Main Pivot: The Journey

If anything, a walk will teach one to be flexible. At least my wife hopes I learn to be flexible, what with my spreadsheets and all. Well, we’re being flexible as we make a big pivot for 2026.

To be clear, my wife and I worked hard and lived extremely frugally for many, many years so we could afford to go on a hike after our kids had someone else to worry about. Wow, that was a long sentence. Even though we can live comfortably, I still pride myself on being able to get two dimes out of a nickel. We were on our way to having all the preparations made to reach Hendaye, the SOBO start of the Hexatrek, when a proverbial straw broke the camel’s back.

France is part of the Schengen region, made up of several countries that conspired to control immigration and tourism in their area. Americans can spend 90 days of a consecutive 180-day period in the Schengen region without a visa. Upon entering the region, one must undergo biometric tagging that is maintained in an international database. When leaving the region they know exactly how long they have stayed and there are impressive penalties for exceeding 90 days.

Since our trek would take more than 90 days, I started a spreadsheet to outline all the details we would need to have together before the visa interview and before landing in France. It turns out that this list is neither too long nor cumbersome. Round-trip airline tickets, proof of accommodation, proof of international medical insurance, and proof of financial means. We already have passports, TSA pre-check, and real IDs. The only thing left is to apply for the visa, schedule the interview, and hope that the embassy official believes that all we want to do is walk around their country and then return home.

Price Breakdown and Important Links

Airline tickets cost about $1,000 each. We are within walking distance of at least three international airports: Dulles, Raleigh and Charlotte. Right now, round-trip flights in late May from either of these to Paris cost around $1,000. Add in the ability to reschedule the return flight, which is a great possibility for a direct hike, and the price jumps to over $1,300 each.

International health insurance costs about $400 each. There are several providers for this, but we currently have UnitedHealthcare insurance, so I received a quote from them. We might have been able to save a few dollars here. My quote did not include “extreme sports” coverage which might be considered necessary due to the height of some of the mountain passes we would be hiking. It is important to note that this insurance must have been purchased prior to the visa interview and must be provided by a company in the traveler’s home country.

Ground transportation from Paris to Hendaye costs around $100 each. Use a combination of local buses, taxis or Uber to get from the airport to the main train station on the outskirts of Paris and then take the train to Hendaye. I used a combination of Google, Rome to Rio and SNCF Connect to sort out this logistical detail. Train times and prices, however, are not set that far away and we were hoping to catch the train to Hendaye on the same day we arrived in Paris to avoid the high cost of accommodation in and around Paris.

Accommodation in Hendaye costs around $100 per night and we planned 3 nights to give us time to recover from almost 24 hours of travel and buy food for our first few days on the road. I used Reserva.com to reserve a room at the Bellevue Hotel, which allowed free cancellation up to 3 days before our arrival.

A visa for the Schengen region costs about $100 each. We spent a bit of time on https://application-form.france-visas.gouv.fr completing our visa applications. You need your passport and the address and email of your “address in France during your stay”. We used the hotel we booked. There was concern that we only booked the hotel for 3 nights but were applying for a long stay visa. Some information online indicated that we should have booked the hotel for the entire stay (4-5 months), other information indicated that a proposed Hexatrek itinerary would suffice. At the end of the application, in small print, you are instructed to book your visa interview before submitting the application.

Scheduling the visa interview. Such a small straw. The French have outsourced interview scheduling. I imagine many countries have done the same, but it is at the French embassy where we need to have an interview, so this is the process I understand. out to https://visas-fr.tlscontact.com/en-us/country/us/vac/usWAS2fr to book our appointment. While filling out the scheduling form, I noticed $500 at the bottom of the window. Please note that I am scheduling appointments for two. I was presented with a bunch of “extra” options like private waiting room, concierge service, refreshments for the wait, etc., and I turned them all down. I assumed the price indicated they were going to ask me again and assume I would accept the additional items. Well no, it’s actually $250 each just to book an appointment.

