We began our journey in the village of Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, in the department of Ardèche, in the south of France, where as President of the Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS), I had organized a rally with the assistance of our host and guide, the legendary Guilain Debossens. Guilain has cataloged more arches outside the U.S. than any other person and more than a thousand in France alone (www.archmillennium.net). It was the organization’s first international rally in more than a decade and was attended by ten couples, eight from the U.S. and two from Europe. The rally consisted of nine days of hiking with each hike visiting one or more natural arches along the route, totaling about 45 different natural arches.

In this photo, Natural Arch and Bridge Society participants pose on natural arch 24-FR-131 in Chassezac Canyon. Within the group are a few members who will be mentioned again. Guilain is in the front row, second from left, wearing a beige shirt; Ray Millar is on the far right wearing an orange and white rain coat and Cynny Scott is behind him wearing a Carolina Blue sweatshirt.