came out of the raft, I was lucky that Trisha was opposite me and managed to keep me in the raft. I really didnīt want to swim. We made it through and even the kayak guys were happy with the line we took. The kayaking guys that Josh has working for him are so cool. Even if they are not running safety for us they still came with us, so we had plenty of them should any of us swim. The next big rapid we came across, the decision was taken that due to safety we wouldnīt be able to raft it. So the kayakers went through and we had to a bit of rock climbing to get round to a safe part of the river. Now this petrifies me because I always without fail slip on rocks especially in slippery wetsuit boots and what did I do as soon as i got out of the raft?? I slipped on the very first rock and went in the water...thanks to Tom who grabbed me out with cat like reflexes. Well we finally made it around the rocks with me still looking pertrified and shaking. The eaft was floated round to us by rope and it was time to get back in. We rafted another big rapid before getting to two more which were unraftable. The first one only two kayakers, Julian and Miguel, were brave or stupid enough to go through the other carried theirīs around. The raft and the safety cat were pulled around on ropes. The second all the kayakers did and it looked real scary as it tossed them aound and Yugi was kept under the water for what looked and age. We then did the last big rapid which was pretty amazing. This was expedition rafting at its best according to Andrew.
We were all so knackered by the end of that day that we slept really well.
The last day we were running, Terminator and Teminators son , class V and repeating what we did on the first day, so class III, IV and Vs.
We started off with some smaller rapids and almost the very first one Santi some how managed to end up in the water?? Not a good start to the day. When we got to just before Terminator we all got out to scout it, I wish I had been left in the raft because it was scary enough to see the dafety cat and kayaks going through it. Santi explained the line he wanted us to take, like that made any sense to me!!
We went for it and a couple of times I thought at least one of us was going to be out and swimming but we did it just perfectly. All the kayakers were cheering and clapping it was a great feeling.
We stopped for lunch before heading to the section that we did on the first day. We enjoyed the smaller rapids more than we did on the first day because we has more of an idea of what were doing. It was so much fun doing the grade IIIs with big waves. When we hit the very last class V rapodi, casa de piedra (house of rock) unbeknown to us, Santi had a little plan. He got us to back paddle toward a large whole in the water which seemed a little strange and then before we knew it the raft was coming up and four of us were in the water!! Only Trisha managed to stay on the raft. His actual intention was to flip the raft so everyone was in the water!! Bastard!! Well I was pleased with myself as I am actually pretty scared of water and I thought I was going to majorly panic but to my amazement I didnīt and I didnīt loose my paddle either!. Miguel picked me up on the front of his kakyak and took me back top the raft. Then we went back to the lodge.
Waiting back at the lodge was a whole lamb waiting for us to be cooked over an outside fire and loads of cold beers. We had deserved it. What an absolutely awesome experience!!
The next day Josh took is to the Argentinian border where the four of us, me, Trisha, Kat and Tom caught a bus back to Esquel. Then it was another bus to Bariloche for me, Kat and Tom. Our bus was supposed to leave at 2pm but didnīt go until 3.50pm!! And then just as we all had fallen asleep on the bus (4-5hr ride) the bus broke down and we all had to get on the 4pm bus which was following us down the road!!
