Days 21 to 27: Linking the Kilometres

21 June: A Well Deserved Rest Day

Thann means the first real rest day. My previous breaks were mainly due to my tendon injury, but this time it is my whole body that is asking for a pause. 

We decide to take a tram to Cernay, as this village has a campsite, unlike Thann, where staying in a hotel or hostel would be much more expensive. 

What does a rest day actually look like. You might think it is simply a lazy day spent lying on a sleeping mat, staring at the sky and the clouds. Well, not at all. Rest days are for washing clothes and washing ourselves too because after a few days on the trail you really start to smell like a hiker, doing food shopping, organising the days ahead, writing, and more. All of this easily takes up a large part of the day. 

Since we are staying at the campsite for two days, we treat ourselves to a few small culinary rewards such as pizza, mini burgers, and lots and lots of fruit and vegetables. 

Alex also goes into the town centre to buy a new pair of shoes, as his previous pair was too small and had been causing him multiple blisters since the start. In the end, he chooses exactly the same shoes as mine. 

22 June: Alex’s Challenge

For a few days now, Alex has been talking to me about a challenge he set for himself, hiking 100 kilometres within a 24 hour period. In the past, he has already completed a 60 kilometre day, so why not add a small extra 40 kilometres. Early in the morning, we study the map and come to the conclusion that tomorrow would be the ideal day to attempt it, as the elevation gain is lower than on other sections of the trail. We therefore agree to keep today’s distance shorter so that he can start his challenge feeling relatively rested. In any case, the day is foggy and rainy, so the landscapes are hidden in mist. 

We walk around 24 kilometres towards a small shelter marked on the trail. Not fully satisfied with the location, we stay there for an hour so that Sandra can catch up with us and we can say hello, before continuing on to a lovely small summit to enjoy the view. The day ends with a traditional cup of tea that warms our hearts. 

23 June: Arrival in Belfort

Around 9.00 a.m., I say goodbye to Alex as he begins his 100 kilometre attempt. A long and somewhat unremarkable day of walking towards Belfort begins. You can feel that we are leaving the Vosges and its beautiful landscapes behind and approaching a more densely populated area. 

Around 4.00 p.m., I have already walked around 30 kilometres. I receive a photo of chips, courtesy of Alex, and my mouth starts watering. He tells me he bought them in a small village, Bas Sevenne, which happens to be hosting a techno festival. One hour later, there I am, chips in hand, which is the most important part, listening to a band in a festive atmosphere. 

Around 6.00 p.m., Alex texts me to say that he has just crossed paths with a Hugo on the trail who apparently knows me well. For a moment, I think it is my friend whom I met during the very first days on the trail. Very excited, I immediately message him to say that I am only a few kilometres behind. He replies that unfortunately it is not him and that he still needs to take another week of rest to heal an injured shin. 

his leads to the famous question: who is this other Hugo then. From the way Alex described him, I am supposed to know him and have already spoken to him. But I cannot remember. I start feeling a bit guilty for not recalling who he is. Maybe it will come back to me. Alex tells me that this Hugo should be staying at the Belfort campsite tonight.

Around 7.00 p.m., Alex lets me know that he has passed the 50 kilometre mark and is feeling very confident about the rest of the challenge.

I arrive at the Belfort campsite after 9.00 p.m. and after paying a solid 14 euros, ouch, I head towards the tent area. Seeing a hiker’s tent, I call out “Hugoooo, hello”. No response. I try again and a hiker pokes his head out of his shelter and says, “My name is Thierry, not Hugo.” Oops, awkward. 

I settle in quietly, but around 11.00 p.m., I receive a message from Alex saying that he feels extremely unwell, with nausea, chills, vision problems and a headache. His body has given up after 65 kilometres. He tells me he is going to take a few hours of rest. Around midnight, I go to sleep feeling rather uneasy. I wake up during the night around 5.00 a.m. and see a message from Alex saying that the few hours of sleep did him a lot of good and that he eventually continued walking up to kilometre 80. A solid 80 kilometres in 24 hours is impressive. Reassured, I fall back asleep. 

24 June: Édouard’s Return

Today, I have a meeting at Belfort Cathedral with Édouard, whom I have not seen since Saverne. For a few days, I have been updating him on my progress so that he could come and join me. Only 19 years old, the HexaTrek is a huge challenge for him, which he is handling brilliantly. Apart from a two day hike done previously, he has no long distance experience. I am really happy to see him again, and together we begin the two worst days of the trail so far. 

