May 28th - 31st: Adventure Weekend!

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Finally, I'm getting around to doing this after putting it off for the last four days! First of all, I've begun including any photos I have with the blog entry they're most relevant to. I added pictures to the May 23rd and May 24th entries, as well as this one, so feel free to have a look if you're interested. They are also on Facebook (of course), so if it's easier for you to look at them there, you have options. Now, on to more important matters: the adventure weekend in Millau, France!

Let's start by addressing a very practical issue: the pronunciation of Millau. I was quickly informed when we got there (apparently it's a big deal there) that it is pronounced ME-OH. The "ll" makes a "y" sound and the "au" makes an "oh" sound. Awesome!

The worst part of the weekend was absolutely the drive there, but at least it was good to get it out of the way early on. We left at 10am on Friday morning (the 28th) with the expectation that this was going to be an 8 hour van ride. Since we had been informed ahead of time, I got my complaining out of the way earlier in the week, saying that I could fly home in the same amount of time. By the time Friday morning rolled around, I had come to terms with it. Anyways, we left around 10am and drove 2 hours to the first rest stop, which was more of a scenic stop than an actual rest stop. When we got there, we were given sandwiches, which would become a recurring theme throughout the rest of the trip. French people really love bread. After we finished there, we continued on our way, stopping every 2 hours for bathroom and snack breaks. I wish (honestly) I could write more interesting material about the van ride there, but no one said more than a few words on the way and the radio was going in and out due to the mountainous terrain. Even though I was sitting, it was actually quite draining. We arrived in Millau in Southern France around 7 or 8pm, so in total it was around a 10 hour trip. We stopped at the grocery store when we got into town to buy baguettes (what else?) for the next day's lunch, and then headed to our bungalow.

The bungalow we stayed in was pretty much just a big house. The bottom floor was the kitchen and dining area. There was then a second floor with two 6 or 7 person rooms for the girls, and then the top floor with an 8, 7, and 5 person room for the boys. There was also a community bathroom, much like the dorms, on each floor. I stayed in the 8 person room. When we got there, we ate a pretty good dinner consisting of cooked vegetables, fish, and something else. It was probably the healthiest food I've eaten here, and it was really good. After that, we took a brief walk out to river that we were right next to. At the river, there were SO many ducks. I've never seen some many in one spot in my life, so that was amazing. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me! Once we were done at the river, a few of us just went up to the room and laid down, eventually inevitably leading to sleep (since we had to be up at 7am for breakfast).

The next morning, we were up at 6am to get ready for the day and breakfast. As it turns out, this was far too early, but ah well. Breakfast was milk, cereal, and orange juice or coffee depending on what tickles your fancy. This would be breakfast for the entire weekend as well. After breakfast, they gave us a little more time to get ready, and then we left for Via Ferrata.

For those of you who don't know what Via Ferrata is, I'm not really sure of a good way to describe it. Your best bet would probably be to use Google Images, but I'll attempt a brief description. Quite simply, it's climbing up a mountain or cliff using metal, stair-like things and ropes placed strategically around the mountain or cliff. We were all buckled in and secured to the metal ropes running all over our climbing course, but it still took a bit of climbing around to get actually come to terms with the fact that you were very safe. The pictures I've uploaded can give you an idea of how high up we were. It was very intimidating at first, but after we got moving around for a while (and came to the realization we couldn't go back down), it became TONS of fun and an amazing experience. In the early stages, there was a split between a very difficult and mediocre route that you could choose from. Naturally, I chose the medium-difficulty course. I hold to the fact that this was a good decision, as I ended up spending most of the day with and becoming a lot closer to the people I went on this course with (Luis, Amanda, Jason, and Jessie being the main people). Also, the very difficult climb had you going almost upside down, so no way I'd ever do that. The next parts were a lot of fun, consisting of climbing up and across, and even crossing a few wire bridges. Eventually, I was even able to look down without getting that nauseous feeling that comes with being at great heights. There were many pictures taken, so you can see what I've uploaded and maybe even check what I've been tagged in on Facebook to get an idea of what I'm talking about. There is a specific picture that shows how safe and comfortable you become on this course where Amanda and I are hanging off a wooden bridge, with the ground being somewhere between 50-100 km below us. It was really a lot of fun. At the top, there was a zip line to another part of the mountain. This was a hoot, although I did run over my thumb with the zip line and took out a nice chunk of skin there. Surprisingly, it didn't hurt too much and someone had a first aid kit (wow!), so I was fine! To finish everything off, we had about a 20-30 minute walk down a decent incline to the bottom of the mountain, so that was more tough than it sounds. Again, I can't really explain what we did any better, so the pictures will have to suffice. All I can say is that it was a whole bunch of fun, and (like all the activities this weekend) something I'd recommend to everyone to try at least once (although I'd do it again). Next, we moved on to Paragliding.

