Hexatrek Week 5: In the Jura Mountains

Week five somehow feels like it’s flown by, but at the same time it feels like we’ve been here forever. The weather on the road is that strange. Days blur together, dates become irrelevant, and life is reduced to the simple routine of walking, eating, finding water, setting up camp (or a shelter), sleeping, and doing it all again.

This week also marked a great milestone: we left the Vosges behind and entered the Jura. The landscape has changed again. The spectacular climbs have softened into rolling forests, limestone gorges, rivers and open pastures filled with the ever-present sound of cowbells. Each section of the Hexatrek has had its own personality and the Jura definitely has its own charm.

After skipping a section during the heat wave (which I’ll come back to complete another time!), we rejoined the trail exactly where we were supposed to be according to our original itinerary. It’s a good feeling to get back to normal and continue our journey towards Nyon.

This week involved a couple of nights in shelters. While they kept us dry, I remembered why I prefer camping. Most cabins had hardwood floors. If we add mosquito bites to this, we won’t be able to sleep better! If I had the choice, I would always choose our store. Sleeping on the grass is softer, more comfortable and much calmer. There is something really fundamental – literally – about sleeping on the ground.

It also reinforces why, in the future, we will return to a freestanding tent. Many of the official bivouac sites are rocky or have wooden platforms where setting up our tent with trekking poles can be a challenge.

Probably the biggest personal milestone this week wasn’t reaching another destination, it was something I didn’t notice. I realized that I hadn’t thought about my knees in days. If you’ve followed my journey before we started the HexaTrek, you’ll know how important this is.

Before my hyaluronic acid injections I was constantly aware of them. Every time I sat down it involved leaning with my hands on my knees. Getting back up meant finding something to pull on or overcoming discomfort. Long walks required braces and duct tape. Now they have become an afterthought.

I can bend, climb, descend, and walk all day without constantly thinking about it. Sometimes the biggest improvements are things you completely stop noticing.

Not every day goes smoothly. A section of the trail had recently suffered a landslide, leaving us to cross unstable debris on a steep slope with a significant drop to the gorge below. Lee made it across. I got halfway there, got completely emotional, and knew I didn’t feel comfortable continuing. There are times to push yourself and there are times to listen to your instincts. For me, it wasn’t worth the risk. Fortunately I found an alternative route, although it meant an extra climb and a few more kilometers. But my motto is always: arrive alive.

Just before Villars-le-Lac, the Hexatrek splits into two alternatives, one continuing through Switzerland and the other remaining in France.

We chose to follow the French route. After all, the Hexatrek is a French trail (France is affectionately known as L’Hexagone for its six-sided shape), the camping rules are much friendlier, and France is much easier on the wallet than Switzerland!

Life on the trail continues to get wonderfully simple. We eat earlier and earlier each day, not because we are looking at the clock, but because we eat when we are hungry, which is often! Breakfast, second breakfast, elevenses, lunch, snacks, snacks, dinner! Walking all day burns an incredible amount of energy. I have noticed that I have lost a lot of weight. My backpack belt has effectively become what holds up my shorts these days! It’s not exactly the most modern belt in the world, but it gets the job done.

My shoes definitely tell the story of over 342 miles of hiking too. The tread is wearing out, which means I’m slipping more on loose terrain and starting to feel every sharp stone through my soles. However, they are hanging in there and with only a week left, hopefully they will make it to the finish line.

It’s hard to believe that we are already in our last week. As excited as I am to reach our end point, I’m also starting to feel something I didn’t expect so soon: anticipatory pain. Life here has become wonderfully simple. Every day has a clear purpose. Walk. Eat. Explore. Sleep. Repeat.

Knowing that this routine is coming to an end is surprisingly emotional. I still have one more week of incredible adventure ahead of me and I’m determined to absorb every step before reality arrives at my door.

If you’d like to see more adventures, photos and day-to-day stories from each stage, head over to my Instagram where I’ve shared many more details of each day’s walk.

The Chapel Cottage

We met a beautiful wolf hybrid!

The weight loss is noticeable!

In two places at once, the cairns

Joux Castle, Pontarlier

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