Team YogaSlackers

Sleeping on Ice

2013-03-10T17:57:00.001-05:00

PC2 to Sleeping on Ice

Jumping crevesses was fun. For the first 4 hrs!

Team Four Continents were finally gaining some headway! From dead last at the beginning of the race (after the flat tire) we moved to 8th place. We had an enormous ice field to cross and a gigantic will to do so. Stjepan Pavicic, race director, was at PC2. He gave us a huge smile, laughed with us at our 57 seconds closed call at PC1 and gave us the good-to-go authorization if we happen to miss the PC3 cut off at 11 pm. I put on my ToeSox liners, waterproof socks and crampons. Sam and Tom also crampon-up. Taz felt there was no need to do so. After all to make it to PC2 we walked on the glacier crampon-less for a while. We said our good byes and headed onto the ice.

Soon we were jumping and skipping crevices. Taz decided to crampon-up while we waited on ice. What was supposed to be 10 km of glacier walk turned to be about 20 km. Walking on a glacier, filled with crevasses, is the equivalent of walking on a huge and cold labyrinth. We walked back and forth for hours making slow progress.

Nighttime and bad weather was approaching

It was my very first time walking on ice, using crampons, and even seeing a crevasse! My first jumps were unimpressive. Tom and Sam had to help me cross and gave me a crash course on crampon use. I was so grateful to have the easy to use Kahtoola Crampons and my super light Leki poles! After a few steps I forgot I even had them on. Little by little I gained confidence and started to make some progress. By the end of the glacier crossing I felt pretty confident. After all I had about 20 km of experience!

It is very easy to feel small in this terrain.

The Tyndall Glacier is part of the Campo de Hielo Sur (Southern Ice Fields). The section we were on has big crevasse fields on either side with a river running down the middle flanked by flatter ice. Needless to say that was the easier terrain to travel. But we didn't know that! We only realized that after experiencing it during the race and after seeing our track on the DeLorme inReach site with their excellent detailed aerial imagery. Had we seen this before hand the story to follow would have been very different. After about 2.5 hrs of crevasse dodging and jumping we found the flat grounds. But we didn't know we should have follow it until we were almost parallel to PC3 and then move parallel to the crevasses off of the glacier. Instead we keep trying to go more directly towards the checkpoint at an angle; finding in this way even bigger crevasses and iceberg-like formations.

Walking at night became a real challenge.
Our Fenix headlamps had to work overnight... literally!

Nighttime came and with it a huge storm. Darkness made navigating even more challenging and the rain and the wind made it colder and scarier to walk around or jump the huge crevasses. By then we had joined in with one of the Chilean Teams: Kaweskar. The other Chilean Team: Yagan, was also on the ice, but took a route that brought them to the edge of the ice early on.

Team Kaweskar and us happen to come together in the ice and started heading in the same direction. Soon we were blocked from forward travel. We came to an area of huge ice formations, too tall and steep to climb or to jump around. After a number of futile attempts to find a path through the crevasse maze team Kaweskar decided to make camp on the ice. They had ice screws and a tent that would withstand winds. Our tent in the other hand would require 6 ice screws (that we didn't have) and would not withstand the winds. We had a decision to make: continue on our own or stay with the Chilean team.

A 4 person tent, hosted 8 hungry and tired racers.

If we continued without finding a way off the ice, it meant not having a tent to pass the night. We were already in survival mode. It also meant 'leaving them behind' and even thought this was a race, human nature always points us to stay together in dangerous situations. So we did.

After searching for a while we found a place that was sheltered from the wind, somewhat level, and not completely flooded (we were in a world of melting ice in a rainstorm after all). A few feet from where we planned to set the tent there was a hole where melt water disappeared into the glacier. We made an attempt at leveling and trenching a platform by scraping off the ice with our Kahtoola Crampons and set up and anchored the tent. We used the Jet Boil to heat water for some very appreciated dehydrated AlpineAire meals and all eight of us - got into a 4 person tent, ate some food, shared some stories, and tried to sleep. It was very cramped to say the least. To fit 8 people in a 4 person tent meant trying to sleep sitting up or lying knees bent on top of another person. We did both.

Sleeping with your body all tight-up after cycling 108 kms, trekking 21 plus kms and walking on a glacier for at least 20 kms was not really pleasant. During the night you could hear random wines, cries and complaints whenever someone tried to move or stretch.

Morning came and both teams continued hiking towards PC3

Morning came and both teams continue walking towards PC3. All of us wanted to continue the race. After several attempts in the direction of PC3, we back tracked to the smoother ice and headed down the glacier. Wind gusts were still about 85 km/h, but there was light and the rain had subsided. We were moving fast.

In the direction to PC3 we saw a person. Yes! We are in the right place! Then another, and another, and another. The other Chilean team and a group of photographers and race personnel were heading back to PC1. PC3 was closed. The race was over for all of us.

The trek to the Magnificent Glacier and finally doing something right!

2013-03-10T17:23:00.000-05:00

PC 1 to PC2

Passing Sam his Wenger sunglasses.

We entered PC1 (Punto de Control or Control Point) feeling exhausted. Two teams were still at the transition area. Again we felt we were not doing 'that' bad... in perspective. Transitioning took longer than we originally planned but at least we had made it.

We left PC1 feeling a little tired but very motivated. That was the most amazing aspect for me. Even when super low in energy as soon as we managed to finish a stage I felt fresh again, ready and eager to take on the next one! Ahead of us was a 21 km trek to the Tyndall Glacier.

Ready for some trekking action!

Torres del Paine is beautiful. Green grass, flowers, rivers, big mountains and glaciers! It is the perfect setting for a fairy tale story. The first part of the trail was really easy: flat grounds to recover our sore muscles and then we started climbing up.

Our packs were heavy. I was carrying extra food, the Jet Boil, gas and a smoke bomb in addition to my mandatory gear. Sam and Tom were each carrying an Alpaka packraft. We are planning to save precious time on the treks legs by pack rafting through lakes. Sam was feeling sleepy through this leg and I felt like my back was about to give up. I truly wondered if I could manage all this weight for 10 days. At some point Tom took a bunch of weight out of my backpack. I could finally come out of the agony. Soon after, we had our first river crossing. Not big enough to open the pack rafts, but to get our feet wet. We were all amazed at Sam's reaction to the cold water. He aroused from his sleepy state instantly even more than eating 5 packages of Surge. Finally we were moving at a better pace.

Taz was really energetic and kept moving ahead, way too far for our comfort. Tom saw this as an opportunity to equalize forces and gave him some extra weight to carry around. After more climbs up through gorgeous rocky mountains, we arrive at PC2 with about 38 minutes to spare and passed two teams on the way there. Not because we were faster, but because our navigation was spot on! Big yeah! to Tom and Taz for that one.

Enchanted forest with rolling hills kept our hearts pumping.

Gorgeous view lifted our energy.

Final climb towards the glacier

How exploding tires and gravel roads almost cost us the race.

2013-03-08T12:26:00.001-06:00

START TO PC1:

It is Monday February 12th. Midnight is quickly approaching and with it the start of the 11th Patagonian Expedition Race. It is my first time competing in a race of this length, caliber and intensity. I am calm and relax, a little too relaxed for my comfort.

Teams busy on final preparations.

I come from a background in triathlon competitions. Before most races I became restless, my energy levels rose and I had to keep moving to control my body. Today is very different. I lay on a pad on the floor trying to catch some sleep. Sleep is challenging since we were placed next to the medical examination area and their constant chatting is not conducive of peaceful sleep. I close my eyes and focus on my breath; I breathe and try to fade into deep recuperative sleep.

It is almost midnight. We cycle into the plaza in Puerto Natales. There was loud music going on, lots of people in a festival-like atmosphere. The race will start with a 108 km cycle to Torres del Paine. Teams in matching outfits gather around the plaza. Veteran teams Adidas, East Winds, and Gear Junky/YogaSlackers are all gathered in the front of the pack. The race is about to start.

Puerto Natales' Plaza, minutes before Race Start

We are Team Four Continents; an assortment of random, non-uniformed people. The team was originally named to represent the union of the Australian, North American and Asian Continent racing in the South American Continent. This year the team is formed by: Team Captain Taz Lawrie (Australia), Sam Salwei (United States), Tom Grundy (United States) and me, Luz Raquel Hernández-Cruz (Puerto Rico). It is Taz's 3rd time racing the Patagonian Expedition Race, Sam's 2nd and Tom and I's 1st. This will be our very first time cycling together and we are about to start the hardest race on earth.

Tom fixing the flat tire.

The race started sharply at midnight with the town people chanting the countdown. Off we go! All 11 teams cycling off to the next check point. Our plan to stay with the lead group for the first leg of the cycle disintegrated almost immediately.

