The Alamo City Rivermen Babbler Issue MMCCLXXI 20 th Anniversary Year December 2007 The monthly newsletter of the Alamo City Rivermen Paddling the fine line between geek and Bubba. Next Meeting November 14, 2007, Hungry Horse Rest., 12333 West Avenue, near the intersection with Rhapsody. 6:30 to 9:00. -o0o- Club Officers Temporary President for Life :-) Gig Hafernick gibguy76 at yahoo dot com Vice President Kathy Cusick kmcusick at juno dot com Sec./Treas. Marie Searight mariejs at satx dot rr dot com 830-625-0604 Newsletter Mailings Marie Searight mariejs at satx dot rr dot com 830-625-0604 Editor Kenneth Bennight klbennight at yahoo dot com 210-826-7071 Thanksgiving Whitewater Adventure in Costa Rica with Costa Rica Rios by Kathy Cusick and Kevin Longin We heard about Costa Rica Rios (CRR) this past spring when some of our friends came back from a trip with them. We wanted to paddle in Costa Rica, but had not been able to find a company that carried canoes as well as kayaks. It was quite a nice surprise when we looked at their website and found canoes we were used to paddling in their livery. After speaking with their US rep several times, we booked the trip back in May. They have a B&B and boat barn in Turrialba, which is about an hour from San Jose, the main airport in the country. You can find information about them at www.costaricarios.com. November is their high water season, which is why we wanted to go then. Just so you know, you can sign up for this trip and run the rivers in a guided raft if you are not comfortable paddling big water. They run a Canoe Week of Rivers in March when the rivers are not so high. We made it into the country along with our luggage without a hitch. Going through Immigration was easy, although we were in line for about 30 minutes. When we got to baggage claim, our bags were already waiting for us, and we proceeded through Customs quite quickly, where our bags were scanned, and made it to the curb to look for our CRR rep. It was quite a surprise when one of our friends from Houston approached us saying Hi, my name is Juan and I will be your guide for the week. John had arrived an hour or so prior to us, and was quite surprised to see our names on the same placard as his with the CRR Rep. He had come down with two other people we were acquainted with from the Carolina Canoe Club. It is a very small world! It was an interesting bus ride from San Jose to Turrialba because the main highway was torn up for widening. We took the "shortcut", which was six miles shorter, but an hour or so longer in time. (Continued next page) Page 1 of 9 Pages
December 12, 2007 January 9, 2008 Monthly Meet & Greet Monthly Meet & Greet Upcoming Events Hungry Horse Rest., 12333 West Avenue, near Rhapsody. 6:30 to 9:00 Hungry Horse Rest., 12333 West Avenue, near Rhapsody. 6:30 to 9:00 January 19-20, 2008 Freeze Trip Gib Hafernick, gibguy76 at yahoo dot com February 13, 2008 March 12, 2008 Monthly Meet & Greet Monthly Meet & Greet Hungry Horse Rest., 12333 West Avenue, near Rhapsody. 6:30 to 9:00 Hungry Horse Rest., 12333 West Avenue, near Rhapsody. 6:30 to 9:00 April 2008 Hidalgo Falls Gib Hafernick, gibguy76 at yahoo dot com (Costa Rica, continued) The roads were very narrow and very large vehicles still use them. Because of the recent rains, the road was very muddy and full of large potholes. All the drivers seem to be used to this, so everyone just waited as we picked our way through the larger holes and moved on to our destination in Costa Rica Time. We arrived at the B&B, received our room assignments, settled in and went to the dining room to meet the other paddlers and guides. We paddled the Pejibaye River on Sun, starting out on an easy section so the guides could gauge our ability. We had lunch prepared for us by our guides on our overturned canoes at the take-out for the lower section, then all headed to the upper section of the same river after lunch. The upper section is a solid Class III and a great technical run with lots of big waves as well. Page 2 of 9 Pages
On Monday we headed to the Sarapiqui River, which is on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica, to run two sections, one on Mon and one on Tue. We had lunch in local restaurants both days, always Casado" ~ the Spanish word for "married". Casado is served throughout Costa Rica for the mid-day meal, which consists of a standard plate of rice, blacklunch on the Pejibaye Dinner at the Pejibaye beans, several veggie selections, plantains and a meat/fish choice. It was always very good. We overnighted in a very nice hotel in the town of Sarapiqui. Dinner at the hotel in Sarapiqui The first day, Monday, we did the lower section of the Sarapiqui, on a beautiful sunny day. Wall shot! I had never seen wall shots like they had on this river. The banks seem to be