Cévennes, Always perfect!! - France southern

After few rainning days, rivers had hight water levels and we enjoyed it!!


The group at the Sources of Tarn river

Eric Deguil, Benji, Romain, Franck and Sophie his grilfriend, Raph Thiebaut and the Pion family (Stefun, Géraldine and their son Yanis) joined me in the Cévènnes region for 3 creekboating days!!


Yanis dancing on a "Cévennol" Rock

First day: Upper Dourbie river, Dourbie

Eric and Raph and me joined Stefun and the others to the star of the upper Dourbie river after a good night in the Village of Dourbie.
Our descent begins by a swim of Romain in a little drop about 1 meter... He pays drinks tonight!! The rest of the descent was so nice with lot of a good rapids in a classic "Cévenol" landscape!!

So, at the end of the river we met a real problem... we must came back to the car...
The mountain was too much vertical with a creekboat, and obviously there isn't path!!

Just after the portage Raph came back to his home

The evening we took beers and dinner at the local bar in a pure "Cévenol" atmosphere!!
We drove to Pont de Montvert and more exactly near the put in of the sources of the Tarn river.
Cold night at 1000 meters!!

Second Day: Sources of the Tarn River, Pont de Montvert

Waouuuw this morning was so beautiful with the sunrise!!
A good breakfirst and let's walk for an other portage, but this one was so cool in this beautiful paradise region!!

We started the first section of the Sources of the Tarn River with a real big smile!!
This one was perfect, and we lunched before the second section where just Eric, Stefun and me paddling.
The second section finished with the rapid of "Les frangines" 5 sweet drops before a nasty portage again...

Eric drove back in Pau, so he worked the next morning.

Eric going big on the Sources of the Tarn river


Stefun, 3rd drop of "Les 5 Frangines"


Val freewheeling in the 3rd drop of "Les 5 Frangines"


Val et Stefun in "Lou Pelaoudas"


Val opens a new line in the "Omelette"


Val, Eric and Stefun enjoy the fresh Jacuzzi made in Cévennes


Stefun in the last drop of "Les 5 Frangines"


Eric in the last drop of "Les 5 Frangines"


Val enters in the last drop of "Les 5 Frangines"

Aoutch 2 days, 2 hard rivers and we didn't have any power to do an other hard river like that!!
We camped in Pont de Montvert where we ate like bears and went to our car fo a long night...

Third day: Upper Lot river, Sainte Hélène


Stefun


Val in the Gorge of Sainte Hélène


Benji and Val

The morning, we drove to Sainte Hélène to do the classic section of the upper Lot River.
We did a fast lunch and put in the river.
The upper Lot river is a pretty cool class 3,4 river in a fantastic landscape, this one is perfect after 2 hard river days!!

The evening we went to the restaurant in Mende, before drunk beers and sleep on a parking in Mende.

The 4th day, we had to freestyling in Mende's hole but the water level of the Lot river was too hight.
We drove back in our houses and attending the next "épisode Cévenol"...


Eric, Val et Stefun...

Many thanks to all of you for this pretty good weekend!!

Photos:
Romain
Géraldine
Stefun