Gorge du Verdon - how did we manage without IPads?

The rain stopped for Sunday morning and I scraped ice off the Renault Twingo early to head for Pointe Sublime. Dropping in to La Palud sur Verdon a temperature inversion created a sea of clouds below and I drove up the Route des Cretes to get the photo down into the Verdon Gorge that had been disappointing in the rain yesterday.

Verdon Gorge - Saturday

This morning there were whisps of cloud curtains hanging across the gorge with the turquoise river 500m below snaking away to the distance.

Verdon Gorge, from the same belvedere - Sunday

Having snapped a few pics I headed down to Pointe Sublime, where I parked up and caught the bus (it's only passenger) to La Maline. From there my walk would take me down the the river and upstream back to Pointe Sublime.
The 10 mile Sentier Martel is the classic walk of the Gorge and is taken by the GR 4 so it's well maintained and the descent to the river zig-zags easily enough. The limestone walls tower above all the way but you'd be mistaken for thinking that the walk follows level near the bed of the river. Instead it twists and turns, climbs 30m and then immediately descends. After a couple of miles the path climbs a bit more seriously to cross a narrow 'headland' of rock, thus cutting the corner. So it's up for 150m height gain, steep, but nothing to the descent on the other side.
You arrive at a notch at the top of a wide chimney down which the path descends via iron ladders, posing as stairs; they're stairs in form, having treads and handrails, but they wouldn't pass building regs. Those prone to vertigo might prefer to face inwards rather than the 200m of air between you and the river below. Coming the other way this must be a quad-busting ascent.
Quite soon the ladders pass and more steep, twisting ups and downs follow as the gorge continues towards a narrowing about 3 miles ahead. the path never loses interest, wooded enclosed sections followed by glimpses down to the ever changing river; open rock ledges giving onto scree gully crossing; it's never difficult and always engaging.
As you reach the point where it seems there's no room for the path to continue, there's no room for the path to continue! So, it disappears into a tunnel. Entering the gloom you keep the far opening in view till emerging, blinking, after 100m. The next tunnel is a different proposition; no opening of light is in sight and after 100m the torch comes out of the back. You turn a corner and still no end in sight. There are several side openings small pools of light occasionally but the torch is helpful to prevent walking into walls or puddles. At one point I see a strange rectangle of light ahead; at first I think it's the tunnel's end but it's moving towards me.
The mystery is soon solved; an enterprising Frenchman, without a torch has switched on his Ipad and is using the screen's glow to find his way!
Once out of the tunnel it's a short hop and a climb back up to Pointe Sublime. I'd swung the lead with a French couple for the whole of this walk and we came together on this last ascent. They hadn't known about the bus and were faceed with regaining their voiture at La Maline so I took them there. It turned out that he was also an I.M.L. (walking leader) so we had a long chat in 'Franglais' and they took me for a Chocolat Chaud at the C.A.F. Refuge at La Maline.
On the way back to Moustiers it started raining.