Days 32 to 36: End of Stage 1 and Decisions

Day 32: A Memorable Sunrise

5.30 a.m. The alarm goes off. Excited, as the forecast mentions a chance of sunshine, I stick my head out of the tent to assess the situation. Damn, fog again. Just my luck, I would have loved to have a view from the summit of Mont Tendre. Disheartened, I set my alarm for 6.30 a.m. and try to fall back asleep, but I cannot.

I am staring at the ceiling of my tent when I notice a tiny ray of sunlight reflecting on the white fabric. I poke my head outside again and, this time, I see the fog slowly beginning to lift. I quickly wake Édouard and Alex so they can enjoy this clearing too.

A few minutes later, the fog has largely cleared and we are lucky enough to witness a magnificent sunrise from the top of the mountain.

Filled with joy from this break in the weather, we set off again. After walking a solid 36 kilometres with significant elevation yesterday, we decide to keep things shorter today. We find a small campsite just before La Dôle, the second highest summit in the Swiss Jura.

We are greeted, in full snail mode, by the campsite owner. It is a real test of nerves and patience. Passport required, proof of address, a form to fill in. It is stricter than border control. After twenty minutes, we finally pay, and then we are entitled to a guided tour of the campsite that takes another twenty minutes. The owner shows us absolutely everything, every tap in the toilets, which side to place our tent vestibules, every kitchen utensil, and so on, very useful indeed. Perhaps he wants us to get our money’s worth from the 22 Swiss francs each we paid for the night.

Still, an impressive detail, the washing machine costs only 1.5 francs. The first inexpensive expense in Swiss territory. Perfect timing too, it was more than time to wash our clothes.

Day 33: End of Stage 1

Today, we head for Nyon, the end point of stage one. Only 25 kilometres remain to complete these first 670 kilometres. I feel both excited and exhausted. My last rest day was back in Thann more than two weeks ago. My feet hurt so much that I am afraid of injuring my Achilles tendons again. I decide to take a slower pace than usual so as not to make things worse.

The day begins with the climb up La Dôle. It is only five kilometres, but it is steep.

At the top of La Dôle, I meet Jérôme, a Belgian HexaTrekker. He will also finish stage one by the end of the day, so I invite him to join us for the campsite and dinner.

The day continues quietly and my feet hurt more and more. Still, excitement takes over when I spot Lake Geneva in the distance, a symbol that the end of stage one is close. Around 3.00 p.m., I finally arrive in Nyon. Stage one is complete. I feel a strong sense of achievement for these first 670 kilometres. I am very happy to share this moment with my companions of the past few weeks, Alex and Édouard.

Together, with Jérôme, we take the ferry across the lake to return to France. We arrive in the charming town of Yvoire, where we enjoy a beer and a lovely crêpe to celebrate our achievement, the first celebration, with more to come.

In the evening, we find a campsite by Lake Geneva and enjoy burgers and chips. Tomorrow will be a rest day, and we will need to decide whether to continue on stage two or jump to stage four in order to avoid poor conditions in the Alps.

Day 34: Gathering Around a Fondue

After talking with the trio of Americans who have huge long distance hiking experience, we decide that we will continue on stage four of the HexaTrek, the Gorges and Causses, and then return later to the Alps and Hautes Alpes. This decision is motivated by the large amounts of remaining snow, which sometimes require the use of ice axes and crampons. I would rather hike stages two and three without having to worry about snow. It is also worth mentioning that, in the normal order of stages, the start of stage four falls at the beginning of August, usually the hottest period of the summer. Last year, hikers faced temperatures above 40 degrees in the gorges. I am therefore glad to do this stage in July, before the heatwaves and drought take hold in this part of France.

Those who know me know that I talk to many HexaTrekkers online to follow their progress and adventures. I realise that tonight there will be twelve hikers all in the same place, in Thonon les Bains. Time to organise a fondue evening. We have been talking about this famous fondue for days. I call everyone I know and book a table in a small restaurant. At 6.30 p.m., everyone meets there and we have a wonderful evening.

After this excellent fondue, we all head back to the campsite together. Tomorrow, half of us will continue into the Alps, and the other half will travel by train to stage four. So we say goodbye to Aude, Maxime and Guillaume, who will start stage two tomorrow. I hope I will see them again later in the Pyrenees. I also say goodbye to Damien and Aiko, Aiko is doing better, what a relief. Tomorrow, we have three trains to catch to reach the start of stage four.

Day 35: Train Travel to Stage 4

At 10.30 a.m., we take our first train. I feel a slight tightness in my chest at the idea of leaving stage two, but safety comes first. In any case, I will come back in a few weeks.

On the second train, we chat very briefly with a woman. She is so interested in our adventure that she buys us 45 euros’ worth of poke bowls. I am stunned by people’s generosity.

We finish our long travel day around 7.00 p.m. and camp at a small campsite near Viviers. Tomorrow, we will take a third consecutive rest day because Édouard unfortunately has a huge blister that has started to become infected. It is becoming risky for him to keep going with this injury.

Day 36: A Real Rest Day and Having to Say Goodbye to Édouard

Summary of the day: doing nothing. It feels good to get up late, read, watch a film, not walk, and so on. Édouard, who is not improving, heads to the pharmacy to ask for advice.

Sadly, he comes back an hour later with bad news. He needs several days of rest, the blister is infected. It makes us sad because we will have to set off without him. I truly hope he recovers quickly.

To close this chapter of the adventure, we decide to go for an aperitif at a small château overlooking the town.

Tomorrow, we will start walking again. I am really excited to begin a new stage.