French Alps 2005

 

 

 

The stories of the French Alps trip 2005 started over ten or so years ago.  Coming off the river Leny and some mad man suggested to go and paddle somewhere in France.  Since then a yearly bash has been organised mainly with people from Stirling Canoe Club.  Other friends have come along also.

 

Normally Drew Milroy is the corner stone in arranging and organising the trip however a new arrival was on the horizon with Grant (his son) and his wife expecting their first child.  Is this possibly the first trip he has missed?  Drew would become a Granddaddy, just like myself.

 

That was a question asked many times on the trip, who’s the granddaddy!?

 

As Drew was unable to go to the Alps, I put myself forward in organising and booking various agencies and taking the helm in arranging the trip.  One or two people whilst in France made reference to myself as the “expedition leader” but the accolade awarded was nothing that I couldn’t handle. 

 

In early 2005 there was an initial meeting held in the Barnton Bar and Bistro.  The front-runners were there, myself (James Fleming), Phil Hogg, David Musk, and Clair Jones.  It wasn’t looking good at all.  One carload really wasn’t enough.

As the weeks passed by I think Craig Dearing, Matt Brook, Billy and Kenny all came on board.  Simon, who was on last years trip wanted to come along also.  With eight people already booked and Simon being the ninth, it would mean another car to be laid on or call in more people to come.  We tried to get others to come on board, however, it was to prove too difficult to recruit or even press gang.  So the team was set.  Eight people, seven men one “burd”. 

The difficult or logistical problem we had was that because we had a mixed bag of people none of us had paddled as a group.  We arranged a couple of trips for all to attend but because of various commitments (no water in the rivers) some of us couldn’t make it.  Would this have an impact when we reached France and got on the rivers?  Some of us didn’t even know others names to faces till the day we left in the car park at Glasgow.  Would this lead to a rabble or epic on the river…

 

 

As with most things, this written masterpiece is the thoughts (yes I do have them) and opinions of myself.  They might not reflect the thoughts of others on the trip and there views.  It is how I saw and perceived the trip.

 

 

 

 

 

The trip started on 3/5/05.  We all met at my house apart from Kenny and Billy, we would meet up with them at Strathclyde Park, Glasgow. 

There were the usual last minute items such as E1 11’s and cash from the cash machines to pick up. 

We left Stirling about 09.15hrs.

In my car there was Matt and Craig.  We were to pick up Billy later.  Phil’s car consisted of Dave (AKA Doctor Dave) and Clair (AKA the Burd (even though she was also a Doctor)).  We met Billy and Kenny about 10.15 hrs.  That was the paddling unit complete.  Two cars and eight people. 

I must admit I was bristling with excitement.  The months of planning had finally come to fruition.  An additional bonus came when Claire produce some home made baking.  Cakes.  They were fabulous.

We never made good time at all going down to Dover.  The traffic jams were bad.  We reached the M25 about 18.45 and eventually came into Dover at 20.43 hrs.  We managed to catch an early ferry at 22.00hrs.  This was it.  France here we come.

 

It was great driving through and down to the French Alps.  I had been there twice kayaking and once with the family.  Amy, my youngest daughter was peeved at the thought she wouldn’t be there and especially swimming at La Lac.

 

We were coming into the outskirts of Briancon and as usual the two cars had become separated a bit.  We waited for Phil to catch up at Col du Lautaret about 40 minutes or so from Briancon.  The Col was spectacular with great views of glaciers and the small villages we were about to come into.  Once Phil caught up we took in the spectacular scenery and all overdosed on it. 

We then headed for the River Guisane to look at the river level.  On the way down the valley there was a number of cars flashing their lights at us.  I never paid much attention to it.  But Phil would.

The river level was looking good.  Whilst looking at the river Phil passed on exactly why the flashing lights were about.  His car was stopped by the local gendarme for speeding.  I think with Claire assisting with the damsel in distress and sheer ignorance of the language they got away with it.  Phew!

 

It was late morning at this time and we were getting hungry.  We wouldn’t get access to the apartments till later on in the afternoon and weren’t going paddling till we ditched our kit.   So we went for some lunch and food shopping.  Needless to say there was plenty of beer and wine on the list.  Just for a social beer at the end of a hard days paddle. 

 

Once back at the apartments I went to register the group in.  The rooms we initially got were very small.  Yeah there was enough beds, but some had to share.  Double beds that is.  Whilst I was in touch with my feminine side I think it was a bit much for others.  Doctor Dave made a wee joke to the receptionist when handing in the flats inventory.  It was along the lines of “sharing a bed with another man”...  Well, they upgraded us to the bigger apartments.  Brilliant!  So it was all change.    It was better the apartments we got were far spacious.    Thanks Dave! 

