This article is the sixth episode of Marie Albert’s hiking diary, following her Survivor Tour in the Pyrenees. You can read previous episodes here:
- Episode 1: Why I Go the tour of France on foot against gender violence
- Episode 2: How I Survive Male Hikers: My First Month in the Pyrenees
- Episode 3: I get my period on a hike and it’s hell: my second month in the Pyrenees
- Episode 4: No, I’m Not Afraid to Sleep only in the mountainsand here’s why
- Episode 5: Walking with the girls in the mountains, an unparalleled pleasure
At one point, sweat was dripping from every part of my body. I’ve never had my forearms sweat – it’s done. I’ve never dried my eyebrows before – it’s done. On this scorching afternoon I take on the 1,300 meters of altitude difference in my legs. The temperature is around 30 degrees.
A climb that never ends
I quench my thirst as best I can but only the shade of the trees calms me briefly. I take regular breaks on this climb that leads from Fos to the Uls refuge, in Haute-Garonne. Tomorrow I will arrive in the Ariège department. But right now, all I see is a steep slope in front of me.
After several hours of climbing I arrive at the edge of the forest. I have to get off to continue the climb to the Uls hut a few kilometers further on. Now I am protected from the sun only by my “feminist” hat and my zebra sunglasses. My black t-shirt stores heat. I sweat more and more. To motivate myself I listen to pop music on my Bluetooth headphones. I eat a granola bar every hour. At a certain point I can’t take it anymore. When does this climb end? I don’t see the end of it.
After an hour in full sun, the slope finally decreases but I still have to advance for several minutes before seeing the precious cabin. I put the tent aside because I know other hikers are behind me and will arrive soon. I prefer to bivouac at a good distance from others to preserve my privacy. This evening, eight of us will sleep around the Uls hut.
Read also: Are you interested in hiking? Here are some tips for beginners to start well equipped
An exhausting journey
Anne is an older hiker than me who also crosses the Pyrenees alone along the GR10 trail. We sympathize quickly. She struggles a lot uphill, so she takes all the necessary breaks. This evening she accompanies me to the stream that flows near the cabin. I bathe there in my underwear. I dreamed about it all day.
Anne is washing nearby. She even washes her daily clothes with river water. We discuss the best strategies to pollute the waterways of the Pyrenees as little as possible. Personally I don’t use soap. I simply rinse myself in muddy, freezing water. I feel lucky and happy. But tomorrow we will have to set off again for a new stage which will undoubtedly be as difficult as today’s.
Crossing the Pyrenees on foot via the GR10 means traveling at least 922 kilometers (not counting detours to refuel or reach campsites) and 50,000 meters of altitude difference. We need to add just as much negative altitude difference to reach the sea… I left Hendaye (Pyrenees-Atlantiques) on 1 July 2023. I thought I would reach Banyuls-sur-Mer (Pyrenees-Orientales) in a few weeks. It won’t be like that.
The climbs exhaust me, dehydrate me and make my heart beat but I prefer them to the descents. These are breaking my legs. After three months of walking, my knees constantly hurt. I use walking sticks to limit damage. I take a day off from camping every three or four days. These precautions allow me to get to the end. I reach the Mediterranean Sea on September 26, 2023, after 68 stages on the GR10.
I feel exhausted. I sleep almost eleven hours every night but I wake up more tired than the day before. Everything bothers me and I can’t wait to put the backpack down. I think the GR10 is the most difficult hike in mainland France (ahead of the GR20 in Corsica). I have met many hikers who gave up halfway through the trip. Some due to an injury, others due to the tiredness of these incessant climbs and descents.
We do not come across any apartments in the Pyrenees. We descend into all the valleys and immediately go back up to the pass. In Ariège it is difficult to find campsites or grocery stores to stock up on. There is very little telephone or internet access. I no longer count the days in which I have endured the cold, the heat, the storms or the wind. I tell these episodes in my podcast Sologamie, dedicated to singles who don’t need anyone.
HAS read also: 6 hikers to follow on Instagram who combine walking and activism
Seeing the sea again, finally
The trail is always technical, sometimes dangerous: unstable stones, steep ridges, a nearby ravine, slippery stones… I regularly fall on the descents. Every year several people lose their lives hiking in the mountains. However, crossing the Pyrenees on foot required more mental than physical strength. My body got used to the effort in a few weeks.
After an ambitious start (20 kilometers a day at the beginning of July), I reduced it to around fifteen kilometers per stage, no more. On the other hand, I needed unshakable endurance and a mind of steel to keep going over time. Seeing the Mediterranean Sea, three months after leaving the Atlantic Ocean in Hendaye, moved me to tears on September 25th. I suffered a lot but I got there on my own. I, who had never walked in the high mountains. I, the original Parisian. In Banyuls I collapsed on the beach and bathed topless in the salt water.
While waiting for the last episode of Marie Albert’s hiking diary, you can follow her on her Instagram account, where she documents her Survivor Tour.
To testify about Madmoizelle, write to us at:
[email protected]
We can’t wait to read you!
Do you like our articles? You’ll love our newsletters! Sign up for free on this page.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
