The end of the crazy adventure for Léo-Paul Farizon and Alexandre Chevalier! The two Côte-d’Or students in physiotherapy, who left on July 6 aboard their kayak called “Barnabé” to join the Côte-d’Or to La Méditerranée, arrived in Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer, in Camargue, at the end of the end of the Rhône.
“Absolute calm, a continuous lake”
Two weeks without any particular hassle, without accidents or chills, just rivers… much calmer than expected! Blame it on a drought that tends to calm the current: “We took longer than expected in the Norges and the Tille, then we arrived on the Saône, we thought we were going to find some current, and when we arrived at the level of Maillys near Saint-Jean- de-Losne, well no current after all! Every time we encountered a river, for example the Doubs, we hoped to have a little more current, but it was absolute calm, a continuous lake, so a little frustrating.
– Leo-Paul Farizon & Alexandre Chevalier
Frustrating, and therefore inevitably more physical than anticipated: “It was pretty hard work” confirm the two friends with one voice, “Very full and very physical days, around six to seven hours a day, not counting the roadblocks, sometimes three in a row, which had to be bypassed.”
Perfect agreement
So calm, and not even a little argument to get your teeth into. “It’s funny, everyone asks us the question, but it turns out that no, we didn’t really argue, or even not at all, simply because we didn’t hesitate to discuss as soon as “There was a discrepancy in the choices. In any case, we already knew each other a little, and since we put communication at the center of our operation, there are no worries about that.”
Strong memories, and a little frustration
So what do they remember from these two weeks? “The moments that I really liked”begins Leo-Paul, “it’s when we were at the bivouac, when friends came to see us at different stages, when we talked with fishermen and swimmers.” But the young man does not hide a certain boredom: “the contemplative aspect was interesting, we could see how nature behaves, these are beautiful images, but in the long run it is a bit boring.
Alexandre agrees, but he still wants to retain the performance, physical and mental: “we are not naturally keen on kayaking, and we still managed to tell ourselves that we had to finish, go to the end. So I think that is also something to remember from this trip.”
More challenges to come
Now hardened to adventure and the unknown, the duo is already considering other crazy projects: “with another friend, we are thinking about setting up a small project together”confirms Léo-Paul, “we would all go together, to the pampas, for several days, but in a more varied setting, in a shorter activity, but perhaps more intense, with more challenge”. As for Alexandre, he will undoubtedly be part of this new adventure, but he has other ideas in mind, why not? “un marathon”he who has never run in his life.
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