 

We got ourselves sorted and went for a paddle on the Guisane to the Apartments. 

 

The past years when I was in the Alps the water was really fast and ferociously ARGH!!!!.  Not this year, it wasn’t like that.  The water levels were a lot lower.  There was no “white fluffy bunnies” or power in the water.  Yes it was good, yes it was a great time but there was no “ARRGH” factor.  From my point of view…

 

That night we went off to usual restaurant for food.  The French restaurant.  The normal French Madame was there.  But it was a Saturday night and she was drinking at the bar between orders and this reflected the normally great service.  Wrong starters came; folks didn’t even get their dinners.   It wasn’t very good.  But hey these things happen.  We went back to the apartments and had a few beer and bed.  Bhoy was I tired from the drive.  Bed for me was a great time.  I was in the double bed with the patio doors open and curtains fully open.  Looking out to the stars twinkling in the night and seeing the silhouetted out line of the hills in the background was so intoxicating.  I drifted of…

 

5.6.05

Arlene (da wife) would have hated the apartment, every morning the sun peeked up from the east with brilliant shards of light bursting through the hills.  The birds were if full tweetering mode and it was Dolby surround sound.  The view was as good as the one I closed my eyes to the previous night.  The lure of the Alps scenery is breathtaking.

 

That morning Craig went for the rolls.  Once we were suitably suited and booted we headed off to paddle the Guisane from Le Casset to Chantemerle.  It was a great run down to Chantemerle, which was the get out for the more continuous section.  At this point Claire got out and did a shuttle video thingy.  For this report it would be unfair to compare it to 2002 and 2003 water levels as they were full on white fluffy bunnies!!!  More so, 2003.  This year it was good!  Yup, good fun.  We paddled down to the apartments and stopped for lunch and a beer.  Yum yum.

In the afternoon we went off to paddle the Town gorge.  That was good also.  For those of you that have done it before the wooden shoot that runs with water at the massive weir about half way down wasn’t running.  There was no water going over it. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6.6.05

 

We ran the upper Guil section.  The upper Guil was a grade 3 plus.  Two groups would go down with about five minutes spacing.

It was another really hot day, but it was going to get even more hotter as the get out from the Guil was the run it to the Chateau Queyras Gorge. 

 

For the past two years I have looked at the Chateau Queyras Gorge.  The gorge could be given a grade 4, or 5 depends who you ask and the amount of water running through it.  Inspection is by looking down about 100-200 meters sheer vertical (nearly) cliffs.  Things to contend with are the following:

 

 

So that’s a rough guide to the Chateau Queyras Gorge.  But multiply that lot by infinity and you still wont get a handle on how much “GRR” it is. 

 

Okay, back to the Guil.  We ran it in two groups of four.  No great shakes.  At the get out most of us went down to the Chateau Queyras Gorge.  There wasn’t going to be a big group running it.  The inspection is epic in itself.  And as always the great words of Mr Dave Walsh echoed in the grey matter between my ears.

 

“The amount of time looking at it is proportional to the amount of time getting a beating”

 

It was words like that he said many years ago.  I keep changing a few now and again.

 

Myself, Craig and Matt were lined up to running it.  However I got the feeling that some were not 100% (possibly myself included) focused in running it.  So, we got the people with the cameras arranged and off they went to the gorge to shoot some film.  There was no safety, no ropes and no one to rescue if you got pinned.  It wasn’t possible. 

 

Myself, Craig and Matt had a brief on ‘what ifs’.  What if someone swam, what if someone got pinned what if… We all agreed there was only one answer.  You’re on your own.  If something did go wrong no one was going to be in a position to help.  Simple.  We agreed that if some one got in to bother then who ever was in a position to help at the end would do so.  That was the safety brief.  We all knew the position.

 

I think it was fair to say that at that time my heart was heaving out my chest.  It was critical for me to keep calm and composed.  Not because of it looks cool or the like.  If I capsized with maximum adrenalin, endorphins and brown goo in my under pants whilst my heart was hammering on my chest I would have mille seconds of air in my lungs to roll.  I always found it easier to have the bodies’ internal chemical fix under control till the end of the run, not the start. 

 

We three were getting changed.  Systematically, focused on what was coming.  There was no rush.  No frenzy.  I got on the water, boat floating in the eddy.  Focused and trying to control my breathing.  Matt and Craig were in their boats.  Very last checks were being done.  I splashed my face with the cold alpine water ready to go.  Craig looked up and said.

 

Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?  Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?  Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?  Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?  Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?  Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?  Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?  Tune in to the next week to find out what Craig was going to say in the eddy.  Was the group in perilous danger, did Matt know the running order and was James about to swim amongst the crocodiles?