I quickly realized gravel roads are not my kind of cookie. Sam was eager to keep going strong so he offered me the tow rope. It was his very first time towing someone, my very first time being towed. It was scary and weird. It took me a few minutes to figure it out. Not training as a team took a toll on us. It was not the sharp rotation linear drafting formation we wanted but we were working on it.

About an hour and a half into the race, Sam was towing me and we were finally in a semi-decent formation and booom! His back tire practically exploded. Sealant started shooting away from the tire and it became instantly flat. Sam had borrowed a bike from Pete Clyden. He didn't know it was a tubeless tire. The tire sliced so badly that the sealant did not work. We had to insert an inner-tube to fix it. For some reason the valve stem collar was stuck. Both, Sam and Tom tried to take it out for about 10 minutes. We were sure it was impossible. But they manage to use brute force and grippy gloves to take it out and fix the tire. What should have taken 5 minutes took about 30. We saw the last of the team pass us by. We were dead last on the competition.

Tom and I in our Ellsworth Bikes. Ignore the tow rope... ;-)

What followed was several (many – or maybe endless) kilometers of gravel roads; of us trying to establish a formation; of me getting towed by Sam and Tom (also his first time!) and of hills and hills of cycling. Somewhere at about 4 am we passed a group. It was Team Huemul Conservation. They had stopped and appeared to be resting in the side of the road. It gave us a little hope! We were not in last place anymore!

Daylight came and with it an amazing view. We were about to enter the Torres del Paine National Park. The view was spectacular! By now we were afraid we might miss the cutoff time for the second leg of the race. We were pushing it as hard as we could. Bumpy gravel roads are brutal. They take a lot more effort to pedal than most roads. I remember the entrance to the park. We had to go by a bridge. It was concrete. It felt like the most polished surface I had ever pedaled on. It was smooth, soft, easy. I was so grateful for it. All my pains and discomfort instantly disappeared. I felt like I could pedal faster, stronger, longer! It lasted 5 seconds and back to continuous gravel.

By now we were pushing redline on effort and time. Sam was towing me on and off while Tom towed Taz. As we saw the PC 1 (Punto de Control or Check Point) we wondered if we could make the cutoff time. We pedaled, we hurt, but we made it with only 57 seconds to spare.

Entering Torres del Paine National Park

9) Flying with Style

2013-03-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

Puerto Montt

Friday Feb 8^th 3:00 pm

First sight of getting to the airport

The simple sight of the airport brought a sense of peace to our minds. But we knew our 'fight' to get to Punta Arenas was not over yet. We still had to -somehow- check all our 550 lbs of gear into a domestic flight. I headed to the check-in counter and asked how much weight each passenger was allowed to bring. 20 kilos for checked bags and 5 for carry-ons. Any excess would incur in a charge of 2,000 CHP per kilo extra!

Yeah, we were those people you see running at the airport.

We were way out of luck!!! We scrambled and shuffle our gear to make 3 bags in the required weight limit. We thought we will have to spend our life savings (and credit!) to take our gear to Punta. We started to put on all the clothing that we could. Sam even wanted to walk in with our drysuits on! I was sure that would land us straight into Carabineros hands and cavity searches. So we opted out of it. We 'just' had a total of:

15 pairs of pants (including cycling shorts!)
7 shirts
4 pairs of socks
3 pair of bike shoes (the heaviest shoes we had)
1 pair of gloves

The final cost of shipping a bike and 30 kilos of excess baggage.
About $90.

Meanwhile a brilliant idea was formed: let's ask if they do cargo shipments! As we entered the airport I remembered seeing a cargo area. Sam mentioned it again so I ran in that direction.

Running with 5 lbs of extra clothing was a mission on its own. It was hot, heavy and uncomfortable. I felt the instant heat wave generate and the dehydration of the past days kicking in. The cargo office gave me the thumbs up and I headed back to check-in for our flight and bring the remaining luggage and the bike box to the cargo.

Sam and I's carry-ons.

We managed to check-in with a few kilos overweight. Thankfully our carry-ons were not weighed since some were probably pushing 30 kilos. Tom stayed with our carry-ons while Sam and I took one bag and the bike box to the cargo area.

The cargo office was about 700 meters away. Sam and I were hot with all our clothing and way too tight! We felt what an overweight and inflexible person would feel. Now we will be much more emphatic about it. The bike and bag will leave in the same airplane as we but it will cost us a fraction of the price! It only cost us 43,000 CHP! Cheaper than sending the bike box in an American airport. Finally some success for Team Four Continents!!!

Back in the airport the only obstacle between us and the plane was yet another security check point. We were trying to act like our carry-ons were light. But boy! They sure were not! My bag and Tom's went by unnoticed but security stopped Sam dead on his track.

Yeah, we lost a wrench... who cares!

Oh no! The race food! The climbing gear! The equipment! The excess weight! What would it be?! A 4 inch wrench! That we bought for car repairs and saved for bike box work. Whatever! Keep it! Dropped it next to the sling shot at the impound box! It was the most amusing non-dramatic event of the entire trip!

We were free! Just one more flight to go. With lots of relief we saw all our bags and bike box being loaded into the plane. The flight was 30 minutes late. We couldn't really care much. We sat on the second row of our plane and rested.

Sam and I looking a little bit heavier
with our extra pants and biking shoes.

No further calamities affected our trip. But we must have been really smelly since the flight attendant kept spraying some sort of toxic air freshener whenever she walked by us! If only she knew all the adventures and obstacles we had to surpass the get there.

Once in Punta Arenas our usual unusualness created a big commotion. While waiting for our baggage we started undressing. We shed layers and layers of clothing to the amusement of fellow passengers and other racers.

At the airport we were greeted by our friend Rodrigo. His truck was big enough for us and all our gear. By now, we have become moving experts so it only took us a few minutes to be ready to leave. He drove us to Hostal Victoria our new home for the days preceding the race. Taz was expecting us. Finally, after a week of travel, mishaps and adventures Team Four Continents was together.

Last packing job... Punta Arenas Airport

8) The Bus, The Bike Box and The Truck

2013-02-28T08:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua, Osorno and Puerto Montt

Thursday Feb 7^th 11:30 pm - Friday 10 am

Our 11:00 pm departure never occurred. Bad traffic in Santiago was stalling the bus for a few 'minutes'. Minutes turn to hours and our hopes started to sink once more. We saw at least 20 different buses pulled into the station, sharply picking up fellow passengers and moved on.

' You want me to fit all that here?!'

Midnight came. It was officially Friday. By 3:00 pm this day we had to be at the airport and by 6:00 pm we were expected in Punta Arenas. Our energy was low. After all, it was been 48 hrs of mishaps, of broken cars, lost buses and eternal wait. Thirty minutes later, hope came with the sight of a Bus Del Norte machine. We rushed into the loading zone with all our belongings. Our load lighter since the bike box was already in Osorno waiting for us.

Just in case you forgot how the bike box look.
Very easy to spot!

As the luggage compartment doors open, we quickly understood their hesitation to take the bike box in this trip. The space was really limited. I couldn't comprehend how we were going to fit all our gigantic bags in the space left. The bus operator could not comprehend either. Bags were re-positioned shuffled and stacked. Space was commissioned from different compartments and one bag made it into the driver’s pit. We were all aboard, welcomed with a snack and a seat to rest and sleep.

That's me, looking sad due to the 'no bike' news.

Morning came quick as the bus stopped in different stations. Passengers came in and out the bus through the whole trip. But mainly down giving us hope for free space for our beloved triangular double-bike box. As soon as the bus stopped in Osorno, Sam and I jumped out and headed to the office. We just had to pick up the bike box and take it into the bus. The box had arrived the night before. Or so we thought.

Our bike box is very easy to spot. It is a white triangular box that resembles a gigantic piece of cheese more than a bike box. From the first sight into the office we knew it was not there. Fear, frustration and hopelessness flew through my entire body. We were still racing the clock to the airport and yet another mishap presented itself to us. Gear check for the Race was tomorrow. We had already missed skills test and we couldn't check our gear without two bikes!

Special Slackers delivery to the Cargo Station in Puerto Montt.

Once more we told our story: the car purchase, the broken car, the lost bus tickets, the race. People felt empathy and became more willing to help. At one point everyone in the office was searching for the box, including the driver. Phone calls were made, supervisors were called upon stage while we gazed through the glass wall and hope for a glance of good luck.

Once more, we communicated using DeLorme's inReach system.

Finally word came from the driver: 'We cannot wait any longer. The bus must leave'. Desperation came followed immediately by some news. A new plan had been forged: the bike box was at Osorno but at a different terminal. It was sitting in a cargo terminal a few miles from us. Our bus could not go there or wait any longer. Our option was to send the box directly to Puerto Montt's cargo station. The bus driver will leave us there and we just had to contact out truck pick up to change locations. After all we've been through in the past days, this seemed simple enough.

We re-boarded our bus and continued on our way to Puerto Montt. Our minds filled with questions: would the box make it in time? Why couldn't they send the box directly there from the first place? Would we be able to contact our truck driver?

