GR5: Days 43–49 from past La Rasse to past Samöens | Hiking from Holland to Nice
This week takes me closer to the Alps and across into Switzerland before I return to France and start the French Alps section. There are long days, incredible views and some big climbs, but also a difficult day when I feel far from my best. The adventure is moving on, one step at a time.
Day 43 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny ☀️
From: Past La Rasse
Start time: 9am
To: Past Le Gardot
End time: 8.41pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: roads, forests, rocks
Cicerone guidebook stages: start of section 10
🥾Km: 32.10
🥾Miles: 20
🦶Steps: 39,995
Ascent:1,182m
Descent: 706m
Total Distance 1,386/2,200 km
62.9% Done ✅
💰Costs: €18.90 for the vegetarian salad
€3.90 apple juice drink
€16.88 Lidle food supply - 2 days
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 8/10
Fatigue: 5/10 - struggled to get going in the am
Ease of terrain: 5/10 - more climbing but still manageable
⭐️Highlights: not the salad 🥗
🏔️Challenges: I don’t know what I was thinking ordering a salad - I think I was trying to be healthy but it’s really messed up my gut. My stomach is like what’s this? This is not easy to digest. This isn’t our normal diet of sugar, carbs, protein, chocolate and fats, we’re gonna have to work really hard to digest this.
💭Thoughts: I need to look into the GTJ trail - I keep seeing markers for it and it looks pretty awesome 🙌
Day 44 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats:Weather: sunny☀️ 23 degrees
From: Past Le Gardot
Start time: 8.02am
To: before Les Fourgs
End time: 8.17pm
Accommodation: wild camping 🏕️
Terrain: mountain trails, concrete, grassy farm lands, forest trails
Cicerone guidebook stages: section 10
🥾Km: 40.97
🥾Miles: 25.6
🦶Steps: 53,455
Ascent: 1,273m
Descent: 1,169m
Total Distance 1,426/2,200 km
64.8% Done ✅
💰Costs: €0 - makes me feel better about the expensive salad!
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10 - started to feel rough towards the end of the day
Fatigue: 5/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: views are getting better and better!
🏔️Challenges: getting cold in the morning. My hands were frozen trying to put the wet tent away!
💭Thoughts: still trying to figure out logistics over the next few days. I need to start the Alps ASAP!
Day 45 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny ☀️ 25 degrees
From: before Les Fourgs
Start time: 8.09am
To: past Mouthe
End time: 8.40pm
Accommodation: wild camped
Terrain: grassy, gravel, roads,
Cicerone guidebook stages: end of section 10 and start of 11 (final section)
🥾Km: 37.80
🥾Miles: 23.6
🦶Steps: 48,593
Ascent: 1,008m
Descent: 1,248m
Total Distance 1,466/2,200 km
66.6% Done ✅
💰Costs: €4.40 - water & juice drink
€3.50 apple juice
€10.40 posting poles to a friend in France 🇫🇷
€21.20 - burger, drink & ice cream 🍦
€11.80 2x croissant, cookie, cheese & tomato sandwich
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 9/10
Fatigue: 3/10
Ease of terrain: 4/10
⭐️Highlights: an amazing burger and ice cream at lunchtime - plus I also charged my electronics. I’ve posted my broken poles - which is a good job done.
🏔️Challenges: having to wait till 2.30pm for the bakery to open so I can buy some food for this evening and breakfast tomorrow otherwise I’m going into the mountains with a can of tuna and some mayonnaise!
💭Thoughts: I want to finish this section in the next 2 days and get the train - it’s going to be a big push tomorrow… I’m planning an early start! lol!
Day 46 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny 24 degrees
From: past Mouthe
Start time: 6.59am
To: past La Cure 🇨🇭
End time: 8.10pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: grassy, mountains gravel tracks, roads, forests
Cicerone guidebook stages: section 11
🥾Km: 49.13
🥾Miles: 30.7
🦶Steps: 63,200
Ascent: 1,258m
Descent: 970m
Total Distance 1,514/2,200 km
68.8% Done ✅
💰Costs: €17 2x apple juice, ice cream, brownie
€22.20 pasta salad, OJ, apple juice, water, croissant, & cheesy bread thing.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10
Fatigue: 2/10
Ease of terrain: 3/10
⭐️Highlights: Getting to Switzerland 🇨🇭 doing such a big day (which makes tomorrow easier) - good food, good weather & amazing views!
🏔️Challenges: 2 diversions and route changes. At one point I was going in completely the wrong direction and I didn’t knew how they were going to reroute me.
In Switzerland there are no more GR5 markers / instead it’s yellow diamonds which makes route finding a bit more challenging.
