DAY 26: Wednesday June 27th - Landry to Valezan: 21k, 7hrs: Blue skies, hot, 18°C to 32°C
Start of World Championship Kayak course at Bellentre near Landry
Watch from path beside River Isere
Travelling 7k in 13mins is fast
Time for a coffee while we watch
Better hurry to next gap in trees
It's fast and furious and freezing
The catcher - in safety gear ready to jump in if someone tips out
Because its damn dangerous
Another catcher in freezing water
Supporters along the riverside
Whoa I can see what's coming
Ouch
Time for the catcher to jump in
There's a few Aussies here too
Having lunch, waiting before going to Casino supermarket to restock
Making room for lunch for 3 days
Out of the Valley Isere to the Alps
A milestone today. We passed the 500k mark. Our trek through the French Alps looks like being over 700k, after revising our actual distances from the GPS. Today was supposed to be a kind of rest day with only about 7k to do, however when we found out that the World Championships for Descent Kayaking was on (as opposed to slalom where they weave in and out of buoys over a short course), we decided to take a detour to Aime, a larger village about 10k further down the River Isere then go up the mountain to Valezan, our intended destination. It was an exciting day walking along the path beside the river watching these athletes kayak at breakneck speed down the raging torrent full of raging rapids and big boulders. But we've both had bellyaches today - I think it's the marmot stew from a few nights before, Ian thinks it's the water from a steam with a cattle herd up top. Luckily for both of us it passes (literally) and we're ok.
We had a really good nights sleep in a queen size bed - our first big bed since leaving home. After phoning home on WiFi, it's time to pack and go to breakfast. Steve and Sara are there to greet us - really hot English Breakfast tea, muesli, yoghurt, breads, pancakes etc etc. It's our most expensive overnight at 160Euro, which included all the wines and dinner and breakfast - but so worth it - 5 star treatment. The Austrian Kayak team is also staying here and after chatting to the coach and finding out that the racing starts at 9am when we thought it was 11am, we hurry up and leave immediately.
The charcuterie over the road is our first stop to buy just enough bread, ham, tomatoes and cheese for lunch today. It's going to be a hot day so best to buy more stuff for the next few days later in Aime. We walk down 1k to the the River Isere, then along a cycle/walking track and within 30mins, we come to the start of the race at Bellentre. It's a time trial with staggered starts, 1 min apart, fastest man down the torrent wins.
Walking down the track watching the kayakers between gaps in the trees is relaxing but inspiring - such upper body strength to control the kayak in a raging torrent. We stop for an early coffee when we see a picnic table with a good view of the action and take our time. No hurry and it's starting to get hot so it's nice sitting under the trees.
On down to the rapids, a more shallow part of the river where the rocks are more exposed and more dangerous. Every 50 metres or so there's catchers - guys in wet gear, flippers, crash helmets, and tied securely around the waist by a long rope to trees on the edge - just standing or sitting on a rock in the freezing water, waiting to jump in if someone tips out - and they did - and Ian was pleased he caught the action on photo - the kayaker was ok.
There's a few Aussies go whizzing by, but don't know if they are in with a chance. We've been told they come from Tasmania - makes sense. The finish line is close to the village of Aime, and we watch the action for sometime before moving on. We still need to buy food for the next 3 days as we're hutting, and the temperature is now about 30°C so we need to give ourselves time to climb the 700 metres up to Valezan.
Once in the village, we find a spot in the shade near a fountain and boil a cup of tea while we wait for the shops to open at 2pm. The Casino supermarket is just down the road (according to Google anyway) so the next stop is lunch under a tree the off to the shop. Bread, cheese, dried ham, powdered milk (as Ian has run out) and a green capsicum. The cold stuff gets wrapped in my scarf and pushed deep into my bag to keep it cold the off up the mountain. It's now 32°C and hot, hot walking up the road. Ian tries to find some goat tracks up the mountain to find some relief. Yes, there's a few marked, and they turn out to be a very well defined wide gravel road weaving it's way up the hill between apple orchards - logically the path is named Sentier de Pomme.
Passing up through a few small villages, I'm not sure if the cold water running out of the village fountain is OK, but we're so hot, we're willing to take the chance. There's no sign that says eau potable (water drinkable) but also there's no sign that says eau non potable (water non drinkable) - so we fill up our water bottles with icy cold water. Ian is drenched in sweat - I'm just dripping - I handle the heat, he handles the cold. The village of Valezan looms on the mountainside and then at 4pm after a 7 hr day and 20k, we're there. There's only a few houses, so it's easy to find the Auberge de Valezan, on the main road which we can see won't have much traffic tonight. There's a large bus group of pensioners just leaving the restaurant and taking their time getting photos of each other. Ian's tongue is hanging out as the Auberge also has a Bar/Restaurant downstairs overlooking the valley of the River Isere.
At last we go in and have a beer and a perrier. Then we are shown up to our room - we're not sure whether to expect a dorm of 16, or even if there's a shower, but we do get a room, and there is a shower and it's just perfect with a balcony overlooking the valley - and it's in the sun so great for washing. In 10 mins we are showered and have the washing done - we have a good routine going now. I wash and rinse, Ian wrings and hangs. In fact, it's so hot today, that in the 1hr I have been typing and sorting photos, it's all dry.
It's almost time for another cold drink - so we do, because we can. While we sip on another wine/beer, a couple from The Netherlands arrive from Plan de la Lai - a few hundred metres from where we are going tomorrow - an they took 10hrs. It's supposed to take us about 8hrs do we'll see. Dinner is at 7.30pm - entree of cold meat or salad - we take one of each and share, main is curried rice and chicken, dessert is cream and berries or chocolate tart - we take one of each and share. A small carafe of red with the meal is just nice - buy I am so thirsty, I ask for a cup of ice to go with it.
Upstairs, we drag our washing in, read the newspaper that Ian had downloaded from the night before and time for an early night for an early start. The belly aches have long gone and time for a new day.
Window view - Auberge Le Valezan