A few hours later we arrived to the Puerto Montt, Bus Del Norte’s cargo station. All bags were accounted for and placed on the sidewalk. I entered the office to, once more, not find the bike box.

Sam helping download the truck...
wrongly thinking the box was here... not!

Calls were made and we were assured the box was on its way. Since arriving to Chile most of our communication with the outside world have been possible thanks to our DeLorme inReach system. It allows us to send 160 characters messages through email without the need of an internet connection. However, all we had for the bus driver was a phone number. And even though Taz was helping us contact the truck driver, the fact that it was not possible for us to walk to the other bus station with our entire gear and bike box was lost in translation. We needed to speak to him directly.

Wiiiii!!!! The bike box is here!!!

A gentleman from the cargo station loaned us his cellphone to contact the truck driver and gave him directions to get there. As truck after truck came into the station we rushed to them to find bags of merchandise and luggage but not a single bike box.

About 45 minutes after the bus left us in Porto Montt a small truck came bearing good news. The sight of a bike box had never before brought so much happiness to three people. We had all our gear!

Our truck driver was already waiting for us and the rest of our luggage was already packed. We rushed the bike box into the back of the pick up truck and rushed to the airport.

How do you fit 550 lbs of gear and 4 people in a pick-up truck?
Hoping one of them is not claustrophobic!

Me: 'How far is the airport?'

Driver: 'I don’t really know, I've never been there'.

Me: 'oh oh'.

7) What to do in the bus station

2013-02-27T08:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua Bus Station

Thurs Feb 7^th 7:00 am - 12:30 pm

Playtime!

As daylight percolated through the bus station windows, the station guard asked us to rise. We were woken up twice before: with each guard change, to ensure we were waiting on a bus and not just using the station as a bed and breakfast. Slowly we gathered our belongings and headed outside for the first time.

It was the first time since we got to Santiago that we didn't have to search, buy, or schedule car/bus/plane pick-ups. We were free to explore!

We made our way to a close by park. It was the closest to nature we have been for a while. It was summer in Chile! We came from a harsh winter in SLC with frozen roads and fresh snow.

We set-up a slackline and played Acro for a few hours. We slept a little longer on the grass while the sun warmed our backs. It felt like heaven. We contemplated our long journey, our mishaps and the race to come. We were excited to finish with all the travel and to start focusing on the Patagonian Expedition Race.

We are free to play!

Hunger and thirst came and we strolled our way to the closest market. White bread and cheese never tasted so good. Chocolate ice-cream appetizers nourished our bodies and souls. With full bellys we strolled back to the bus station. Internet connection was required since we still had to figure a way to get from the bus station in Puerto Montt to the airport.

Taz (the team captain) was dealing with this issue. He contacted a truck driver in Puerto Montt. The plan was simple: Pick-up at Puerto Montt. Deliver to Airport. All the pieces of the puzzle were in place.

Waiting 24+ hrs in a Chilean bus station is not an easy task. There was not a single comfortable seat and we were not allowed to lie on the floor. Internet was completely gone by now and the station TV was only showing the Chilean version of 'People's Court'. At least we were able to charge our devices from the single live outlet we found although the internet was very spotty.

Hey... Please don't do 'that' in 'here'.

Boredom came fast and we decided to entertain ourselves and other fellow companions in the station. Sam and I started doing Acro. We were having the practice of our lives! Our bodies wanted and needed all this action. We were deep into our practice when a guard came and asked us not to do 'that' in 'here'.

As I was explaining to him that we were not asking for money and gentleman handed me a 1,000 CHP note! What was a supposed to do?! Said Thanks! And moved on. We only needed 799 more of those to recover from our losses. Perfect timing!

3 Coin Hockey Game... with hairband variation.

After being denied our Acro we continued entertaining ourselves as well as we could. We played: Ninja Destruction, Coin Soccer, Coin Basketball and invented a coin game that included the use of hair bands. It was amusing for us and for children and adults in our surroundings.

Nighttime came and with it the time to board our bus to Puerto Mont. But the bus was not there.

It's 11:00 pm... No bus in sight...

6) A Bike Box Tale

2013-02-26T09:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua’s Bus Station

Wed Feb 6^th 5:00 pm

Elena, giving us hope

Bus Norte was our salvation. Elena, the sales person, was very kind and helpful. We got tickets for Thursday at 11:00 pm, one day after, to Puerto Montt. From Puerto Montt we would have to fly to Punta Arenas. The one advantage of this transaction? We will make it to Punta on Friday with time to spare for skills test and gear check.

We still had one more issue to handle: the bike box. Since we were boarding the bus at Rancagua, and the bus route staarts in Santiago, the luggage compartment would be full by the time we boarded. We had to send the box ahead to Osorno. By the time we reach Osorno most passengers and their luggage would have debarked the bus, giving us the coveted space to board our bikes. Sounded complex, but we went ahead with it. After all, it was our only real option.

At 10:30 pm on Wednesday we put our bike box into the bus to Osorno. It felt perfectly into the luggage compartment. And once more we felt the joy of having two bikes on one box. Our efforts were paying forward. Suddenly, we felt a rush of energy and celebrated with some Acro and cheers. It felt like the wheels of Karma were finally turning on our behalf.

Farewell bike box! We will see you in two days!

Now all we had to do now was wait. Wait 25 hrs to our schedule departure for Puerto Montt. Wait and get plane tickets!

Internet was even spottier at this time. We couldn't get a good connection to purchase our tickets. Plus, to get the cheap rates through SkyAir you need to have a Chilean credit card. So, we got our good local friends to make the purchase for us.

Jorge and Catalina were taking care of the purchase. They had been helping us since we arrived in Santiago 6 days ago. After picking us up at the airport they had a full time job carrying us around Santiago searching for a car and visiting public offices.

Finally some good news!

Nonetheless, the nightmare net of the Chilean system also affected the locals. The SkyAir website didn't allow them to make the purchase. We had to try through another source.

This is where Rodrigo and Andrea entered our labyrinth of despair offering order and high hopes. We contact them with the huge request: purchase 3 tickets from Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas for tomorrow. They were onboard but they had to wait until later tonight to get home to do so. We waited, un-patiently.

A few hours went by, the guys slept on top of our now lighter luggage. I watched a re-run movie with english subtitles. Calm came to us when Rodrigo contacted us to get our travel information and peace came with the news of the purchase.

Left luggage at Bus Station

Ahhhhh, finally all tickets were purchased. We could rest and let go. Our destiny was set: bus tomorrow night, flight to Punta Arenas the day after. We got rid of most of our luggage at the 'left luggage' office of the terminal. It was the best spent 7,000 CHP so far.

Adrenaline levels went back to normal and we felt the effects of 48 hrs without proper sleep. After finding a cozy floor space and inflating our Klymit mats we felt in the deepest sleep we had had in a week.

Waking up at the bus station. We were too tired to take a picture the night before. :-(

5) Please sell me a bus ticket

2013-02-25T15:34:00.001-06:00

5) Please sell me a bus ticket

Rancagua Bus Station

Wed Feb 6^th, 3:00 PM

500 lbs on a tow... Heading to the Bus Station

We had our grand entrance to the bus station on a tow truck full of gear. Downloaded our 550 lbs to the closest corner and went on a mission to find bus tickets to Punta Arenas, while Tom guarded/slept on the gear.

All our Casino Internet research told was that we could go from:

Rancagua to Punta Arenas through Osorno by bus, or
Rancagua to Puerto Montt and then fly to Punta Arenas

Flying was a faster option but much more expensive considering our excess weight. Sam and I headed on a mission to find tickets. I was the translator. Sam was the only person with a RUT number.

See all those bus companies? We spoke to most!

Once again we were sent from one bus booth to another searching for a place with open seats to Punta Arenas. We found it! The bus company Cruz Del Sur had 5 tickets for tomorrow night!!! We just had to sleep in the bus station for a night and spend the day there. Perfect! We were tired so resting in one place for a day sounded appealing. Wait, not so fast.

Again nothing comes simple to this crew. The guy would not sell us the tickets without a form from the Argentinian consulate. Some form that I had to fill out and pay online. I tried to explain to him that he could sell me the tickets, put them aside and then give them to me once I give him the Argentinean paperwork. I was afraid that with our luck the tickets would sell before I finish swimming the bureaucratic ocean. But it was no-possible…

The mighty 'Form' at the Argentinian site.

Did I mention that nothing comes easy for this crew? The internet at the bus station was too spotty for our computer to connect. The cybercafé was out of order and the 'mobile' version of the consulate page was a nightmare. As I was finishing the first form, the guy from Cruz Del Sur came to me with unfortunate news: One of the five tickets had sold. He was now concerned that we would not have tickets. By the time we reached his booth, another ticket had sold. Only 3 left! Well, that's all we need.

