"Painting of Wonders" hike

Day 1: Let's crunch the landscapes (8km; +800m)
Meet at 10am at the Mesches lake, gateway to the Mercantour in the commune of Tende, with your picnic. The ascent to the Merveilles refuge in the Val d'Enfer will be gentle, between plateaus with marmots, larch forests, river banks and mineral environments. We will make several stops to learn how to sketch various mountain
mountain landscapes.
In spring or autumn, outside of the busy tourist season, you will discover surprising colour palettes and learn a lot about the life of these places.
about the life of these places.

Day 2: Immersion in the Wonders. (+-6km, +300m -300m)
We will leave at dawn for a short hike, under the best light. We will stop for a few hours to start painting (bring sun / cool wind protection).
In the afternoon, we will take you to the mysterious Valley of Wonders, an archaeological reserve with almost 40,000 engravings of strange motifs from the Neolithic and Bronze Age. The unusual landscapes and atmosphere of this magnificent site located between 2000 and 2500 m will lead us to stop to soak up and put down on paper these shapes and colours before returning to the refuge.

Day 3: Descent into the Roya.
Return to Les Mesches by another route, more aerial and wild, with
with other views to freeze on the canvas.

Book well in advance at the Merveilles refuge (full board: 61 €/D)
or bring your camping equipment (in the authorised bivouac area, from 7pm to 9am).
Refuge des Merveilles : 06 87 07 09 26 or 06 76 78 64 05
https://refugedesmerveilles.ffcam.fr/FR_reservation.html
Mail : refugedesmerveilles@gmail.com
To be ready for the adventure:
Physical preparation level 2: don't forget to keep in shape once a week by walking (about 10 km, 300m difference in altitude) if possible or by practicing 1 hour of sport.
Be aware that between 2000 and 2500m, it can be quite cool when we start the hike in the morning; thin layers of clothing allow you to quickly remove a layer or two when the sun is shining. Remember that too much comfort kills comfort. There's nothing worse than a bag that's too heavy to enjoy a trip to the mountains.
Equipment :
- hiking backpack with wide straps (40L)
- waterproof high-top shoes
- headlamp
- water bottle (1L)
- knife
- individual first aid kit (to be validated by your
doctor)
- sweaty underwear (quick drying)
- fleece jacket or other
- waterproof and breathable jacket
- hat
- cap or hat
- sun protection (sunglasses, cream, lip stick
high protection stick)
- a pair of gloves
- rain cape
- toilet paper and a lighter to burn it if
need
- spare shoelaces
- a change of clothes
- minimal toiletries (no shampoos or liquid soap)
and liquid soap) and a towel
- plastic bags to protect your belongings.
- camping equipment if you are bivouacking (in the
the authorized area, between 9 and 7 pm)
- sleeping bag sheet for more comfort.
Blankets are provided in the gîtes and
refuges
Walking sticks (optional), must be accompanied by tips as the use of any iron tips is strictly forbidden in the rock carving area.


List of the ideal material for painting :
You can buy them at the Géant des Beaux-Arts (Nice, about 140€ for the whole):
- Box of watercolours "I love art" 12 colours in half-packs (16,50 € Ref: 44031).
- Winsor & Newton watercolour brush with round tip size 00 (6,36 € Ref: 87469).
- Winsor & Newton watercolour brush with round tip size 3 (8,76 € Ref: 87473).
- Winsor & Newton watercolour brush with round tip size 8 (13,20 € Ref: 87476).
- Winsor & Newton watercolour brush with round tip size 12 (19,96 € Ref 87478).
- Paper pad 300 gr. Arches watercolour paper, size 23X31 cm (35,96€ Ref 17479).
- Set of 6 Pigma micron precision markers (14 € Ref 28686).
It is also up to the hikers to get rags or paper towels, a palette (cardboard plates are very practical), a small bottle of water for watercolour sketches and a hat with a visor, essential for working in the sun. A plastic bag also helps to avoid sitting on wet ground.

For the general organisation and the hike:
Thibaud DUFFEY : 06.78.81.99.10 / carambaam@yahoo.fr
- For painting and drawing :
Éloïse BELLIARD : 06.82.87.56.24 / eloise.belliard@gmail.com
For accommodation, book directly online at the Merveilles hut for half board, nights in dormitory and meals; no booking is required for bivouacking in the bivouac area.

Course confirmed from 5 people and limited to 8.
The stay does not include meals and accommodation.
For this, book well in advance at the refuge des Merveilles (full board: 61€/d)
or bring your camping equipment (in the authorised bivouac area, from 7pm to 9am).
Refuge des Merveilles : 06 87 07 09 26 or 06 76 78 64 05
https://refugedesmerveilles.ffcam.fr/FR_reservation.html
Mail : refugedesmerveilles@gmail.com

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