Summer Camp Ardèche, France

Grand Descent - Complete!

M - A - M - M - A
D - U - C- K - IS THE WAY
MAMMA DUCK???
MAMMA DUCK!!!

...and so began the first of several chants that echoed throughout the Ardeche gorge over the last few days. The whole of Village Camps Ardeche was lined up on the banks just beyond the Pont d'Arc, the sky a dark grey watercolour and the drizzle coming down silently. After checking the forecast one last time, the team decided that we would see it out - the rain had been set to clear in the afternoon, and the next day would be fine. And so there we were, lined up on the banks, already beginning to get wet, but the excitement and enthusiasm providing more than enough warmth amongst the team. M. A. M. M. A!!!

The mamma duck team was composed of 4 counselor boats - Mamma Duck, the Sweep, and two minglers - who accompanied the campers down while the River Team - the other Canoes plus the two French River guides - went ahead to scout for rapids and photo opportunity spots. Luckily for the morning, there was no wind, and so paddling was easy if a little wet. Due to an extremely efficient preparation session the night before, all of the campers had rainjackets and synthetic tshirts on, to stop from getting too saturated, and as the air temperature cooled the campers noticed that the river itself felt quite warm underneath!

Because the rain kept coming in, the scheduled morning, lunch, and afternoon breaks we sped up and the games skipped so that we could make it through to Bivvy, which we did by about 3.30 PM. Lunch was at Dent Noir, and we needed to build a tarpaulin shelter to eat under, which the campers enjoyed taking part in - the tarps were held up with beams made of paddles and barrels, fastened down by heavy rocks, and managed to fit almost everyone under at the same time! During the afternoon break at les Figueras, we warmed up by playing Scream and Run, a game with only one rule: scream and run. The rain was on and off and by the time we got to Bivvy, the skys has cleared enough to show blue patches and give us a long stretch without rain, enough to cook dinner for all.

Everybody ate dinner under a small palace made of tarpaulins - a feat of engineering by our River Leader Poodle. The food was very welcome - a BBQ prepared by our kitchen babes in the morning and cooked over charcoal by Lobster and Crocodile. We had sausages, burgers, creamy pasta salad, and a selection of green salads. For desert there was even banana boats - bananas stuffed with chocolate and cooked over the fires. Yum! We finished up by about 8.00 PM and soon after everybody was in the large tents (one boys and one girls) chilling out and falling asleep by about ten. The forecast said that the weather would be fine by the morning, and I'm sure that more people than just me fell asleep with their fingers crossed...

...and yes! When we got up in the morning, there was barely a cloud in the sky, and the sun was rising over the gorge, lighting up the cliff peaks around us like floating lanterns in the rising mist. With a renewed enthusiasm, campers gathered there things together, shivered as they slipped into wet river shoes, and had a quick breakfast of cereals and bread before heading down to the water. Once in, we immediately had the first rapid of the day - and thankfully, no-one capsized! (Actually, during the whole trip we only had one boat capsize, only once - a very competent bunch!) We had snacks and a story as we floated past the Madeleine Rock, and all of the boats joined together in a raft formation. The sun shone all morning, and by lunchtime at Cable Corner, everybody was warm and glowing.

The afternoon was the final push along Windy Corner, but thankfully the weather had our back - literally - once again, as a friendly tailwind pushed us through to the loading beach. The boats were loaded at lightning speed and the campers took their barrels with them, onto the bus, and promplty fell asleep. After 28 KM, everybody was exhausted! The bus took us back without a hitch to the VC campsite, which after a night away felt like home sweet home (Casa dolce casa, as the Italians suggested), and before long everyone had showered and was sitting down to eat. Now everybody is watching a movie (Little Miss Sunshine) and will be heading to bed when it finishes.

The Grand Descent was a huge success - despite the weather, everyone had an amazing time. There was only one capsize, and the campers were surprisingly fast in their tarcas; the River Team had a tough time keeping ahead! A few of the staff are having well-deserved nights off now, and the campers are all yawning and looking dozy. Tomorrow is a chill day - morning at the Vallon markets, and the afternoon preparing for the talent show, which is happening on Friday evening.

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