In a rush he started filling out the form. The tension from all parts was tangible. He was asking questions and typing slowly, I couldn't take it anymore, so I took over. As soon as the first passenger’s information was on the computer the power went out in the whole station.

The power was out for just a few minutes, but to us all it felt like hours. By the time he was able to login again one more ticket had sold. Getting to Punta Arenas directly by bus was no longer an option.

4) On selling a car in Chile. Not!

2013-02-23T10:00:00.000-06:00

4) On selling a car in Chile. Not!

Wed Feb 6^th

9:00 AM

Sam resting on the flatbed truck in his new ToeSox Sandals.

Sergio, picked us at the Casino parking lot. We were all deep asleep in the sidewalk and slept most of the way to the Notary Office. Our bodies and minds were exhausted. We had not had any proper sleep since Tuesday morning when we got up early to buy the car in Melipilla.

With high hopes we headed to the Notary Office. By now we were experts on the process of buying/selling a car in Chile. We knew that the public Registry would not do the transaction due to our temporary RUT number. The Notary was our only hope. We had the entire paperwork ready... We had it from the day before!

Yet another trip to the Notary Office.

Little did we know, that we could not sell a car that we bought only a day before through a notary office. Since they only give us proof of purchase and not proof of ownership. Had the Public Registry Employees accepted our temporary RUT and given us the proof of ownership 'al tiro' (at the moment like they say here) the car would have been sold. But for us, nothing is ever that simple.

We headed back to the towing company. By then the sun was high on the sky and they had enough time to examine the vehicle. Enough time to realize the piece of junk we bought and decide it was not in their best interest to buy it from us.

We were stuck with the:

'Car That Shall Not Be Named'.

Playtime and then to the bus station!

All the employees of the tow company were very helpful. They really wanted us to find a way to return the car and get our money back. However, we were pressed on time. We were all meant to be in Punta Arenas on Friday for the skills tests. We were still heading the Patagonian Expedition Race… remember?

Our only option was to put a formal complaint with the 'Carabineros' (police) stating the kms we traveled and the day that the 'Car That Shall Not Be Named' died on us. In that way we could continue our travels to Punta Arenas, race and head back to deal with our junk with wheels.

Riding with the boys.

Complaints were filled, papers were signed, our story was told yet another time and we headed with our 550 lbs of gear to the bus station in Rancagua.

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3) Car trouble

2013-02-22T08:00:00.000-06:00

Rancagua

Wed Feb 6^th, 2:00 am

After only 70 km of travel...

I woke up in the back of the 'furgon' to a lot of smoke and a quiet engine. Sam is driving and Tom is acting as a copilot. The car coasts for a while before stopping dead next to SOS highway phone station.

Our Carry Furgon’s engine is located underneath the front seats. Sam and Tom lifted the sits to let the hot air escape and cool the engine. They assessed the situation for a while and decided to sleep for a couple to hours before trying to restart the car. Two hours later the guys refilled the coolant liquid and oil and gave it another shot. It looked like we had put liquid in a colander, oil was dripping on the ground from several places and coolant was coming out the exhaust. There was no hope of restarting the car again.

DeLorme once more allowing us to stay InReach.

I walked to the SOS booth and called for help. An operator answered the call quickly and sent a tow truck while we slept a little longer. The plan was to tow the car back to Santiago. The public highway tow could only take us to a private tow company; they would have to tow us back to Santiago at our expense.

On the way to the towing company we told our story to the tow operator. The operator became interested in buying our gas canister and car! Our plans changed immediately, we just had to wait until 9 am to go to the local Notary Office to sell him the car, for 1/8 of the price we bought it for.

At the gas station using the internet.

It was 4:30 am when we met Sergio. Sergio is the owner of Gruas Flores, the private company that will take our car to Santiago. Him and our truck operator spoke for a while and decided to purchase the car from us. They had the means to fix the car and re-sale it later. Since we had to wait until 9:00 am to do the paperwork, we left the car at Sergio’s place.

Sergio took us to a gas station where we could use the internet for a few hours. Since the internet was not working we called him again and he was nice enough to pick us up and took us to a nearby Casino that had internet. While we wait for the working day to start, we would have to figure our best option to get to Punta Arenas. Taking the bus to Punta Arenas seemed to be our only option. However, none of the online sites allowed us to purchase tickets. It seemed that the only option was to go to the bus station directly and hope for the best.

Heading to the Casino or maybe trespassing charges.

A few hours later Sergio picked us up at the Casino’s parking and we headed to the notary. Finally, we will be able to get rid of the car and continue our travels.

Wait... Not so soon, Not so easy.

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2) On buying a car in Chile

2013-02-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

2) On buying a car in Chile

Santiago

February 1^st - 5^th

Jorge with the long To-Do List

Traveling on a very tight budget with 550 lbs of gear is not an easy task. We decided that our best chance was to buy a car in Santiago and head down to Punta Arenas on our own. This fancy move would save us money on overweight luggage fees in buses and planes and will allow us to adventure in the Chilean and Argentinian roads both before and after the PER.

The information we found on the internet was straight forward:

Get a RUT # (Tax payer ID #)
Find a car
Buy a car

They said the process should take one or two days. Very fast and easy!

What they failed to mentions is that none of the public employees are aware of the process of selling a car to a foreigner. And due to this lack of knowledge are unwilling to search for a solution. Ohhh and most public offices only work Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 2:00 pm! So, our Friday arrival to Santiago was unfortunate.

Sam signing and 'digitizing' the purchase

For four days we were ping-ponged from agency to agency. Almost every place we visited told us first hand that the process was impossible. We had to cite the internet, pretend that we know what we were talking about to have a supervisor sent to us with some willing hands.

As I said, our budget and time frame was very limited so we bought the best car we found, for the price that we could afford, which wasn't much! Our new ride was a 1985 Suzuki Carry that we found advertised on the internet in Melipilla, 1hr away from Santiago. Our salesman ensure us that it will make the trip to Punta Arenas and back -no problem! We were very excited to find a car that would fit the three of us and all our gear.

Our sweet new ride!

Buying the car was a long and tedious process. We had to:

Have both buyer (we) and seller present at the moment of transaction
Have both RUTs
Have the Circulation Permit and the Mechanical Revision Paper for the Car
Pay the Contract
Pay the Car Transfer plus 1.5% in Taxes in a Bank
Have an Official Estimated Car Value (equivalent to the Blue Book in the states)
Receive the Padron (proof of ownership). This should be given immediately if done in the Public Registry. If not, it takes between 15 to 20 days.

It took us a day of walking from office to office to buy the car. The public sector would not help us buy it so we had to do it through a notary office. The notary group was very helpful and understanding of our needs. They helped us expedite the process and even get a travel authorization form.

Fenix Power for All!

The thing is that to go to Punta Arenas (Chile) by car you have to travel through Argentina. To do so, the car must be on your name (you need the Padron) or you will need a travel authorization from the owner. The last of our bureaucratic transactions was that. Finally we can head to Punta Arenas!

Car paid, with temporary RUT and temporary acquisition papers we were ready to head out to Santiago. In our first short ride we realized neither the windshield wipers nor the blinkers worked. We bargained with our salesman to lowered the established priced or to fix it. He took us to a mechanic whom after seeing the car for a few minutes said it was not possible in a rush. That was a bad omen. Yet, we were determined to go on.

At 11:00 pm, from Maipú, we said good bye to Jorge and Catalina and with our new car featuring Fenix headlamps and Nite Ize turn signals, we started our trip down to Punta Arenas.

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1) International Travel on Stand-by

2013-02-20T14:42:00.001-06:00

1) International Travel on Standby

SLC, Utah toSantiago, Chile

Jan 30th 2013

Sorting race food. Main sources:
Royal Hawaiian Nuts, Journey Bars, TailWind

We have been preparing for the Patagonian Expedition Race for weeks. Getting all the gear together, sorting food and making bike boxes have been taking most of our time. Gear from our sponsors is arriving steadily but slowly.

We are three of the four members of Team Four Continents: Sam Salwei, Tom Grundy and I (Luz Raquel Hernández). We are getting ready to meet our team Captain: Taz Lawrie. It is Tom and I’s first Patagonian Expedition Race (PER), Sam's 2nd and Taz's 3rd.

There are a lot of questions directed to Sam, being the only one of us with previous experience. A former member of the team has allowed us to stay at his house. We have taken over his basement and converted it into a production and sorting machine. Boxes and boxes of gear and food arrive daily. We are all amazed by the quantity of gear required for three people and the vast amount of packaging it comes in.

Precision cutting with Wenger Knife

The biggest of our projects is making bike boxes. We have decided to save big bucks by recreating a design we found on the internet for road bikes. Our improved design will allow us to transport a fully assembled mountain bike, saving us a bunch of time in race transitions. Brilliant idea! Even more brilliant than that: realizing that we can air transport two bikes and two bike boxes for the price of one. By placing two bikes in one box and creating the second box big enough to nest outside, while result shipping two bikes and two bike boxes for the price of one. Flying with our custom designed boxes will cost us half the amount of money. Given that we stay within the right weight and dimensions.

