{"id":1707,"date":"2013-04-23T12:34:28","date_gmt":"2013-04-23T11:34:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/?p=1707"},"modified":"2026-05-26T04:47:03","modified_gmt":"2026-05-26T03:47:03","slug":"a-gorge-too-far","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/2013\/04\/23\/a-gorge-too-far\/","title":{"rendered":"A Gorge Too Far"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The section of the Ardeche River that we would be paddling down<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

With loaded ambition of it being a sunny day and perhaps warm, we drove in to Vallon Pont d\u2019 Arc, made up a baguette full of tuna with salad and then checked in at Aigue Vive for the experience of a lifetime.\u00a0 We were told that the Ard\u00e8che River at Vallon is the most popular river for kayaking in France, apparently in the summer it is packed with boats and seeing the number of rental places in town we could well believe it.\u00a0 Putting our pink kayak (yes, pink!!!) in the river was our first introduction to how cold the water was, we were cheerfully informed it was about 10\u00b0C and it sure felt like it.\u00a0 We were very glad to have been kitted out with short wetsuits.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"First
First stop for a rest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We paddled off down the fairly fast flowing river marvelling at the incredible cliff faces above us; it made you feel very small and isolated. \u00a0We were advised that the 24kms through the Gorges de l\u2019 Ard\u00e8che would probably take us about 4.5 hours, and were told that our pick-up would be between 4pm and 4:30pm; “don’t be late”.\u00a0 By setting off on our expedition at 9:30am, it would give us plenty of time for rest stops, photo stops and a lunch break.\u00a0 Ah, if only we had known what was ahead of us; the brochure said this ‘would be the most exciting way to discover the gorge”.\u00a0 We should have noted that word ‘exciting’, it didn’t say ‘relaxing’…..<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"In
Early morning in the Gorges de l\u2019 Ard\u00e8che<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

During the morning we managed to negotiate a few class 1 and class 2 rapids and were feeling fairly confident.\u00a0 Rodney is not the \u2018straightest’ kayaker, so there was a fair bit of zig-zagging and some accidental 360\u00b0 degree turns going on; even after some instruction from me he still failed to improve his technique.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Beachbathing....\"
Beachbathing….<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Setting
Last stop before lunch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

By the time we stopped for lunch we were feeling quite tired and needed a break; trouble was, we were only half way.\u00a0 Immediately after lunch, little did we know, the trickiest rapid was coming up, La Toupine de Gournier.\u00a0 It was a two-stage rapid and we managed to get through the first section, but the next part proved much trickier.\u00a0 The river narrowed to a faster flow and then turned sharply to the right, deflected by a large rock.\u00a0 We tried to keep the boat well over to the right but got pushed straight at the rock, which we hit side on and were thrown out in to the raging torrent.\u00a0 Rodney managed to grab the kayak and hang onto his paddle.\u00a0 I got sucked under the rock and, in trying to resurface, came up under the rock and bashed my head on it, still underwater.\u00a0 As experiences go, it was completely overwhelming.\u00a0 Apart from feeling like a sock in a washing machine, I felt completely helpless.\u00a0 There was fear and panic, but also an extreme feeling of sadness and a sense of resignation.\u00a0 I will admit to saying my goodbyes while under the water, even to the point of thinking it was at least quite a pretty place to die!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I\u2019ll also admit to being incredibly relieved to finally work out which way was up and find air.\u00a0 I could see Rodney was way down the river by now and I heard him shout \u201cyou\u2019re okay\u201d, which somehow really helped me and I managed to pull my freezing, shaking body out on to a crevice and pull myself higher up on the bank. Fortunately my crocs had stayed on my feet, despite all that kicking. Rodney was now heading for the next rapid whilst hanging on to the kayak and both paddles and was trying to reach a beach on the opposite bank.\u00a0 Unfortunately the cold, the fatigue and the strength of the current were proving a bit too much.\u00a0 Luckily for us, a couple in a kayak ahead of us, had suffered the same fate and were already sitting on the beach that Rodney was trying to get to.\u00a0 The man swam out and grabbed on to the kayak, therefore preventing Rodney drifting through the next rapid.\u00a0 Meanwhile I tried to walk towards them on the rough ground on the ‘wrong’ side of the river, but then realised that I didn\u2019t want to chance trying to swim across to them, right above that next rapid, so I walked back to the \u2018horror\u2019 rock where the river was narrower.\u00a0 Rodney and the French man walked back along the opposite bank towards me and called out to me to swim over and aim for the beach where they would wait for me.\u00a0 This was obviously the only way I was going to get over to them.\u00a0 The terror of having to get back in the freezing water, when I was already shivering so badly, was hard to embrace, but I managed to do it and kicked liked crazy, partly to make sure I made it, but also to try and warm my body. \u00a0 The river pulled me toward the next rapid, despite trying to swim straight across, but Rodney managed to paddle out and drag me on to the beach. I was very relieved to find that he had managed to rescue both paddles and that the barrel, containing our camera and dry clothes, was still attached to our kayak.\u00a0 We thanked the French couple very much and after a few minutes of tears and hugs, we thought it best to get back in \u2018the saddle\u2019 and warm up by paddling on further, rather than sit down and stiffen up.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"The
The nasty rapid and rock from the road above (taken the next day)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amazingly the next day we observed from high up on the viewpoint, two kayakers negotiating the same rapid and alas we watched one come to grief, just as we had done the day before!!!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"A
A re-enactment by kayakers the next day, at exactly the same spot<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