💭Thoughts: getting up early makes a massive difference! lol! 😂 same again for tomorrow the alarm is set!!
Day 47 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny 23 degrees
From: past La Cure 🇨🇭
Start time: 7.06am
To: Chalets de Neuteu
End time: 6.07pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: concrete, roads, mountain tracks, rocks, forests
Cicerone guidebook stages: end of section 11 and start of next guide book for the French Alps!
🥾Km: 18.47+9.22 = 27.69
🥾Miles: 11.5+5.7 = 17.2
🦶Steps: 23,010+8,937 = 31,947
Ascent: 112 + 1334 = 1,446
Descent: 976m + 13m = 989 m
Total Distance 1541/2,200 km
70% Done ✅
💰Costs: 47 CHF train & boat
€12.20 drink, sandwich, cookie & 2x small packs jelly sweets
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10
Fatigue: 3/10
Ease of terrain: 5/10 - it’s not difficult walking it’s just super steep!
⭐️Highlights: so many! Reaching the lake, getting to the station and getting on the train five minutes later. Also getting to go on the ferry. Starting the next section and doing a good climb.
🏔️Challenges: I bought a cookie and the lady didn’t pack it for me. So I didn’t get my cookie. Which I’m very upset about. Not joking.
💭Thoughts: feeling really pumped and excited to be in the mountains ⛰️ the views already have just been extraordinary - and it’s only the first day! In order to finish on time I need to double up on four sections. Which should be very doable! Fingers crossed 🤞
Day 48 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: Weather: sunny ☀️ 22 degrees
From: Chalets de Neuteu
Start time: 6.29am
To: before Refuge de Chésery
End time: 7.02pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: mountains tracks and gravel roads, grassy, rocky, a few steep forest sections.
Cicerone guidebook stages: end of stage 1 & 2 🙌
🥾Km: 28.77
🥾Miles: 18
🦶Steps: 29,933
Ascent: 2,020m
Descent: 1,738m
Total Distance 1,569/2,200 km
71% Done ✅
💰Costs: €14.90 cheese sandwich, 2x cookies, 2x chocolate croissant
€22.78 - drink, chocolates, gummy sweets, m&ms, Oreo biscuits
€11.20 - apple juice, chocolate crepe, & 2x small packs gummy sweets.
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 10/10 it’s incredible 🥳
Fatigue: 4/10 - felt better after eating.
Ease of terrain: 3/10 - it’s not hard walking - but some sections require more concentration because they are very rocky especially when you are descending.
⭐️Highlights: Charging electronics at the tourist office - gives me a few more days of camping. Getting resupply, completing stage 2. Really impressed with how much climbing I’m doing!
🏔️Challenges: my ground sheet smells like donkey poo! And I’ve been carrying it on the outside so now I smell of donkey poo too. I really need to have a shower at some point. I’m not sure the wet wipes are helping anymore. I think it is 12 days since I had a shower…. I also need to wash my socks.
💭Thoughts: I’ve spent a lot on food today! Good thing I’m wild camping! lol!
Day 49 🥾GR5 - 2,200km from Holland 🇳🇱 to Nice 🇫🇷
ℹ️Stats: what a day - the worst day
Weather: sunny ☀️ 26 degrees - hot 🔥
From: before Refuge de Chésery
Start time: 6.58
To: just past Samöens
End time: 8.08pm
Accommodation: wild camped 🏕️
Terrain: mountain tracks, rocky, roots, gravel
Cicerone guidebook stages: stage 3
🥾Km: 28.72 (2km going the wrong way)
🥾Miles: 17.95
🦶Steps: 33,111
Ascent: 899m
Descent: 2,126m
Total Distance 1,667/2,200 km
75.7% Done ✅
💰Costs: €4 apple juice
€12 pizza
€24.67 resupply
Subjective feeling out of 10 on:
Enjoyment: 5/10 - worst day I’ve had hiking for a while - not the terrain - me.
Fatigue: 9/10 - felt horrible most of the day.
Ease of terrain: 3/10
⭐️Highlights: making it to the town - there still being a supermarket open. Getting a pizza (only managed 1 slice - have packed the rest out) also got some resupply. Not sure what my body wants.
🏔️Challenges: everything - felt so rough - though I was going to be sick. Wasn’t sure what was wrong with me. Kept having to stop (6hrs 40 mins resting/paused) this is the worst ive felt for a very long time. Also managed to go a few km off trail - which really pissed me off.
💭Thoughts: what a crappy day. I should have smashed it - it wasn’t hard walking - it was downhill on tracks. Easy compared to previous days. I’m really annoyed, at myself. Such an incredible day (views etc) crossing the border back to France. I couldn’t enjoy it as I felt so rough. Tomorrow is a new day so hopefully things will be better.
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