It all starts in a whisper. At Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc, in the volcanic pastures of Ardèche, a few trickles of water slip through the grass. Dark stones, thick moss, the cold wind that blows the clouds onto the slopes of the ancient volcano. It is here, at an altitude of 1,400 meters, that the Loire is born. Or rather: it is here that men decided that it was born. Because this mythical river begins with hesitation. Officially, three sources dispute its origin. In reality, dozens of emergences emerge under the basalt flows of Gerbier. From kilometer zero, the history of the Loire is multiple and invites us to think of it as such.
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