We are racing the clock to make our SLC departure at midnight. The last of our gear boxes arrived at 5:45 pm. Our 'workshop' is still a sea of gear and we are moving as fast as we can. Our mission is to keep all bags at the required 50 lbs limit. The last packing hours are spent compiling each bag with different assortments of gear, food and clothing. The heaviest items have been put aside to be taken as carry-ons. This allows us to cheat the airline weight limit just a little.

It is 11:00 pm and we are just leaving the house. We are sure we will lose our flight. On the way to the airport we verify our departure time and for our surprise it is a 12:50 am departure! We have almost an hour! We might make that flight after all!!!

Atlanta Airport: One more flight to go!

At the airport we shuffle our luggage and bike box to the check-in counter. The moment of truth has come: would the bike box be in the allowed dimensions? will the bags be past the weight limit?

It turns out that flying stand-by had saved us! We were allowed 2 checked bags each, including the bike box. That's all we had! We only had to pay the bike box fare. All our bags were 1 or 2 lbs over. The bike box was 1 inch and 2 lbs over but we were allowed to go on.

A big weight was lifted off our shoulders (literally 550 lbs!) when we checked our entire luggage. Each of us had a large carry-on and a small personal bag. Carry-ons were probably 50 lbs each! We went past airport security wondering if all our gels would make it by. We had no problems at all and headed to our flight.

Bored on an airport? Never!

This was my first time flying stand-by. I was expecting to miss a few flights, to be sent in separate flights and to arrive to Santiago two or three days after we expected. But luck was on our side: we all made our first flight to Atlanta, had a relaxing 16 hr layover where we manage to sleep for the first time in days and made our flight to Santiago with no further difficulties. Tom even got to fly first class, lucky him!

Food Impound

Once in Santiago we gather all our belongings and headed to customs. We had ‘something to declare’. Food, expensive equipment, slacklines for sale… a lot! We were not sure what was going to be impounded… but we didn’t know we were about to lose all our Beef Jerky. Imagine, me, a vegetarian, defending the faith of pounds of Krave and Sweet Water Beef Jerky. Fate was not in our side and we watched with sad eyes how they were all destroyed.

We thought the hardest part of the travel to PER had happened... Little did we know destiny’s plan.

Bye-bye Jerky, meat eaters Tom and Sam will miss you.

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No one Died at the Advanced Practitioners Retreat!

2012-06-04T01:30:00.000-05:00

This May, in an effort to keep the YogaSlacker's collective fire burning bright, we hosted an "Advanced Practitioners Retreat" in Bend, OR. Basically we put the word out to all the current YS teacher that we wanted to facilitate a weekend of total non-stop bad-assery. Mountain biking, climbing, standing acrobatics, and lots and lots of slacking. Focusing primarily on how to make the leap into longlining and highlining, the crew set up parallel 240' lines, and the next day rigged a 75' highline next to a beautiful waterfall.

We were all certainly a bit nervous, but in the end, everyone took some huge falls, and several of the team got some great walks. Slacker Jeremy Hasty from Colorado Springs proved the man of the day when he did a full yoga sequence on the line! It was inspiring to watch!

The action and effort of the long weekend was non-stop, leaving the crew battered, bruised, and beer-ready by the end of Sunday. Luckily for us, not only is Bend one of the best outdoor playgrounds on the planet, it is also home to some of the best beer! Can't wait till next year!

CHILE- USA - NZ - The YogaSlacker Recovery Method...

2012-03-04T21:21:00.002-06:00

Team YogaSlackers/GearJunkie at the finish line!

It's crazy to think that just last week, Jason and I were at the southern tip of Chile- teaching along with Sam and Ariel in Punta Arenas! There is a growing community of yogis down there, who are more than eager to be a group of avid slackers and acroyogis! We are super excited to go back next year for the Patagonian Expedition Race- and now to help grow the budding yoga community! We feel very fortunate to have a second family as well, Gorge, Gina, Ariel and Betty are the family we stay with when we go down, they are the nicest people ever. If you ever head down to Punta Arenas, let us know and we will point you in their direction.

This years race was an amazing, brutal, suffer fest for everyone involved. It was our first race, but not first adventure with the new addition to our YogaSlackers Team- Paul Cassedy. Paul has been with YogaSlackers since the very beginning and is often referred to as the "ultimate slacker". His down to earth, relaxed southern california surfer vibe has a lot to do with that…. "He definitely impressed me!" says Jason, "I knew from our wind kiting expedition across North Dakota that he was strong and stubborn- but he blew me out of the water this time. We are excited to have him race with us more and more!". Daniel and I couldn't agree more. Paul came into the race with an ankle injury, which quickly turned into a knee injury throughout the race. Watching him go down hills was agony for all of us. He's quite vocal- but he never gives up!

Paul belaying Daniel up YogaSlackers Pass

Dan and I had our own injuries as well, Dan got bursitis in his knee at the start of the trek and I twisted my ankle the second to last day of the monster trek and got a nasty fungus infection on my foot. Jason as usual, started out steady and kept it up the entire time. He did however fall into a icy cold river in the middle of a blizzard on the last day of the trek. We were all pretty much hobbling our way across the finish line. Other teams had their own sagas - our friends Dancing Pandas made the trekking cut off by just 13 minutes!! They could barely walk due to their own fight with the foot fungus. Their's proved to be FAR worse then mine, as they had to get morphine shots to walk off the boat on the last day!

This race quickly goes from a race to a survival mode expedition. That's why it keeps pulling us back, it truly is "The Last Wild Race". When it is just us out there taking our own routes, exploring and going as fast as we can- that is when it gets good, and we come together as a team more than ever. This year we forged a river with our sleeping pads, went up and over two exposed passes (we named one GearJunkie Pass and one YogaSlackers Pass). To read Jason's race report and our teams gear review- please click here or visit gearjunkie.com. More videos are coming as well!

Ariel rocking it in the wild lands of Patagonia at CP 17

Sam's team - 4 Continents had to pull out in the middle of the monster trek due to a teammate getting a sprained ankle. Sam then came aboard the boat that we were all stuck on for a couple days, it was nice to see him, we all shared the last of our food and stories. Fellow Slacker- Ariel was out on the third to last checkpoint on the monster trek. It was amazing and a bit surreal seeing her shining face out in the middle of nowwhere- she was such an energetic boost! After seeing her- we went nonstop through the night to try and catch East Wind and finish the trek. She had a slackline up and was teaching her crew headstands and slacklining.

While Paul and Dan are back home nursing their injuries, and sleeping and eating lots, Jason and I are now on the other side of the world- in Te Anau, New Zealand- sharing our love of Acro and Slacklining in the southern most city of New Zealands Southland! We came here last year and loved it so much, we opted to come back again. While it was a smaller group this year, we had a lot of returning eager Kiwis, who rocked all three days of our YogaSlackers intensive. We gave them a whole training regime- complete with a slackline workout, acro training drills and a whole acrobatic flow entitled "The Te Anau Tango". We will have YogaSlacker Kiwis in no time!! Kerri Anne who hosts us and runs the non profit- Te Anau Yoga, is extremely welcoming. It feels like a second home to us, and we hope to come back every year to teach and go on missions.

Lots of throne to standing on shins:)

Beth our extremely amazing hostess!

Today marks the start of our honeymoon, we have two more weeks on the Southland- we plan on going on some pack rafting missions, some long runs, and treks along the south coast and on Stewart Island… we also hope to visit one of Ibex's wool stations!! I love sheep!!

Cows – the next level of slacklining…

2012-02-28T20:52:00.001-06:00

Perhaps it was Andy Lewis’s stellar slackline appearance during Madonna’s equally impressive Super Bowl half time show. Or maybe it was simply due to a lack of waves…regardless of the motivation, my dear friend Kadri DB Kurgun and I were inspired one sunny morning in Rincon, Puerto Rico to do a slackline photo shoot in a large field with massive palm trees, beautiful ocean background views and what we thought would be innocent bystanders - some of the local cows.

Now for those of you who have been following the progress of the YogaSlackers, or even slacklining in general, you know that there has been some crazy stuff going on. From long lines to high lines, water lines, rodeo lines, static lines and dynamic lines we seem to be diversifying in all shapes, sizes and directions, especially over the last year. As Andy Lewis so eloquently put it “Slacklining isn’t a trend, it’s a lifestyle”. And it’s true – we’re all pushing the limits of this amazing practice of balance, love and lifestyle.

Which is why it only seems fitting to get some animals involved…

Little did we know when we set up the line that the seemingly uninterested cows would even take notice. Choosing a set of palm trees based on the lighting, we anchored the line expecting the cows to stay in their herd in the background. But as soon as the line went up things rapidly progressed. Turns out cows are totally into slacklining, or very curious about it at least.

