GR5: Days 36–42 from past Aubure to past La Rasse | Hiking from Holland to Nice
The GR5 adventure continues, and I’ve officially passed the halfway point! This week brings forest trails, rocky paths, long days on foot and a mix of sunshine and rain. There are beautiful views and little wins along the way, plus the usual decisions about food, camping and where to sleep.
Day 36 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny ☀️ & rainy 🌧️ couldn’t make up its mind!
From: past Aubure
Start time: 7.32am
To: Col de la Schlucht
End time: 6.49pm
Accommodation: Hotel! Decided to spoil myself after reaching the 1/2 way point!
Terrain: rooty & very rocky sections
Cicerone guidebook stages: section 5
🥾Km: 33.32
🥾Miles: 20.8
🦶Steps: 42,002
Ascent: 1,500m
Descent: 1,220m
Total Distance 1,133/2,200 km
51.5% Done ✅
💰Costs: €10 ride
€15.90 bakery - 2x ham & cheese sandwiches, 2x apple juice, pastry tart.
€84 hotel room
€18.50 gin & tonic & crepe
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10
Fatigue: 1/10
Ease of terrain: 3/10 - surprisingly found the climbing okay? It was very similar to the treadmill training that I had done previously where I trained on an incline, going pretty slowly but carrying a heavy backpack.
⭐️Highlights: summits, war memorials, ridge walks, mountain ride, gorgeous hotel, chatting with family & friends on FaceTime.
🏔️Challenges: camping was going to be a challenge as I’m inbetween nature reserves and very limited on where I could potentially camp. in the end I found a great deal on the hotel room so I decided to book it.
💭Thoughts: I know I like my own company but it would be nice to meet some other hikers at some point! lol! I wonder if it’ll be busier in Switzerland but then I’ll be there in September and it will probably be quiet then anyway!
Day 37 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: rainy then sunny ☀️
From: Col de la Schlucht
Start time: 10.09
To: Refuge du Storkenkopf
End time: 8.42
Accommodation: cabin - make shift bed with my air mattress
Terrain: forests, mountain trails
Cicerone guidebook stages: section 6
🥾Km: 31.66
🥾Miles: 19.7
🦶Steps: 41,208
Ascent: 1,301m
Descent: 1235m
Total Distance 1,163/2,200 km
52.8% Done ✅
💰Costs:€14 breakfast at the hotel
€69 new hiking poles!
€9 2x cookies, 2x pastry
€3.90 apple juice
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fatigue:2 /10
Ease of terrain: 3/10
⭐️Highlights: new hiking poles! Let’s go! I’ll carry the old ones until I can find a post office & post them home.
🏔️Challenges: the start was cold, misty and windy. I almost needed to order a hot chocolate to warm up. No views to see which was a shame.
💭Thoughts: so pleased make it to the cabin, especially as it was starting to rain. I’ve hung my food bag as there’s probably gonna be mice here but if needs be I can always set my tent up later just outside. Should make leaving in the morning much quicker.
Day 38 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny ☀️ 25 degrees
From: Refuge du Storkenkopf
Start time: 8.13am
To: Cabane des jeunes de Molau
End time: 8.50pm
Accommodation: camped ⛺️
Terrain: forest paths, grassy fields,Rocky Mountain paths
Cicerone guidebook stages: end of section 6 & start of 7
🥾Km: 36.71
🥾Miles: 23
🦶Steps: 47,634
Ascent: 1,504m
Descent: 1,762m
Total Distance 1,200/2,200 km
54.5% Done ✅
💰Costs: €12.20 - chicken sandwich, apple drink, quiche, 2x croissant
€6.40 - 2x snickers, 2x jelly sweets,
€1 lighter
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: the smell of the pine forests, valley views, sunset 🌅
🏔️Challenges: I wish I could have walked another 3 miles - that would have taken me to a really nice shelter. But it was’t to be. It took a lot to get to this shelter!
💭Thoughts: I can’t believe in two days I’ve been on the trail for 40 days. Countdown then really starts as I’ll only have 30 days left. Still a long way to go….
