In 1997, I was fortunate enough to get to go kayaking in Chile. I had wanted to go for a long time - before I even really knew how to paddle. At some point though, I decided I wanted to learn and bought a boat - a big, green Corsica that sat in the middle of the floor of my small Army apartment and was always getting stepped on or over or into on walks to the kitchen or bathroom. One night I came home and on TV - the Discovery channel or some such - was a story about some boaters exploring new runs in Chile. They were at the brink of a tall waterfall, looking down - and it was a big drop. To me, then, moving water seemed terrifying, so I was amazed when these boaters ran it and even had fun doing it. I decided then I wanted to go.
	It has been a few years since that moment. I learned to boat better by working a couple of summers on the Ocoee river for NOC. I started graduate school here in California. I told my mom that I wanted a trip to Chile as a graduation present, and when I earned my master's degree that spring, she came through for me. My advisor gave me the time off to go do it. My father gave me a bunch of money to cover the airline costs. I'm really making this web page for them. I can't describe how much joy going on the trip brought me. It made me feel really happy and loved that my parents would do this for me, even though it was not something that would further my career opportunities. So this page is for them.
	My trip really consisted of two parts. First, I stayed in Santiago for a couple of day with a friend of my moms, who works at the embassy there. The rest of the time I spent paddling around the Fuy and the Futaleufu.
	Clay's Home Page | Santiago | The Fuy | The Futaleufu
	If you are actually reading this page, please drop me a mote and let me know. I have some more write up to do and pictures to put up, but need encouragement to finish.