Why the worst? In two words, flat and straight. Today we are treated to a 15 kilometre walk along a canal, straight as a line. No elevation, just concrete paths. For the feet, it is awful. On top of that, the sun is blazing. Yes, I am not complaining about sunshine, but why does it choose to appear on the day with no scenery. Yesterday’s blisters send little cries of pain through every step. It feels like being stung by a bee with each footfall. To forget the pain, Édouard and I decide to do karaoke. For two hours, we sing French songs at the top of our lungs, much to the amusement of passers by. 

While heading towards a drinking water point marked on the trail app, we have the joy of stumbling upon a municipal beach, where we enjoy a well deserved swim. 

In the evening, we find a small flat spot to bivouac. At 7.30 p.m., my daily tick alarm goes off. Every 24 hours, I check whether one of these unpleasant little creatures that can transmit Lyme disease has attached itself to me. It has been almost three weeks of hiking and I have never had one, to the point where I now do the check half jokingly. Except that tonight, what do I find near my armpit. A tiny tick. The first time this has ever happened to me. Stress level rises. “Édouard, help, I have a tick on me, get it off.” I probably look a bit dramatic, I admit. Édouard calmly removes the tick with his tweezers and reassures me. It is fine, it has only been there for a few hours. 

With that little anecdote, the day comes to an end and night falls. And by the way, happy Quebec National Day. 

25 June: Flatland

Today is the last flat day. Alex has taken a rest day further ahead and is waiting for us at the Saint Hippolyte campsite. We start our day on a small wooded path and very quickly reach a village. Village means coffee. It is tradition, the little daily reward. Only one bakery is open, and unfortunately it does not serve coffee. As we are about to leave, a woman offers to invite us into her home for coffee. We happily accept, and that is how we officially meet Denise. 

Her husband sadly passed away four years ago, and after 50 years of marriage, his absence has left a great emptiness in the house. She has also recently been diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s, which makes daily life more difficult. Denise is delighted to have some company in the morning and tells us that our visit will be the sunshine of her day. We reply that meeting her will be the sunshine of ours. She encourages us to enjoy our youth and life, because they pass far too quickly and we are never sheltered from life’s storms. After an hour at her place, we get back on the trail. In the afternoon, the sun is once again blazing for a second day in a row, a miracle perhaps, and we soon run out of water. We ask some people in their garden if we can refill our bottles, and they invite us to sit at their table for a few minutes. Shortly after, I see a hiker emerge from the woods, about my age. Could this be the famous Hugo this time. I shout, “Hugo, is that you???” 

This time, it is indeed him. He joins us and explains that he knows me simply through my messages on Discord and my posts on Instagram. Phew, I am relieved. I had not forgotten him, I just had not met him yet. 

We resume walking towards Saint Hippolyte and quickly join Alex at the campsite, with the idea of having an aperitif to celebrate the end of concrete paths and flat terrain. At this point, any excuse is a good excuse for an aperitif. We all go for a swim in the Doubs River that runs alongside the campsite, then spend the evening chatting and playing chess until late at night. Tomorrow morning will be a bit rough.

26 and 27 June: The Doubs Gorges

Over the next two days, we cross the Doubs Gorges. Walking along the river is a completely different experience from the previous two days. The place is peaceful, the trees are covered in moss, and the sound of the river accompanies us all day long. 

In the evening, we find a lovely bivouac spot equipped with a table, freshly cut wood and a small garden, all right next to the river. Alex, Hugo, Édouard and I pitch our tents and decide to make a small campfire for the evening. 

The next day, we set off again with the idea of covering around 30 kilometres. Towards the end of the day, Édouard is a few kilometres ahead, while Alex and I walk together. Running out of water once again, yes I know, we knock on the door of a small countryside house and ask the owner, Jacky, if we can refill our bottles. 

With great generosity, he also offers us a beer, which we gladly accept. A minute later, he goes even further and offers to share dinner with us and let us stay on his land for the night. We tell him that we had planned to meet our friend Édouard. He immediately suggests inviting him as well. We call Édouard, who agrees to turn back. 

Once Édouard arrives, Jacky looks at us and says, “Well, it’s not that I don’t like you, but you smell really bad. You’re going to take a shower.” A shower. Did he really say shower. Yes. I ask where the shower is, and laughing, he points to a freezing cold waterfall a little further away. Well then, why not. He hands us clean towels and shampoo, and we head towards the waterfall. It is freezing cold. But it feels amazing.

Jacky waits for us in the garden, holding a bottle of Pinot Gris. After one glass, my head is already spinning, I am very tired after all. For dinner, he serves us pasta with homemade Bolognese sauce, salad, cheese, dessert and a good Italian red wine. What a big heart he has. Afterwards, he even offers us beds inside for the night, in the basement where camp beds are set up. 

We finally go to sleep around midnight, bellies full and heads slightly spinning