You are currently reading the third and final part of the story. Find the first part where I explain the preparations for the trip by clicking here , and the second part where I talk about my equipment by clicking right there .
Day 1: the first steps of our team
Here we go ! After arriving in Grenoble the day before, here we are in the early morning on the bus to go to Saint-Nizier-du-Moucherotte and begin our journey.
The beginning of a hike is always a little paradoxical : the bag is heavier than ever because we have all the food, the body has not yet gotten used to the effort but it is very pleasant to see these montages at loss of sight that awaits us .
On the group side, some people have not been seen for a long time, others do not know each other, so interactions are created slowly . Myself, it had been a year since I had seen Geoffrey .
We share our current questions, our desires, our doubts, and more than ever, nature and walking are conducive to new reflections, “insights” as I like to say, a complicated word to say.
Once again, it strengthens my idea of creating clothes for these moments.
We had planned to walk on the ridges at an altitude of 2000 meters, but the snow was still very present and dissuaded us from doing so, so we were going to stick to the official route of the GR 91!
We finish our first refuge at the Roybon refuge. I had planned to end up in a refuge a little further away, but the setting is so magnificent with this end of day light that we decide to sleep here .
The sun is setting slowly, the light is splendid, I am with my friends and my gear, in short, it's happiness .
A BonneGueule prototype is in the photo, could you find it?
Alexandre sleeps for the first time in his tent, and he experiences why I hate sleeping in a sleeping bag: the lack of space and freedom of movement.
For my part, I'm in heaven in my Zenbivy, but it's so hot that I have to take off a layer in the middle of the night. So I am reassured about the capabilities of this very special sleeping bag.
Day 2: we get our bearings
After a somewhat complicated night (I never sleep well the first nights outside), we set off in increasingly heavy rain .
But my Paramo jacket protects me perfectly from the rain. I definitely like rain and the atmosphere it creates .
The only photo (blurry, at that) that I have of this downpour!
I'm not worried about my backpack: between the X-Pac , the waterproof pouches of my clothes and my Zenbivy , I know that everything will be dry in the evening .
At lunch, we realize that Geoffrey's gas cartridge is completely empty, and unfortunately, it is impossible to find any
Its premature emptying remains a mystery, and we will have to ration the remaining gas cartridge, so goodbye hot drinks !
But Valentin lovingly prepares his delicious matcha tea for us. He has a very simple method: he puts a few grams in his bottle, he adds water, he shakes and presto, there you have it, a fresh shaker of matcha tea.
Alex loves it and often asks for more.
On the route side, it is a relatively easy stage , which goes deep into the forest, but relatively flat, therefore very pleasant, with a water point easy to find: the well of Ravières . Very surprisingly, this well is marked as being dry, whereas for us, it was well filled and we had no problem accessing the water. Perhaps this is due to the melting snow of the previous weeks?
Obviously, we “purified” the water thanks to our two water filters !
And under a very violent hailstorm, we arrive at the Carette cabin , which is THE often Instagrammed cabin in the Vercors, as it reminds us of the house of a wood magician :
The day is not over: we have to go find some standing dead wood for the stove and stick it . I can only warmly recommend reading (sur)living in a natural environment by David Manise (whom I had the pleasure of being interviewed in his podcast) or better yet, his N-1 internship ( water is difficult to access , it is necessary to have a string to immerse a bottle attached to it. However, the water was within arm's reach for us .
And while the sky was relatively clear , a snow shower began and lasted several hours . From a forest landscape, we move to an increasingly snowy landscape.
The snow is starting to intensify...
The snow-covered treetops, the mountains looming in the distance, everything reminds me of a fantasized forest in Alaska or Canada , in which my friends and I go on adventures, with our gear on our backs, into regions infinite.
This is why I love the transitions in the seasons so much!
I feel so good in this atmosphere with my friends, I can't enjoy such a moment anymore, and I am faced with what I came to look for: nature, connection with my friends, and gear!
The connection with nature and the present moment is total .
Gear side…
While it snows again and again, it is with delight that I appreciate the combo “Aclima mesh base layer + Kuiu merino long-sleeved tee + Paramo rain jacket” . This thing works like hell, I'm warm , dry , and the system regulates itself perfectly according to my level of effort.
How enjoyable it is to enjoy so much of the elements without any hassle !
And above all, I have absolutely zero condensation in my Paramo rain jacket (my absolute dread when hiking in the snow). I now understand better why Paramo is a brand with dedicated fans.
To stay WARM and DRY when it's COLD and WET, you better have a layer of clothing that wicks away moisture very easily.
My friends are also well off. For example, Valentin moves forward confidently in Helikon Tex , in his cotton/polyester jacket that he waxed before coming , which remains water-repellent and very breathable. Alex is wearing an Arc'Teryx jacket from the LEAF range and Kuiu pants , and judging by the smile on his face, everything seems to be going very well !
