This summer I walked from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea, traversing the Pyrenees mountain range in 47 days with my backpack and tent. Click any photo below to see that day's post!

I got the idea to hike the Pyrenees after browsing the internet for long hikes in Europe. Somehow traversing this mountain range seemed special because it starts and ends with a swim in the ocean. You start at the Atlantic coast in Hendaye, France and end at the Mediterranean at Banyuls-sur-Mer, crossing the entire European continent at its narrowest part. 800 km in about 50 days seemed doable, but I was not prepared for the amount of altitude change on the HRP (Haute Route Pyrénéene). With 48,000m of total gain, this trek almost never stayed on flat land; it was always climbing or descending along the rugged ridgeline of the Pyrenees.

Following the Paul Whiteburn pocket guide (a pdf downloaded on my phone) and Mapy.cz (a free offline map app with topo lines), I navigated the mountains in weeklong sections. At the end of each section was a town, where I could buy more groceries for the next section. The abundance of alternate routes also made the HRP kind of a choose-your-own-adventure, so nobody I encountered did exactly the same hike as me.

I ate calorie dense foods that did not spoil easily. In France, this meant cheese. In Spain, it was cured meats. Every once in a while I'd buy a tremendous meal at a restaurant.

My journey took me to 3 countries, Spain, France and Andorra, although it felt like 5. Basque country was unique to itself, with its own language, food and culture, same with Catalonia.

My favorite section is hard to say. Basque Country was wet, but I made friends. Lescun to Gavarnie was magnificent and popular. Gavarnie to Salardu was the most epic and difficult. Salardu to L’Hospitalet was wild and lonely. L’Hospitalet to Banyuls was surprisingly beautiful, and hot towards the end. Weather ranged from rain to alpine snowstorms to intense Mediterranean heat, but most days this summer it was sunny and nice.

My french has gotten better. Talking to strangers was sometimes a necessity in the mountains, so I improved faster than I ever did in a classroom. However I never learned spanish or catalan, so when I needed help in Spain I used a combination of broken spanish, accidental french, and hand gestures to communicate. People in the Pyrenees were often multilingual and very forgiving.Most of the time I walked alone, but some days were too technical or too boring for me to tackle solo. Whenever I did get to walk alongside someone, it was always a special time. These amazing people kept me safe and sane on the trail. Thank you for sharing a part of this adventure with me!

It felt like so long ago when I started walking from Hendaye on the Atlantic coast. I had originally intended to do an easier trail (the GR 10), and I remember talking to a crazy German guy when we got off the train from Paris. He told me that he was going to hike the Haute Route Pyrénéene (HRP), which runs parallel to the GR 10 at a higher elevation. As he sped off, leaving me in his dust, I thought to myself that the HRP would be way too difficult for my experience level. However only a week later on the trail, I met Tristan and Tania. They took me off the GR to walk a section of the HRP. From that point onwards I was hooked on the beauty of the Haute Route. I never came back to the GR 10, except where the two trails collided. Reaching the Mediterranean 47 days later and thinking back to this interaction, I feel a sense of accomplishment that was hard to imagine after each long day of hiking, each grueling climb.

The HRP was my first long trek, and my first time camping by myself. After the TMB and the HRP, I was done hiking for the time being. I continued to travel Spain and France for a bit longer, except I took the bus and train instead of walking. I have left the mountains to return to city life, but I know I will be back soon. The adventure continues! 💠HRP totals:

Total distance: 834km (518 mi), equivalent to crossing the Golden Gate Bridge 305 times

Total elevation ascended: 48704m (159790 ft), equivalent to climbing the Eiffel Tower 162 times