Quick Bio

Hometown: Rock Island, TN

First boat: Peddle Jumper

Favorite boat: T1

Favorite river: The middle channel on the Ottawa, because it has some awesome playspots.

Favorite park & play spot: Push Button on the Ottawa, because it is a great spinning and cartwheeling hole.

Whitewater hero: My dad (former World Champ Eric Jackson), because he has always been there for me and pushed me along even when I was crying.

Best thing that has happened to you at Huge Experience: Meeting all these cool people and being able to improve my boating both physically and mentally.

Scariest or biggest thrill in whitewater: I was really scared when I got worked in the Rock Island hole.

November 8
Here in Chile all sorts of disgusting creatures haunt me. I go to bed knowing any moment earwigs may crawl around my face, and when I walk barefoot a scorpion could be in my path waiting to sting.

Our campsite overlooking the Rio Maipo is full of earwigs, scorpions, weird fuzzy beetles, and enormous bees. There are more, but they are less noticed. We are most cautious around the scorpion, as we watch this unfamiliar yet intriguing insect.

The scorpion scares me most, and I am terrified. I saw the first one at our Rio Maipo campsite. I hope it is the last. As I prepared to nap off the jetlag of the DC to Santiago flight something next to me moved. Curiously, I discovered its presence. It's tail looked deadly enough to me with its curled stinger poised to attack me. I called, "David--Grant." They asked, "What is the matter?" as I could only point. They began playing with it immediately. I was dumbfounded, "IT'S A SCORPION." I smiled and continued their torturous process pouring water on it. It appeared as if they were playing with a grasshopper for the first time. I was shocked, not knowing what to do next, yet observing the boys have fun with something dangerous.

Standing there helped me realize, "WOW! it's just a bug." I am still scared, but then again they are just bugs.