Our first day was short but we made the most out of the climbing. We weren’t able to get an early start the next day and the afternoon storm was looking more imposing by the minute. We dropped in and top-roped four pitches before the rain moved in. Whitney had arrangements to pick Beck, Sam and Roman up from the Marseille airport in the afternoon the following day. Sharing one car between seven was going to be a challenge. Our quaint living quarters at L’Escales geit would get interesting. Most of us were experiencing cabin fever… Our days of rain consisted of one café to the next in many of the towns surrounding La Palud. Running our errands and trying to make the most of our time in France.

We came to the resolve that we should get another car to accommodate the size of our group better. The forecasts for clear skies and sunshine were sorrowfully met with big wet clouds of grey… Whitney and Brian took off for the Marseille airport to pick up another car and our friends arriving. Keith and I helplessly waited at the mercy of the weather… By mid-day the sun broke through and we headed to the flowering meadows where we could enjoy the sun. Expecting B to return early we had turned on one of our radios and waited for his arrival. Not long, Brian’s voice statically came across our two-way radio to let us know that he was pulling back into La Palud. We quickly made arrangements to get into the canyon. The day would be a salvageable climbing day.