Paragliding was about an hour away at the top of a small mountain or perhaps hill. The way up was scary because incidentally, we had chosen the worst driver (although they were all terrible). He whipped around the cliff corners and even stalled out at one point. He didn't seem to sure of himself with that manual transmission. Anyways, that's beside the point because we made it through the weekend. At the top, the entire group began forming lines for the paragliding. Paragliding is pretty much parasailing without the boat pulling you, and a lot higher up. While we waited, we ate baguettes (lol!) with some lunch meat and chips. I was the last person to go, so it was a bit of a wait. At one point, a bunch of people who had already gone left to head to the bungee jump, the next activity. The anticipation was killing me, but it looked like a lot of fun. One kid started telling stories about paragliders who ran into each other and got tangled up and proceeded to fall to their deaths, so that was a lot of fun. It was easy for him to talk about, too, since he had already safely completed his turn. My turn finally came, and it was with a very nice man named Jeff. He took me up in the air, really high (higher than everyone else that was in the air at the time). The view of Millau, a city that's beautiful enough from the ground, was breathtaking. I have a 13 minute video that I took with my camera, but the internet here is too slow to upload, so it will have to wait. I have pictures from standing on the top of the hill waiting to go that should give some insight as to what it looked like. The most impressive feature of the town was the bridge that was recently constructed. It is absolutely massive, and an engineering wonder. All the civil engineers in the group were giddy just looking at it. Anyways, the video will show you all you need to see, and perhaps convince you to try this at some point in your life if you get the chance. There is absolutely no fear once you're in the air, just great feelings of amazement and freedom. This was definitely one of my favorite activities on the trip. We did a few spins to conclude, and then landed. The few of us that were left hung around for a while waiting for a van to take us to the bungee jump. While we were waiting, we saw an enormous dog that I'm pretty sure eats small children for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Luis took a picture, so I'll have to find that. After a little bit, our van showed up to take us to the next adrenaline-sucking activity: the bungee jump.

Without a doubt, this was the activity that scared me the most. I actually have a nervous feeling right now just writing about it. The bridge was 50m high, and very, very intimidating. I walked up the path with Jason to the crowd of people that had already gone, and a few that were going again. I watched 3 people jump, and it didn't look so bad; in fact, it looked like fun. I got geared up and took the walk out to the jump. As if I wasn't scared enough, the guy before me screamed like a dying animal when he took his dive. Also, the jumping platform was see-through, so you could see everything 50 meters below you. I was told, by multiple people, to just look at the horizon and jump, but don't look down! Naturally, once they hooked me up and sent me to the edge of the platform, all I could do was look down. They also told me to jump as far from the platform as possible on their count of three. So, I stood at the edge, more terrified than I've ever been in my entire life. 1...2....3...Nothing. No way was I ready for that. I can't just go and jump just like that. But, I realized that if I didn't jump soon, it wouldn't happen. The guy told me I had to jump and not think about it, otherwise I'd never make it. He was totally right and I knew it, so I jumped on his next count. I didn't jump so much as I did fall because my legs weren't working. It was okay, though, I think they just have to tell you to jump as far as possible for whatever reason. Back to the jump. The feeling was fantastic. It was such a rush, and the most freeing feeling in the world. It was like the drop on a rollercoaster, except without the weird, sinking-stomach feeling. I didn't breathe until the rope finally caught, and at that point I uttered a puff of air and the phrase "oh my god" simultaneously. Then, I bounced around for a little bit until they lowered me to the mat below. My adrenaline was pumping, although I'm not sure how much I had left after such an intense, 3-extreme activity day. I sat down with some people at the bottom, and apparently I had excellent form, even though I didn't jump too far out. Jason was next, and if you ever want a great laugh, ask me to show you the video of his jump. He did the running man in the air (NOT correct at all since he was standing straight up), and then grabbed the rope like a monkey as soon as it pulled him back up. It was amazing, and unanimously voted as the funniest jump. Overall, an experience I would recommend that everyone try once, and probably not more. It would take a lot to make me do that again.

After the bungee jump, we went back to the bungalow and had dinner. A few of us went out for a walk downtown, but didn't stay too long because we were coming back the next night for someone's birthday. Following this, we played a crazy French card game called "Jungle Speed," which I'm trying to locate for purchase before I come home. I can't even begin to explain it, but it's a blast. After this, we all went to bed.