Day 39 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny ☀️ with thunderstorms in the evening
From: Cabane des jeunes de Molau
Start time: 8.07am
To: before MM770
End time: 7.37pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: forests, mountain trails, grassy meadows
Cicerone guidebook stages: section 7
🥾Km: 31.42
🥾Miles: 19.6
🦶Steps: 40,684
Ascent:885m
Descent: 1,389m
Total Distance 1,232/2,200 km
56% Done ✅
💰Costs: €11.10 2x snickers, apple juice, 3x jelly sweets
€12.20 - salad, cookie, apple juice, orange juice, 2x pastry
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 4/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: the ecstatic feeling coming across cold, fresh water! Such relief and joy! Reaching the bakery with time to spare. Getting my tent set up before the rain & thunderstorms 🌩️
🏔️Challenges: ❤️The first 5k were seriously tough going! My heart rate was all over the place.
💦the disappointment of a dry water source you were relying on.
💤I woke up in the night - serious pain in my legs - took some pain killers and tried to go back to sleep.
💭Thoughts: the next couple of days looks pretty flat ish…. I wonder what distances I’ll be able to cover?
Day 40 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: bad pics - sorry - too wet at the start and then too hot at the end!
Weather: thunderstorms & rain in the am - followed by sunshine in the pm
From: before MM770
Start time: 8.17am
To: before Dasle
End time: 8.04pm
Accommodation: wild camped ⛺️
Terrain: roads! Canal paths, gravel & forest trails
Cicerone guidebook stages: end of section 7 - start of section 8
🥾Km:43.16
🥾Miles: 27
🦶Steps: 55,575
Ascent: 793m
Descent: 825m
Total Distance 1,273/2,200 km
57.8% Done ✅
💰Costs: €16.20 2x drinks, pesto & ham sandwich, 2x pastries, & a quiche
€7.50 2x jelly sweets, cookie & pastry
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fatigue: 3/10
Ease of terrain: 3/10
⭐️Highlights: when the sun came out! Getting food at the bakery & not having to walk an extra mile off route.
🏔️Challenges: the morning thunderstorms & rain wasn’t the best start to the day. It made it really tough going. But the terrain was flat and easy going.
💭Thoughts: today was a big day in terms of distance, but it didn’t feel like that as the terrain was pretty easy going - apart from the concrete. My knees are going to feel it tomorrow! Glad for the early stop. Bit more time for R&R
Day 41 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: ☀️sunny 25 degrees
From: before Dasle
Start time: 9.14am
To: past Soulce-Cernay
End time: 8.08pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: forests, roads, gravel
Cicerone guidebook stages: section 8
🥾Km: 36.66
🥾Miles: 23
🦶Steps: 47,588
Ascent: 1,192m
Descent: 1,104m
Total Distance 1,310/2,200 km
59.5% Done ✅
💰Costs: €4.74 - water, juice & gummy sweets
€18.28 - protein yogurt, protein drinks, water, juice, ham salad, m&ms 2x chewy sweets, croissants 🥐
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fatigue: 2/10
Ease of terrain: 3/10
⭐️Highlights: it sounds awful when I say that nothing really stood out. It was just a very standard day.
🏔️Challenges: none really - just a very normal consistent day.
💭Thoughts: i’m still thinking a lot about the Alps and the elevation gain and loss from the mountains. It’s gonna be so hard to continue to do the mileage I’m doing in that terrain. I’ve only got one lever that I can pull and I just don’t want to do it but I need to. The only thing I can change is getting up earlier. Sunset is getting earlier and earlier - I don’t like walking in the dark so therefore getting up earlier is my only option.
Day 42🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny ☀️ 25 degrees
From: past Soulce-Cernay
Start time: 7.46am
To: Past La Rasse
End time: 8.21pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: forests, rocks, rooty, ladders, roads
Cicerone guidebook stages: section 9
🥾Km: 41.43
🥾Miles: 25.8 - almost a marathon!
🦶Steps: 53,894
Ascent: 1,240m
Descent: 1,105m
Total Distance 1,351/2,200 km
61.4% Done ✅
💰Costs: €28.70 - 2x sandwich, 2x yogurt, pineapple drink, vitamin c drink, 2x kitkat, 2x gummy sweets, biscuits, 3x tissues.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10
Fatigue: 2/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights:🪜It was cool to climb two different sets of ladders on the route! very fun!
🏞️Incredible walking by the river!
Great little camping spot at the end of the day - found just as sunset happened.
🏔️Challenges: a few bites which are sooo itchy!!!
💭Thoughts: starting to think about getting around the lake - from Nyon to Saint Gingolph. I think it’s going to be train - quicker than the ferry or bus!
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