Fortunately, everyone is in gaiters ! I'm glad I insisted on many occasions that my friends buy it, it's an essential accessory.
Still more snow...
Watch out for the delay!
Antho warns however about the timing, we are a little late on the distance to cover , but I am not more worried than that.
Basically, we have 12 kilometers left to do in 3 hours, with a D+ of 277 meters. It's far from impossible, but we will have to be sustained in our pace .
A landscape now completely snow-covered, but magnificent!
The snow shower is intensifying , we are now walking in a completely winter landscape, but fortunately, the thickness of the snow cover remains moderate and we are able to progress at a good pace without snowshoes.
After feeling like I was in an Alaskan forest, I really feel like I'm in the middle of Scandinavia in the middle of winter. Little by little, I understand why the Vercors fascinates nature lovers so much .
At this time, there is a very nice clearing, with even a few rays of sunshine to warm up our rain gear, and we really needed it!
“Good friends and good gear”
The respite was short-lived as it quickly started to snow again, but the Pré Peyret refuge was not far away ! We will finally be able to relax around a good fire!
A day not quite over…
We finally arrive at the long-awaited shelter, and... it's disillusionment , the shelter is full to bursting .
It seems stupid to say it like that but mentally, it's a bit of a blow... We walked more than 20 kilometers in the rain and snow , we really wanted to rest... By hook or by crook, we're going to have to adapt to this new situation .
What to do when the weather remains poor and the sun sets in an hour? Pitch tents or try to find another refuge?
As I had studied the path, I knew that there was another refuge a little further away , the Pison refuge , 2.9 km away, about an hour's walk.
In red, the additional journey to be made to reach the Pison refuge.
Geoffrey insists to Anthony to go, Anthony looks at me and asks me what I think.
And I tell him that I feel good: we are all well equipped with our gear, we have water, food, gas to heat it, tents, and suitable sleeping bags . So at the slightest problem, we can stop and bivouac .
As for the path, the contour lines of the IGN map show that it does not present a significant difference in altitude, (barely 80m of D+) it is rather “rolling” and easy, with a gentle descent.
I also feel that the whole group is tired after a long day of walking, but not exhausted either . So everyone eats a small snack, adjusts their layering and we set off for an hour's walk while the wind picks up and it continues to snow.
And it snows more and more, and it gets windier and windier, and it gets darker and darker, because of this big cloud hanging on this plateau...
I was less confident with this deteriorating weather, I wondered if we had made a good decision and I tried to remain very vigilant about the situation, about myself, and about my comrades . The biggest risk was clearly that of hypothermia after a long day of walking.
We set off again as the light gradually diminished.
On this subject, I remembered this mantra that I had learned during my survival training: laziness kills . The laziness of taking out your warm jacket “because it’s a little cold”, the laziness of opening your pocket to eat a snack, the laziness of putting on your gloves or your neck warmer. In short, being lazy in the cold is a big red flag to be taken very seriously .
But, it is also a moment that allows you to (re)connect fully with your body and its sensations.
For the moment, I was not cold, I was not wet despite the physical activity, my “clothing system” kept me warm and dry. Only my gloves were not up to par , but surprisingly, my hands did not get cold despite the snow and wind and I retained full mobility in my fingers .
I therefore deduced that my body was fully producing heat and that it was well distributed in my extremities .
And half an hour after setting out to find the second refuge, the miracle: an incredible clearing arrives, allowing us to see a magnificent sunset, we could even slightly feel the heat of its last rays !
I will remember for a long time these last clouds chased away by this late afternoon sun, it was a scene from a film, and I had a good insight into the extent to which the weather greatly influences the morale of the troops .
An incredible sunset after this snow shower.
And we ended up finding this refuge, nestled in a very small clearing in the middle of this forest descent.
It was the most dilapidated refuge of this trip : some parts of the ceiling were missing, the walls were cold and full of humidity, we had to put a rock to block the door, but at least we were safe, and there was a small wood stove !
The Pison refuge, which was a lifesaver despite a small state of disrepair.
Alexandre proposed a very simple little exercise to end this epic day : we sat down at the table and everyone had to make a declaration of love for their neighbor on the left . In this case, it was Anthony on my left , and I told him that I was still impressed by his hardiness and his determination to move forward and lead our group in the middle of the snow and the wind .
Warming bodies is important, and warming hearts is just as important! Another lesson learned during this day .
The relief was intense to see this shelter open and without anyone inside. I thought of another extract from David Manise’s book “Democracy in Danger”:
Immediately, I got busy batoning the wood to put it in the stove while others prepared the freeze-dried meals. I decided not to put on my down jacket right away so that the heat from my body would definitely dry all my layers .
After a meal, we all had a huge general feeling of fatigue , and so without waiting I slipped with delight into my Zenbivy , perfectly designed for these temperatures and which had regained all its plumpness.