As we began shooting all I could see was Kadri’s face laughing as I took a couple poses wondering why the seemingly short, 35 ft line was shaking like a 300 ft long line. Turns out the cows had walked up to it and were actually nudging it with their heads and even tongues.

More cows came over to check it out and we even had to stop shooting for a moment to chase after one that picked up my bag of clothes in it’s mouth and started to walk off with it

Needless to say these amazingly cute creatures are also very inquisitive and quite observant. After their initial check in with the line and sad conclusion that it could not be eaten, the cows sat back and watched, with one even licking my hand at times with a huge black tongues, about the length of my head. And after their initial check in and failed attempt to score a bag of free yoga clothes the cows went back to their business of eating, sleeping and even playing with each other (so cute again).

So not to say there is an implied trend here but there is a lifestyle consideration underneath it all as I do believe we could all stand to spend some more time interacting with animals that often times get neglected until they can serve purpose for our needs. And maybe, just maybe over time all of this balance, concentration and fun that slacklining instills inside us could extend to our other relationships with our friends, family, strangers and perhaps even the animals we pass by time and time again.

Special thanks to Kadri Kurgun for sharing the experience and always making me laugh (even when cows aren’t involved). Check out more of his work at www.kadrikurgun.com

With love for slackers, and cows everywhere…

-adi

And a couple more shots from the day after the cows got bored with us...

Redefining Rest

2011-12-31T11:14:00.000-06:00

It is interesting to look back, especially as the new year approaches.
The past three days, the weather up here in Bend, Oregon has been nasty. And after a solid week of training it seemed like a good time for a rest day. But instead, for some reason each day we resisted the temptation, and ventured into the outdoors to train. We almost made it through Wednesday, but ended up at the gym for an 90 minute lifting session as a "warm-up" for an evening yoga class. Thursday was bitter cold, with unseasonal downpours, and high winds. Certainly we would have been justified in hunkering down next to the fire with a good book, but someone got the idea that the conditions were just about as close to what we'd experience in the upcoming Patagonian Expedition Race, and the idea stuck. A cold, wet (but somehow still fun) 3 hour training ride on our Ellsworth mountain bikes ensued - complete with fartlek pushup sprints at the end.

Friday, however we were all determined NOT to train. Our bodies had certainly been sending "rest" messages for days, and finally we listened. But by mid afternoon we were going pretty stir crazy, with random guttural screams and spontaneous wrestling matches erupting around the house. The rest day seemed to stretch on forever.

Is I tried in vain to go to sleep, I wondered if why I(we) were like this. If it had always been this way. I certainly feel lazy much of the time, and enjoy sitting around with my morning coffee till it is late in the day. But something seems to always push me out of that place of physical contentment before too long.

An hour later, still unable to sleep, I was sorting through old computer files, and stories I'd written. I came across a movie I'd made over two years ago...and it seemed all to familiar...
(the text below the movie is what I wrote that day....)

The day after we finished our monster AcroYoga teaching weekend, we were in desperate need of a rest. And we tried, but YogaSlacker Dan had flown all the way from Minnesota to Arizona for the Acro workshop, and we couldn't let him go back to the cold north bitterness without showing him exactly what sort of things he'd be missing....so we kept the climbing to 5.10 and 5.11, and since Chelsey was teaching yoga classes all day - there were just three of us so we all got a bit of rest while the others climbed. The routes were all long (35m) and really really disgustingly sustained. As someone in the video says - "we are gonna need another rest day after this rest day..."

May you all have at least some relaxing moments on this last day of the year....

Jason

Before YogaSlackers

2011-12-30T00:37:00.000-06:00

As Sam and Dan rebuild the floor in the climbing gym in North Dakota - I think it is time for a history lesson...YogaSlackers actually started on the floor of the Northern Heights Rock Gym in Grand Forks ND....years before it was actually called YogaSlackers....or even before we knew how to slackline....just crazy dirtbags trying to squeeze the most out of every moment....the above video is full of those formative moments...and lots of cool outfits...

Coastal Training Trip!

2011-12-21T01:06:00.000-06:00

Paul getting a look at the wave action...

Chelsey here!

We are spending the Solstice week on the Coast of Oregon - celebrating the approach of more light and longer days by training our asses off! Paul, our new 4th for The Patagonian Expedition Race arrived in Bend on Friday night. Since we know that the race will have paddling to Cape Horn, we headed to the Coast for 3 days of lots of paddling, a bit of biking and running and ALOT of eating and laughing. It's only the first day, and we have managed to hit them all! The morning started out with our trademark breakfast of eggs, toast, greens and LOTS of yummy coffee. We then headed out to the port blaring "Eye of the Tiger" while looking out at the 14 ft waves. Getting out of the bay was all well and good, and even out in the ocean, it was beautiful despite the massive ground swell. After about an hour and a half (Jason left the bag full of training food at the cabin so we went until we were good and starving) we headed back to the jetty. Despite the guys assuring me that getting back in was going to be a piece of cake, I was eyeing the HUGE crashing waves to my right and left with some anxiety brewing in my belly. Paul did an awesome job of lining us up for a great entry back into the port, but the waves were hitting us from all sides. Trying to enter back into the bay was much more challenging - as the ebb tide was moving about 7 km/hour against us, so we were basically sitting in one place getting buffeted. We paddled harder and harder and didn't go anywhere...

Jason, Paul and I finally managed to get into the calmer section after some close calls, but when we looked back we couldn't see Dan. We waited for a minute or two paddling still to stay in one place, and then we saw his paddle moving. He'd capsized 3 times, having to dive after his surf ski! Apparently a passing boat had been really worried about us and called the Coast Guard. They were coming out to find us as we made it in and the harbor seals welcomed us back to our dock by barking and sliding off their rocks into the water.

Back at the cabin we slammed some well deserved food into our mouths, changed into our biking clothes and started our afternoon coastal rode ride. The ride was amazing, especially since two days before I had the most humbling ride of my racing/training career. (My road tires had been at 40 psi instead of 115 psi)

Today's ride felt great as I could keep up with the guys and the scenery was so beautiful- lakes, beaches, rivers and beautiful green colors.

Tonight we feasted on fish, leafy greens and some bean and veggie stew I put into the crockpot this morning. Paul entertained us by cooking for us in "Paul's Country Kitchen".

Tomorrow is another big day - we start the day with a 50 mile ride and end it with a paddle and some beach combing..

Happy Solstice!!!

Love- Chelsey, Jason, Daniel and Paul

AssistDance

2011-12-06T03:13:00.004-06:00

October 17, 2011 - 2:15am
Getting on my bike, I turn on my handlebar mounted video camera. This morning, I am recording my 35 minute bike ride to Houston's Yoga One studios where for the last three weeks I have been assisting the Forrest Yoga Teacher Training. I have four more days until I return home to Arizona, thus completing my participation in all three of Ana's 2011 trainings. Supreme honour pervading feelings of excitement and nostalgia make up the emotional cocktail of the moment. As scenes of Houston’s nightlife flash by, I pedal forth, considering my experiences and achievements. Thinking back seven months to when I was in Boston, assisting the training for the first time, I remember where my practice was then and fully appreciate how I’ve progressed. Rolling into Yoga One, I arrive right when Ana does. We meet at the door and enter at 2:55am. Our first order of business is to practice the class that Ana will teach at 7am. The mix of an extremely early yoga practice following an invigorating bike ride proved to be a strong amplifier of a healthy relationship betweeen body and mind. Arriving at the studio by bike every morning, my body had already a good physical and aerobic experience, but my mind was still pretty chilled out. This meant that my practice was free from all mental baggage and excelling in the poses and transitions became easier and easier. It’s a very surreal process… very dreamlike. It is like being on a slackline. You don’t fully acknowledge your accomplishments until after they are over. During, all that exists is pure presence. There is no room for excess thinking. All that exists is feeling and doing. This cozy relationship of the think and the feel enabled me to experience several “quantum leaps” in my practice. The first of which was in a morning practice during the Los Angeles training. I was in bridge with a leg up. My eyes were closed as I rode the waves of sensation in my legs and pelvis. Suddenly I hear Ana’s voice, very close over me. She's cueing me as she performs a new hands on assist that I had never experienced. My eyes open automatically for only enough time to take in the scene and then they shut back down as I receive the assist. Through three or four breaths, Ana takes my hamstrings into release and my leg travels near effortlessly into much deeper flexion over my torso. With my next breath, I feel something like a knock in my sacrum... like a latch flung open on a shutter bowing under the wind's pressure. In such a short amount of time, I was able to delve much deeper in the pose with the right focus and Ana’s assist. In Houston, armed with the bike ride/ early practice combo, I was able to provoke many similar quantum leaps with breath alone. The most notable is lowering from handstand into astavakrasana. Now, that I practice during more sunlit hours, replicating that “early morning mind” feeling dramatically helps me through mental hurdles in the pose and also in life. Through out my nearly 60 days with Ana in 2011, my ability to teach, train and be trained went through many quantum leaps.