made of clay and volcanic rock that is impervious to the incredible force of the river, forming 3-4 pillows against the bank. There were lots of surf waves on this section for the kayaks. Because of this, the guides allowed the 2 canoes and the cataraft to run ahead of the kayaks and run a longer section. It was a very good day for us, as we got to see more wildlife with the smaller group. The bottom section also slowed down a bit, with less gradient, so it was easier to take in the scenery. It proceeded to rain all Mon night, and most of the next day. The upper section on Tue was definitely in flood when we ran that, coming up 4 during The shredder in what was the small hole - the the time we were on it. next one was bigger! The group portaged one rapid. Kathy in a rapid Kevin managed the entire run without a swim. I had one swim that I thought might have been my last. We ran a big Class III +++ rapid, with huge wave trains. I hit a rock at the bottom and went into the hole behind it. It was a very boily area, with two channels coming Page 3 of 9 Pages
back together. I was under for a long time, unable to swim due to the hydraulics, feeling like I was in a washing machine and daylight was still just a bright spot above me through the muddy water. I was holding up my paddle in the hope that someone would give me a tug, but all of the sudden there were tons of bubbles in front of my face, and I knew I was close to a higher oxygen environment. One of the guides saw my paddle, and was right there when I surfaced, and the bank was not too far away. I kept Giovanny as my guide the rest of the run. I also swam a second time just before the take-out. Giovanny and I went down the wrong channel and needed to cross a small island to get back to the channel we wanted. There were lots of frogs and snakes there; looking for higher ground with the rising river, so that in and of itself was an adventure. While we were on the river, we were hearing what we all thought was thunder while paddling. however, we never saw lightening. I was feeling the vibration through my knees and hearing the echo in the canoe. Someone checked with the guides and we found out what we were hearing was huge rocks being tumbled by the water on the river bottom. I cannot tell you how loud this was and how amazing it was to learn the origin of the sounds!!! This pic is of our group after lunch on Thur. We ran the Upper Upper Pacuare on Wed, which is very remote and rarely paddled. Because the entire country received rain on Tue, we brought a Shredder (cross between a cataraft and raft). It was a nice sunny day, but the river was big, although it was running clear rather than muddy. There were several Class IV rapids on this section which were a challenge for all. I saw the best rescue ever on this, where one of the kayakers flipped at the top of the Page 4 of 9 Pages
rapid and swam into a close eddy, proceeded to empty her boat with the assistance of one of our guides, have a paddle thrown to her from shore, and complete the run. The bus ride both in and out was quite interesting. We had almost vertical switchbacks on muddy roads with a few terrifying undercuts. It was very remote, and we were passing indigenous people who were hiking back home almost 10 miles barefoot with grocery bags after shopping that day. We headed back to the Pacuare River on Thur for two days, one section on Thur and one section on Fri, which were both downstream of our Wed run. We had our turkey in the jungle this year, overnighting in a very remote, primitive, riverside camp along the river, having dinner trucked in as we paddled in. We had to go push the truck out of the mud before dinner due to the heavy rains earlier that week. There were some awesome veggies and juices that I still cannot identify. These juicesour Boat to Isla Tortuga also included the "national liquor of Costa Rica", which is a cane based rum type drink. Sleeping in an open air, screen shed with the river and jungle noises in the background after turkey and "rum" was great, and I slept like a teenager. This was my most interesting turkey day ever! Thursday was the first of the Lower Pacuare section, a Class II-III, so we took a tandem canoe. It was an Esquif VertigeX, which was great with factory outfitting. (Sorry, no pics of this except in video, which cannot be extracted) We had to empty it after every rapid as it lacked a center airbag, but was otherwise a fantastic boat in big water. This was a fun day with lots of playing and incredible scenery. Our tandem canoe came in handy for lunch on a tributary, where we all hiked upstream and launched into a deep pool. Snorkeling Page 5 of 9 Pages