We managed to get through the next rapid, but I had completely lost my nerve and we were both so cold and tired that we got out and dragged the kayak through three of the larger rapids during the afternoon.\u00a0 That in itself was a bit of an effort with the rocks being so slippery and resulted in Rodney adding a bruised and cut right knee to his already painful left ankle. \u00a0\u00a0To add to our woes, the wind increased making it harder to control the kayak, even on the smooth sections of water.\u00a0 On the very last section, coming out of the gorge, we actually gave up paddling as the wind was funnelling so strongly that we just drifted sideways on the current, hoping it wouldn\u2019t blow us over.\u00a0 I don\u2019t remember much of the journey, apart from crying and shaking a lot, but I do remember the relief when we realised we had reached the final destination near Sauze.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Still
Still one hour to go…..<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

At 3:30pm, after dragging the kayak up on to the concrete and opening up the barrel, we were outstandingly relieved to find that our clothes and camera were still completely dry inside the barrel.\u00a0 It really helped to get out of the wetsuits and into something warmer, but the cold wind still kept me shivering.\u00a0 Our pick-up arrived 40 minutes later, so we dived in to the van, only then to be told that we had to wait longer for another couple to arrive.\u00a0 I\u2019ll admit to being furious when they didn\u2019t arrive until 5:10pm and we didn\u2019t get on the road until nearly 5:30pm. When we finally got back to Eileen around 6:30pm I piled on as many clothes as I could find, in an effort to stop my body shaking, which it did eventually.\u00a0 That evening we opted for a quick meal after a hot shower and dived in to bed as early as we could.\u00a0 Nightmares woke me up a few times, but we did both sleep really heavily and now just feel like we\u2019ve been through a washing machine, with our bodies telling us that we\u2019re way too old for such \u2018an experience of a lifetime\u2019.<\/p>\n

We all survived, including Piglet, who travelled the whole way inside the barrel, and as the brochure says, we certainly did \u2018discover the natural reserve of the Gorges de l\u2019 Ard\u00e8che\u2019 from inside, outside, under and over.\u00a0 However, my kayak in Sydney may be up for sale when I get back, or maybe I should simply stay away from rapids\u2026\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Looking
Looking down on the last bend (taken the next day)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  With loaded ambition of it being a sunny day and perhaps warm, we drove in to Vallon Pont d\u2019 Arc, made up a baguette full of tuna with salad and then checked in at Aigue Vive for the experience of a lifetime.\u00a0 We were told that the Ard\u00e8che River at Vallon is the most […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1715,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1707"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8415,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1707\/revisions\/8415"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1715"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petersphotogallery.com\/rodneyandlaura\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}