Ana's trainings are just as much human training as they are teacher training and those experiences surely don't end when the training does. Assisting all of 2011's trainings has been a springboard for both my practice and my teaching. In closing I will say that anyone who has the means and the desire to work with Ana in any form should jump on the chance to do so. Go for it, and then go deeper.

by Chip Fieberg
chipandlaura.com
yogaslackers.com

Don’t Let the Yogaslackers Kill You - by Gillian Pierce

2011-11-30T02:00:00.000-06:00

November 17^th, 2011

After spending the last 4 days filming a documentary on Yoga and Intention with the Yogaslackers in New York City, I am left with the image of standing on the subway platform and the massive whoosh of air when a train rolls through. Now sitting alone in my brother’s small Manhattan apartment, minutes after they left, the only word that describes the experience is “whirlwind”. Four of the Slackers are now in a car (with no backseat) traveling to Montreal to teach part of their Acro Yoga tour. And as a tribute to their undying energy I have decided that instead of collapsing, as I so desperately desire, or calling my boyfriend as I also desperately desire, I am going to follow their lead to go further than I think I can, and go deeper into my exhaustion by sitting down to write.

Other than my friendship with the slackers (born at a yoga journal conference in 2008 where I was taken by their energy and presence), I signed on for this project for several reasons. Mostly out of a desire to gain filming experience, but also from a personal interest in the project because of my own yoga exploration, which has taken many forms over the last 15 years.

Interview with Sri Dharma Mittra

The streets of NYC

I have studied with renowned teachers, but I am not consistent with one style of yoga and often feel guilty when I sway from a traditional practice. As for the filming, I completed a two-week documentary video workshop this fall and was eager to put those brand new skills to use. The extent of my planning with the Slackers was an email confirming that I did in fact buy a plane ticket (self-funded) and a basic schedule of some of the yoga classes. This loose outline, and little knowledge of the scope of the project, led me to a fantasy of strolling the city, attending a few yoga classes, and filming a bit as we go. What I didn’t picture was the exhaustion of an absolute physical and mental marathon that felt like their version of a NYC yoga adventure race, with 3-4 yoga classes a day spread across the city, with little to no time allotted for eating, drinking, or rest of any sort.

deep in practice

Oh, and did I mention the elevator ban? At first, I myself scoffed at the elevator rule, wondering what difference it could possibly make, and accepted a personal “hall-pass” from the rule based on my heavy camera equipment. But as I write this, I honestly feel regret over not having joined them on the stairs. As I watched this new Slacker rule unfold, I witnessed the absurdity of our mainstream culture that Jason pointed out. The standard accepted practice is to drive our car to the gym to exercise on stationary machines- including STAIRMASTERS, yet given multiple opportunities throughout the day to move our bodies, we choose not to. There would be little need for gyms (and a much lower obesity rate) if people simply used the stairs. And to make matters even more absurd, some of the doormen tried to enforce access solely to the elevators, and even denied the use of stairs until the issue of fires was mentioned. Even more than this basic absurdity, the main reason I wish I had joined the stair movement, is it perfectly illustrates the essence of the Yogaslackers. They are constantly looking for a deeper way in. Through their acro practice, slacklining, and adventure racing, they are always seeking a more authentic and raw experience and ways to simply allow the pain to move through them. They didn’t flinch when they found out one studio was on the 17^th floor.

deep in play

After four days with the Slackers, I am only slowly beginning to understand that all of their actions are intentional ways for them to live their philosophy- to continue to explore their own limits and a vow to never get too comfortable, rather than some kind of image for the outside world. They explained that in adventure racing it is easy to look for a way out and question the point of their discomfort. So instead, in everyday life, they choose to see the only constant as change and to embrace suffering, and more so have fun with it. They live their lives in continuous practice.

In my “normal” life I typically get 8 hours of sleep. I came to NYC slightly sleep deprived already, and have been running on about 5 hours a night since I arrived. By day 3 one of the Slackers said, and I quote, “Don’t let the Yogaslackers kill you”. She went on to explain how they have burnt out several camera people and how hard it is to keep up with them. A quick recap of the week: Monday- Dharma Mittra master class and Jivamukti Tuesday-Ashtanga Mysore in the am, a 2 hour Level 4 master Iyengar class and Breakti (Break dance and Yoga) Wednesday- Fight Club Yoga, Anti Gravity Yoga, Naked Yoga, Budokon, Thursday- Yoga Pole, Abhyasa (Pranayama), Anusara.

So on day four, now that the filming project is actually finished, I am finally just beginning to acclimate to this idea of fun in suffering that the Slackers have seemed to introduce. Last night we were all exhausted and hungry at the end of a long day, when rushing to our next class the Slackers decided to perform Acro moves in Times Square in the rain, delaying our search for a quick dinner. After the impromptu performance, I found myself laughing as I was now soaking wet and cold dodging a sea of people and umbrellas in the driving rainstorm. I realized that the Yogaslackers left me with this sense that the yoga really does occur off the mat, as we make choices everyday to respond and react to things, and the more we label things as “uncomfortable” the more we succumb to that idea.

Not only did the Yogaslackers NOT kill me, but if they asked me again I would happily: take my clothes off in front of a bunch of strangers, climb the stairs to the 17^th floor, get too little sleep, lug a big camera bag around in the rain, share a tiny apartment, and physically exhaust myself with them in New York City.

Gillian Pierce lives, writes, films, photographs, plays, and practices in Boulder, Colorado.

the simple life...

2011-11-01T12:45:00.000-05:00

It is a crisp 18 degrees here in Bend Oregon. The woodstove is cranking, and the new ecofan whirring. Coffee is brewing, and I am about to practice Acro with my wife Chelsey. It feels like Christmas has come early!

Remember that our house is open for visitors!

Team YogaSlackers/GearJunkie place 6th in the Nation

2011-10-31T00:48:00.001-05:00

Below is a recap of our final race of the season- Checkpoint Tracker Nationals in Kentucky! While it wasn't our best showing, we sure did learn alot! Sometimes those experiences are actually the best as they make us see what we need to improve on.. and a bit of humiity every once in a while is always healthy. Jason and I are back home in Bend enjoying lots of yoga, acrobatics, and climbing the local mountains before the snow falls!! Our next big race is the Patagonian Expedition Race in February 2012. We'll be back to training hard soon enough...

Checkpoint Tracker Nationals - October 2011
It was a cool night in western Kentucky. The start of the Adventure Racing Championship event by Checkpoint Tracker was still 12 hours away, but our entire team had a sinking feeling — the race director had just announced that the course would essentially be decided early on by a massive traditional orienteering “race within a race.” An hour later, as we plotted the checkpoints in our hotel room, we got a better sense of the scope of the difficulties ahead. Teams would have 10 hours to get as many of the section’s 23 checkpoints as they could amidst the crisscrossing trails, broad ridges, and little gullies that flank the land.

Our team captain Stephen Regenold, founder of GearJunkie.com, is an experienced orienteer, regularly competing (and occasionally winning) regional orienteering events. Unfortunately, Regenold had been unable to join the team for this race as our big annual “Treasure Hunt: Roanoke” event coincided with the CP Tracker race. Regenold’s absence left us still with a strong team, though as demonstrated in the video here, none of us are experts in the intricate skill of traditional orienteering.

In addition to our tough go with the orienteering, a major bike breakdown that cost us an hour in repair time, and a lack of food on the course (we ended up eating found gummy candies off the ground and a piece of hard corn on the cob!) added drama to the event. But in the end, Team GearJunkie/YogaSlackers was one of only eight teams (out of 70 total) to complete the entire course in Kentucky, putting us in 6th place for the nationally-attended event. Next time, we’ll make sure Regenold is leading the charge on the “O course,” and we plan to hone that discipline alone to broaden our quiver of skills. Oh, and we’ll bring more food next time so we don’t have to eat gummy chews dropped in the dirt!

For more blogs and videos on our team as well as great and honest reviews on gear we test please check out www.gearjunkie.com

First Official NYC Meeting of Slacker Stylz

2011-10-14T10:11:00.012-05:00

Yesterday was the first official slacker stylz meeting on Brooklyn Boulders turf where the regular YogaSlackers eLine set up was joined by the Gibbon line for some wild style tandem slacklining madness. I was joined by Gibbon team member Josh Greenwood for an epic 3hr slackline session where we shared tricks, styles and tips for all things yoga, jumping, turning and transitioning on the lines.

And it was a blast...

Not only did we learn a bunch about each others lines we found that the practice of switching back and forth was incredibly humbling...I could barely walk on the eLine after a jumping session on the Gibbon line which uses a ratchet device to tighten it so that it is more like a trampoline with tons of fun bounce to play with. And bouncing, just like learning to walk on the line for the first time, can get pretty addictive - I feel a bit like I got kicked in the stomach today and can't remember the last time my abs were so sore.