We put-in on from camp on Fri where we took out on Thur to run the remainder of the Lower Pacaure section. This section of the river was pretty big, Class III-IV, heavy on the IVs, so we ran a shredder again. We had a couple of swims this day, one just a total hoot, and the second a much more challenging time. The first swim involved a wave that seemed as big as a house, which just flipped us into the main flow with a nice pool below. The second was a more challenging rapid with a sharp turn to the left at the bottom, which we almost made, but while skirting what seemed like the biggest hole in the river, and got hooked on the edge, swung around into the hole and were surfed quite effectively. We were both trying to pry our way out ofsarapiqui Jungle Canopy Zip line Tour (yes, that small dot the hole, but were flipped, and had to swim the nextin the distance is Kevin it was a long zip line). hole as well as the boiling eddy lines between the currents of 2 rejoining channels. I was quite happy to be hauled into a raft by my PFD after that swim. Kevin managed to get back into the shredder with the assistance of one of our guides, but he needed a minute to breathe at that point as well. As a group, we were all very tired and happy to see the take-out on that last day. I thought it was interesting that the average age in this group was about 50. We had participants from every age group, 20 s, 30 s, 40 s 50 s and 60 s. All members of the group were strong paddlers, but at least half of us changed boats or rivers paddled on a few days depending on the day and the river conditions. We split into to groups on Wed to accommodate the needs of the participants. CRR was very safety oriented and still managed to allow paddlers the trip they wanted by being flexible. We stayed on in San Jose for an extra 3 days to tour around the country a little before heading home. We shopped at the local Mercado on Sat, went snorkeling on one of the Pacific Islands on Sun, went to see one of the volcanoes and play in the hot springs, shopping in an artisan town along the way on Mon, then went back to the Sarapiqui River to do a wildlife and canopy tour on Tue. Although we stayed in a very quaint hotel in San Jose, I would have to say that staying in any of the resorts or hotels in the area, Poison Dart Frog rather than in San Jose would be just as good if you are taking tours. Unfortunately we don t have any pics of Baldi Hot Springs (at Arenal Volcano) because we were having such a relaxing time. I am sure you can find that with a Google search. -o0o- Page 6 of 9 Pages
New Newsletter Editor Needed I would like to step down as newsletter editor. So this is a call for volunteers. It s a good way to contribute to the club, and we all would appreciate anyone who picks up the torch. [Editor s Note: I would especially appreciate it] If you think you might be interested, please contact Gib Hafernick or Ken Bennight. December Meeting Instead of Christmas Party The club has often forgone a December meeting in favor of a Christmas party. We have not been able to put a party together this year, so we will meet at the usual time and place. See the Upcoming Events section. -o0o- -o0o- Boat for Sale Ocean Yak Board for Sale -- $200. It is pretty new, and yellow in color. If interested, please contact Kathy Cusick @ kmcusick at juno dot com or 210-383-9331. Page 7 of 9 Pages
Alamo City Rivermen Mileage Log Sheet Page 8 of 9 Pages
Alamo City Rivermen Membership Application Name: Address: Email: Home Telephone: Business Telephone: The Alamo City Rivermen try to keep their activities safe, but risk is inherent in water sports. We cannot and do not guarantee safety. The Alamo City Rivermen disclaim liability for accidental injury or death in any sponsored event. As a condition of membership and participation in club sponsored events, I release, acquit, and forever discharge the Alamo City Rivermen and its officers, agents, and members from all liability arising out of or relating to a sponsored event, even if negligence of the club or its officers, agents, or members is a cause, and even if I die or am injured This release includes not only actual paddle trips but also all other club events and driving or riding to and from club events. Date: Signature: Signature: Membership dues are the same for an individual or a family. As a member of the Alamo City Rivermen, you are automatically entitled to our monthly newsletter and subscription to our email list. Details on these benefits are available in our newsletter. I prefer to receive the newsletter: (Please circle the one you choose) Dues if newsletter sent by email $15.00 Dues if newsletter sent USPS $20.00 (Note: Newsletter copying and mailing has been our biggest expense; using email frees up money for other activities, including our website.) Mail this completed form, together with a check, to: Alamo City Rivermen Canoe Club P.O. Box 171194 San Antonio, Texas 78217 Page 9 of 9 Pages