The next day was canyoning, which was discreetly called canoeing when we signed up for it back in Ann Arbor. To say the two are not even close to the same would be an understatement. Everyone knows what canoeing is. Canyoning, on the other hand, is less well-known. More on that in a bit. We left early in the morning again to take a 2 hour car ride through the mountains up to where we would be canyoning. The worst part was, after everything we had done this weekend, the drive through the mountains was the scariest part. As I may have stated before, all of the drivers on this trip were scary and crazy. That combination of traits makes for one hell of a ride through the mountains. We literally almost drove off a cliff at one point, and that is not a lie. What a shame it would have been, if after all these insane activities, we met our end in a car accident. BUT, we did not, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this right now. So, when we got there, we all geared up in our wetsuits. Pictures are online, and if I'm tagged in them on Facebook you should be able to see them. It was incredibly restricting and uncomfortable to say the least, but it was very warm. That was helpful because the water we would be in was freezing and to top it off, it was rainy and overcast. I also didn't have my contacts, so I was without my eyes for the adventure. What can I say, I live dangerously. After everyone suited up, we went down to the river. One by one, we got in and went as far in the water as made us comfortable to get acclimated to the water temperature. It was so cold that it numbed the hands and feet, but the wetsuit kept everything else warm. Basically, what we would be doing was wading through a river of slippery rocks, jumping off rocks and waterfalls, and occasionally using zip lines to go from one place to another. I was unable to bring my camera on this one, so that was sad, but one person did take good pictures, so let me know if you're interested and I'll see what I can do. The whole trip consisted of something like 6 or 7 jumps, varying in height from 2m-10m. So, off we went, wading through the rocks, trying not to fall. I went along much more boldly than many, and Jason and I decided it was because I couldn't see very much ahead of me. It would be grueling to describe in detail this adventure, so I'll highlight the important parts. I did every jump, and the best parts were the 7m and 10m jumps from two waterfalls. I also did not fall and we scaled a rock wall at one point, which was the most grueling part. We also ended by army crawling through a cave, which could have been a little unsettling if you're claustrophobic. Again, like all these activities, I can't write a great description of what I did or what the activity is. Images and pictures will help, but I would strongly recommend trying them all at least one time. Canyoning, especially if it was warmer, was an amazing experience, although many people seemed to feel differently. I couldn't believe I actually got to jump from waterfalls, so I was blown away.

We ended with a hike back to the vans, and then a drive home. This drive was better than the first, mostly because I slept through the mountainous zones. When we got back, we took a nap, ate dinner, and went out for one of our program organizers, Raphael Benoist, birthday. We went to a bar with a group of about 20 and had a drink with him. Then, we split and some of us went for pizza and to another bar. Just like the whole weekend itself, this was a very good night where I became closer to a lot of people in my group. After the bars, we went back (in a Conga line at one point) and played some more Jungle Speed, then went to bed.

At 10am the next morning, we left on another 8 hour ride home. This time, we spiced it up a bit with a drive over the big bridge in my pictures, which was really exciting. It was so high that there was a big wind warning, but it actually did not move much and it was a fantastic bridge. Everyone slept for about the next 4 hours, with one or two rest stops along the way, but it was after the second rest stop that we started having fun. We began dancing and singing to French and American music coming from the radio or a cd, doing ridiculous things like scaring people who fell asleep in the van, and best of all, every time we drove through a town, we would roll down the windows and make some sort of noise at people walking down the street. The noise could be a yell, a cheer, a bark, a meow, a quack, a moo, or any number of things, but it was always synchronized. We got a few people to jump, and many people to wave. Pretty much, we were being obnoxious, American college boys, but it passed the time so quickly that a lot of people said they could have stayed in the van longer. I'm not so sure about that, but the ride home was significantly shorter than the way there, and infinitely times more fun. When we got back, everyone just unpacked, showered, hung around, and went to bed. It was an exhausting day and weekend.

Looking back, it was an excellent weekend, and that may be understated. Not only was the experience of trying these new, adrenaline-pumping activities amazing, but it was really cool to start becoming so close to people on the trip. This was definitely a crucial weekend in bringing everyone together, which may or may not be related to the seemingly high-risk-of-death activities we participated in day after day. On a final note, as I've said already, I would recommend trying all of these activities at least once, even the bungee jump (although I'm not sure I'd do that again). But, alas, all good things must come to an end, and we had to return to the more down-to-earth city of Troyes for something much less exciting: school.

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