Josh also rocked out a bunch of yoga poses on the line learning our inversion and practicing boat pose variations until he stepped off also clenching his core muscles and stating that it was "so intense for your abs". Fortunately it took about 2 seconds recovery time before he was back up doing flips and drops that are surreal to watch in person.

As slacklining gains more and more popularity it is easy to look at other styles and question them. This happens far too much in the climbing world and Josh and I both agreed that it would be pretty cool if all slackers could continue to support each other and the unique styles that are forming and taking off in all sorts of innovative directions. We are both super psyched for the upcoming Slackline Series at Brooklyn Boulders starting this Sunday and now offering 7 different classes Sun-Tues. We look forward to sharing our unique styles with each other and with students as the sport develops and new slackers join the scene.

For Money or Mangoes…the slacker life

2011-09-26T19:46:00.001-05:00

mangoes fresh from the tree ~ nature's currency

For Money or Mangoes…

After a phenomenal summer of road trips, teacher trainings, festivals, surfing, climbing, biking, and recently returning from big walls in Yosemite and a YogaSlackers reunion in Estes Park, I can honestly say this has been one of the best seasons of my life.

El Cap Tower, Yosemite CA

The journey began in May with a cross-country road trip from NYC to California for the YogaSlackers first-ever teacher training. A bit of panic set in when I checked my bank account and saw that the balance was just under $300, hardly enough to cover gas even one way cross-country.

road trippin' ~ trust in the process that you will always arrive where you need to be (especially when lost)

But how, exactly, did it come to this? Well, if you’d like to wipe out your savings teaching yoga and have a phenomenal time in the process here’s the recipe:

First - go to the most expensive city in the world and teach, teach, teach.

The 2010 winter season took me to Tokyo, Japan for 3 months where I taught yoga, AcroYoga, and slacklining to many amazing students. I worked harder teaching than ever before and teaching in Tokyo proved to be one of the most transitional times in my life, introducing me to so many phenomenal people, devoted students and life long friends. Spending 3 months working in Japan I earned a decent living as teachers in Japan are regarded with great respect and professionalism and you are paid quite well for your trade. Only catch is that you get taxed on this income as if you earned it in the USA, something that I forgot in April 2011 when I, reluctantly, paid taxes for 2010.

first YogaSlackers slackline workshop in Japan (Gibbon approved)

Now ordinarily my bank account could come relatively close to accommodating the additional funds owed for taxes however I had spent the winter of 2011 living in Rincon, Puerto Rico surfing and teaching yoga for very little money and in many cases forms of food (like mangos) or services donated by students who were tight on funds.

This financial dilemma seems to be a scenario that many yoga teachers ultimately face- teach (a lot) for money and be able to pay your bills or teach to give back, live simply and see what manifests? Hopefully one day there will be a happy medium but in the meantime I constantly wonder: how necessary is money? In reality, it is just paper… and while there are many benefits to having it, is money a true necessity?

Because none of us made much money working in Rincon we all had a system of trading with each other for what we needed. From bodywork & yoga classes to food, clothes, surf board repairs and rides to the airport this community found a way to get by spending very little. In a way it was a simple practice of karma where whatever is given out is then returned in a new shape and form.

In Japan a similar financial exchange occurred as we all worked really hard, earned lots of money and then spent lots of money on the sheer act of living in Japan. Only trouble was that working all the time could get pretty exhausting and it was hard to find time to do the things you really wanted to do. While there was some work to be done in Rincon, it earned only enough money to get by in many circumstances and rather then working more to earn a couple extra bucks it made sense to just help each other out since we had plenty of free time, especially when there were no waves.

Because many of our friends in Rincon were tight on money, the “mango discount” was instated for my Sunday classes and workshops where locals could pay by donation or just bring a mango from one of the nearby trees in exchange for class. Of course all forms of food were included in this and as a result the class turned into a potluck afterwards with students bringing amazing food and even clothes to share and swap with each other after class.

Aloha Yoga post class clothing swap potlucks

The community of our little outdoor yoga studio grew and we started hanging out after class, surfing and cooking together in our spare time. It was a strong reminder that happiness remains in the simple stuff- the journey, the experience and the people we share it with. What’s truly valuable is very rarely justified by it’s worth in dollars (or yen) and sometimes the best form of payment is eating a whole bunch of mangoes with good friends… and thankfully, we don’t have to pay taxes on that.

Rincon, Puerto Rico ~ where sunset surf sessions are truly priceless

photo by Ben Fullerton / www.fullertonimages.com

And if you are wondering about that cross country road trip and how we covered gas costs… my friend Ryan (who was driving with me and also owns a design & silk screening studio in Rincon) and I designed a t-shirt to sell on our road trip at workshops and events where I was teaching. The YogaSlackers one love // one planet limited edition t-shirt sold enough to cover the cost of our gas cross-country and then we put extra funds into an account for the new 2011 YogaSlackers teacher trainees to help cover their gas money to go out and teach slackline workshops – keep an eye out for them, they are some of the most talented slackers we’ve ever seen!

one love // one planet shirt and some of our first supporters at the Surf Bar, Brooklyn NYC.

thanks to all who supported the cause

Hope you enjoy the journey and keeping slacking for mangoes and whatever else makes you happy...

-Adi

+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+

Not to suggest that you should completely ward off a source of financial income but if you want to teach for mangos and try the YogaSlacker’s guide to living on a budget here are some tips (Thanks to the YogaSlackers teacher training grads for their input):

* try to go a day without spending any money on food (advanced slackers - try a week or month). Use up food in your fridge / pantry and plan a potluck with friends for variety. If you live in a climate where you can grow your own food, compose a dish made entirely from local ingredients.

* go outside when you are looking to do something with your free time. Practice yoga in a park, go for a run or bike ride, slackline, surf, climb a tree (or rock face). Not only are most activities outdoors free of cost they are also usually beneficial to your health allowing you to be active, breathe fresh air and receive exposure to sunlight that helps combat depression and improve sleep.

· plan a clothing / gear swap with friends to clean out your closet of what you don’t need. This is always a great idea just to minimize the stuff you are holding on to as it will literally make you feel lighter to get rid of what you’re not using. These swaps yield unusual treasures that will hopefully also remind you of the person who gave them to you.

· *try to use human-powered transport as much as possible walk/run/bike/climbing up mountains to ski down for travel and avoid gas using cars (again outdoors/health theme)

· *get comfortable camping or build network of friends with couches when traveling…there are many tips on how to find great places to sleep for free on public lands, NFS, BLM, etc.

· *learn how to fix / repair things, sewing, bike, car repair/ maintenance, when many things break or wear out it is a particular part that needs replacing calling the manufacturer has led to me getting replacement parts sent to me for free.

Will pose for firewood...

2011-09-06T03:35:00.000-05:00

Winter is coming....

Chels shows off the woodcutting permit...she dressed to match!

The epitome of lumberjacks...

This fine Labor Day afternoon the smell of, well, labor was in the air...good old fashioned red-neck manual labor. It seemed a perfect chance to bust out our chainsaw, pull on the jeans, slip the old Toyota into 4-wheel drive, and head up into the forest and cut some firewood.

Chels (wo)mans the chainsaw

Some might thing that we only use our fancy ultralight, high-tech expedition gear when we are on a crazy race or adventure in parts unknown, but NO! - we use it to get down and dirty in the "front country" too.

The kit is simple. Prana Jeans (toughness you can move in), Ibex top (comfort, temperature regulation, and no stink), Specialized (biking/chainsaw gloves), Inov-8 (400gram leather goretex boots, lightest in the world!), Wigwam (anti blister socks), Mountain Hardwear (Chelsey's ice climbing gloves that have supreme dexterity and durability), Numa Sunglasses (ballistics grade eye and sun protection), Hydroflask (keeps our java hot and our coconut water cold), Java Juice (well the Java), and CocoHydro (the coconut water)....

prAna jeans, Ibex top, and Jason's Tricep

Just take a look at these amazing photos and you'll clearly see just how versatile our gear (and we) are. These are all realistic action shots, straight from the, well, action. In the end, we stacked nearly 1/2 cord of wood, and survived temperatures that nearly reached a scorching 90 degrees. If you are serious about looking good while you get serious work done, then I suggest you get on board and get your gear sorted out!

Who says bike gloves are only for bikes...?

Inov-8 shoes and Suunto watch help Dan bushwhack though the worksite...

Chels makes a cut while Jason braces the wood. He should really put on his protective Numa sunglasses!

GearJunkie Daniel hard at work

Chels is always ready with her Wenger "Mike Horn" knife

Hydration is SO important after such hard work...

prAna, Hydroflask, Inov-8, CocoHydro, Specialized, Wigwam, Mountain Hardwear, Ibex, Numa, Java Juice and more....