This day was a real challenge for my gear and me, and I felt that it allowed me to better understand my abilities .
Besides, last night, I thought a lot about something I had read from Jason McCarthy , the founder of the Goruck backpack brand: physical challenges are a huge “hack” in life, because a Once we overcome one, everything seems simpler, easier and we enjoy everyday life even more .
Excerpt from the book The Comfort Crisis. Something to think about the next time you are in a very physically demanding situation!
Day 4: we change plans
After a very cold and complicated night for some of my comrades, it is time to leave. Certainly, but where to go again?
Take the GR 91 route again in the snow or look for a less strenuous alternative route?
A few elements invite us to exercise the greatest caution:
- no one in the group has significant experience hiking in the snow,
- the weather still seems very uncertain on the plateau, with still risks of snow showers and wind,
- I feel that the group is very tired from the day before, and I myself don't necessarily feel capable of doing 900 meters of D+ and... 1700 meters (!!!) of D-... in deep snow... at 2000 meters of altitude… without snowshoes… and in one day!
- Valentin seems to have a slight strain in his leg, and I'm afraid it will get worse with the conditions listed above.
For all these reasons, we decide to activate an alternative route for our last stage , a plan B. Hiking also means adapting!
The plan is therefore to go down and follow the Glandasse mountain, 700 meters lower than the GR 91 trail.
This is an alternative route that I had already identified beforehand, in preparation for this trip .
I really advise you to study the alternative routes BEFORE your hike, because it is much easier to do it at that time, rather than having to look for another path during the hike, on a small phone screen, with snow falling on them and with a tired mind.
We therefore begin our journey in a snowy and magical forest , on the side of a very steep wall, with a very gentle descent over several kilometers.
A photo that clearly shows the transition between two climates.
And little by little, the snow disappears completely, and I am once again spoiled by the landscapes in transition . The snow line is very visible, and I really like landscapes in transition from season, it is one of my great discoveries of this hike .
Now we are walking under the bright sun . I find it hard to believe that just two hours ago, we woke up in a cabin nestled in several inches of snow!
However, I feel that my body is starting to get tired : while we take a break to fill and filter the water in our bottles, I am overcome by an intense cold, as if my body is unable to warm up. despite largely positive temperatures.
The snow is now behind us.
We find a small unguarded refuge on this thin path on the side of the wall, a little hidden and which seems to come straight from a children's story. I immediately take refuge in my ultra-light down jacket, very happy to have taken the warmest version, and even then, I struggle to warm up .
But the highlight of this day wasn't that...
While the altitude difference had been very gentle and lenient, a simple reading of the IGN map and the IGN curves shows me that the last 5 kilometers promise to be intense... There is one last pass to climb: the Col des Caux.
Once there, I'll be honest: these 450m of D+ over 2.2 km of this damn pass completely massacred us , both physically and mentally.
I didn't think we were going to be facing our limits with “only” these 450m of D+ .
I don't know if it was because it was the last day, but I couldn't take it anymore and we found that this hill was endless. It was not for lack of having warned my comrades that this climb would be our last positive difference in altitude, the final assault in a way!
In the middle of the climb, I realized that I was very hungry and I started dreaming of pizza , which had never happened to me during our trip. I was with Valentin and we felt like we were walking in slow motion. So much so that I took out my phone and put on some epic music to motivate us, while the rest of the group got off to a good start, Geoffrey and Anthony in the lead.
So we arrived at Col des Caux exhausted and hungry , and I threw myself at my very last freeze-dried dessert, a chocolate mousse, because I felt completely empty.
To my pleasant surprise, there was a sign with the Hexatrek logo on it, a sign of fate reminding me that I would like to try this adventure too !
Then followed a much gentler descent to Châtillon-en-Diois, but my knees were burned, Valentin had great difficulty walking, and Alex screamed at every step because of his blisters from his shoes. adapted. Only Victor, Geoffrey and Anthony seemed to be in good shape.
A Valentin exhausted, like me, by the last kilometers.
And then step by step, we finally arrived at the Châtillon-en-Diois campsite , and as soon as we had all our gear placed in the mobile home (the only accommodation open at that time), we threw ourselves at the nearest restaurant. close to devour a pizza.
The adventure was definitely coming to an end, and even if I was happy to find civilization again with a real bed, a part of me would still have liked to continue this GR 91 to the end, but that will be for again !
Epilogue: the days after…
After 4 days in nature, I was curious to see how my body would react . What I immediately noticed was my knees were hurting, I felt very tired. The descent on the last day put them on their knees, literally!
Today they are completely recovered, but I was afraid I might have injured myself .
I also felt cold more easily than before, for a week. It felt like my body was having a really hard time warming up. I just think my metabolism was a little tired and didn't have time to adapt to the environment.
And finally, I was pretty tired for the next few days, because generating heat in the cold takes a lot of energy from the body.
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