So the cost just to get to the trail will be over $2000 each. For us in the United States, $2,000 is a lot of miles traveled. I mentioned this to Meriwether and she suggested we suspend the process and consider other options. 15 minutes later we were going in a completely different direction.

Other concerns

We could have afforded to hike the Hexatrek. We can also afford a nicer house, clothes, cars, food, etc. But we got to this comfortable place trying to get good value for the money spent. Spending $4000 just to get to the trail seemed expensive. Heck, getting to the AT only cost us $7 each and that was only because the parking lot was closed and we had to take a shuttle. There were also other concerns we had been harboring about the Hexatrak.

The Hexatrek is not remote. Sure there are some sections that may seem remote. The trails that the Hexatrek follows are very old, very well established and well used. There are many staffed shelters (sort of like the cabins in New Hampshire). Section 1, the northernmost, passes through about two towns a day. In the videos we watched, hikers too often came into town for coffee or lunch at a cafe. While this sounds very appealing, it is not why we walk.

Right now, in this moment, we are concerned about how we may be perceived as Americans. Most of our fellow hikers would be European, will they want to spend time talking to Americans? I know most people understand that it’s not us, it’s our government. Every once in a while I work with a guy who grew up in Russia and I know he wasn’t the one who invaded Ukraine, he’s a hard and conscientious worker and I enjoy working with him. Hikers are hikers and we get along well. However, concerns still remain.

In my first blog post of the season, some options were presented for 2026. My experience, however, is that if you are pivoting, pivot big. It’s like going back to the brainstorming session a couple of months into the project. Throw everything away and start from scratch.

15 minutes after discontinuing Hexatrek, we had applied for SOBO PCT permits. They were approved a few days later.

Promoting PCT SOBO is not a piece of cake. The weather window (without snow) is short, making daily mileage high. The terrain starts off rough and remote, making it essential to be in shape at the start. Loneliness. Solitude is nice, but a long-distance walk can cause mental difficulties. Not many people try to increase SOBO PCT. Every video we’ve seen includes a clip of the hiker crying during a long, lonely stretch. You won’t see my crying, but I will write about it.

Concerns

Snow. Currently, Hart’s Pass has about 100 inches in the ground. That’s about 120% of the average amount right now. Let’s hope for a warm spring and quick melting.

Food storage containers. Like you, I hate carrying a rigid container to store food. Two extra kilos. They make good stools at camp, but my camp chair only weighs a pound and that’s more than I want to carry for comfort. Having to carry one in Washington and through the Sierra will make me have to think about what backpack to take.

Snow. Yes, you should think twice about snow while doing a PCT SOBO attempt. The first time is at the start, then you have to run towards the Sierra to overcome the snow. All of the PCT videos we’ve seen also include a day or two of snow in the Southern California desert.

Fires. I guess they are now a reality for most hikes in the US. There were a couple fires on the AT in 2024, we were lucky not to see them all, but we witnessed the consequences. The fires on the west coast, however, appear a little more intense. I wonder how well fire activity is communicated. Could a fire surprise us while we sleep?

Looking forward to

The Waterfalls. I did exactly one hike in northern Washington and it was beautiful. Spending the summer in those mountains is going to be wonderful. Cool nights, warm days (hopefully) and miles of absolutely beautiful views.

Crater lake. This is the most beautiful place in the world. We stopped at Crater Lake after our JMT hike and, except for the crowds, we loved every minute of this detour. There was a group of PCT hikers in the area and I wondered if I would one day be one of them. 2026!

The one from the Sierra. This is where I would be forever. I loved every minute of our JMT 2025 hike and have told many that this is the trail I would choose if I could choose just one. I’ve bathed in many streams and ponds and hope it’s warm enough to do it again this fall. Yes, we will be there in the fall.

The author and his backpacker wife, Meriwether.

We are bummed about not going to France. I am disheartened that we will miss the good food and great accents. I’m discouraged that I can’t be among the first to share about Hexatrek. However, 2026 will still be an epic year and I look forward to sharing my experiences on what many claim to be the best long distance hiking trail in the world.