The night was very short because of strong gusts of wind that kept crushing the tent. My eyes are puffy with fatigue, but since tomorrow will be a rest day, I am not too worried, especially because today’s route includes only a small amount of elevation gain and is mostly...
I have barely woken up when Hugo calls out a goodbye from outside my tent. It is only 7:30 a.m. and he is already ready to leave, or from another point of view, it is 7:30 a.m. and I am still in my bed slash sleeping pad. We are only supposed to hike about 19 kilometers today, so I am in no rush. I tell him that I will catch up...
Days 82 to 84: Doing 2,000+ Metres of Ascent Per Day Read More »
After a few days of rest, the goal for the morning, for Hugo, Roel and me alike, is to hitchhike back to the Col du Lautaret in order to begin Stage 3. Hugo is leaving from Saint Jean d’Arves, I am leaving from Briançon, and Roel...
At 5.00 am, the alarm goes off in the dormitory. As quietly as possible, Roel, Hugo and I gather our things and head towards the salle hors sac (a French term for a room where hikers can cook their own meals). Hugo and Roel exchange a look that seems to say they are probably wondering why they agreed to my slightly crazy plan of getting up before dawn…
Following the bivouac at Refuge Entre Deux Eaux, a new beautiful day begins. Today is a mini day of just 12 kilometres. We will reach Pralognan, a small village with a campsite, and we plan to take full advantage of the facilities to relax.After a good climb, the trail opens onto a valley filled with alpine lakes and rivers. At the refuge…
After a somewhat questionable night’s sleep (I could easily have slept for hours longer, and on slightly more even ground), I pack up my tent (loosely speaking, as I am not very meticulous when it comes to packing, and my tent usually ends up crumpled into a ball at the bottom of my side pouch)…
I wake up with a start. The sun is already well up. Oops, it is already 8.00 am, I forgot to set my alarm clock. Well, technically, when bivouacking, the tent must be taken down before 9.00 am, which leaves me just enough time to get organised. Already, most hikers…
Days 65 to 68: Chamonix and a Return to the Tour du Mont Blanc Read More »
Three hours. That is how many hours I slept after a night punctuated by surprise thunderstorms and food poisoning. I pull myself together, pack my things into my rucksack, and nibble very lightly on two small mouthfuls of bread, just so my stomach is not completely empty…
Un petit résumé des dernières semaines Me voici de retour sur mon blog! Dans les dernières semaines de l’étape 4, je n’ai eu que très peu de temps pour écrire, en raison de journées de marche très exigeantes dépassant les 30 kilomètres presque tous les jours! Le soir, une fois la tente posée, je n’avais
Days 40 to 60: A Summary of Stage 4 and the Return to Stage 2, Gateway to the Alps Read More »
This time, that’s it, we officially begin stage four, a 514 kilometre route passing through Ardèche, Tarn, the Cévennes and Languedoc. We head to Viviers, the starting point, and begin walking. Unfortunately, Édouard will not be able to continue with us...