Hector Sanchez has style and good looks of a man who has spent a lifetime outdoors. Held together by a wiry, near six-foot physique he appears every bit “best river guide in Panama ” as touted by Lonely Planet and other travel guides. Before starting Chiriqui River Rafting in 1994 Sanchez spent two decades as civilian Director of Outdoor Recreation for U.S. Army South in Panama. As a young man he received Carnegie Medal for courage and outstanding bravery when he saved a drowning swimmer in Rockaway Beach , California. Today, he is standing in front of four new clients beginning his talk on safety with a company video featuring rafts and kayaks careening down Chiriqui River waterfalls. Three minutes into video he switches it off and informs us that “you won’t need most of this instruction.” The four novices, here for a day’s outing with Sanchez’ company, breathe a sigh of relief and take this as a sign they didn’t make wrong decision after all.

Sanchez moves through a demonstration of paddling technique and a review of commands his guide will use during trip. “All forward” he says firmly. “All back” he calls out. “Left forward, right back, right forward,” he commands. He tells us about “high side” which is order for all rafters to move to one side of raft if it is forced up by rapids and in danger of going over. Because we are rafting Esti River with mostly Class II rapids, we don’t expect to hear that instruction. We learn, however, why whitewater rafting in Chiriqui is biggest in Central America . The majestic Baru Volcano peaks out at 11,490 feet on a ridge of mountains that run from Costa Rica through center of Chiriqui province. Panama is a very narrow country and from atop volcano is a breathtaking view of both Pacific and Atlantic on either side of isthmus. When rains come and waters rush down mountainside, they have a very short distance to travel before reaching sea. The steep descent becomes fast moving Chiriqui, Chiriqui Viejo, Esti, and Gariche rivers.

The main difference between training journals and training logs, is what you document in them after each workout or day, etc. Training journals are just that. They are more of a journal rather than a log. They will normally include things like mental health and how you felt during day or your workout. They can reach a bit into some statistical information but this is normally saved for a training log.

Training logs are generally created of off some kind of a template. For example. Everyday you fill out a form that has same fields. Things like current weight, daily workout, diet information, are all things that can be put in a training Logon a day to day basis.