INTERVIEW: MEGAN HUGHES
THE WILD SIDE
Lac des Vaches in Vanoise National Park, which hikers pass through on the HexaTrek
interview forging new paths
Now in its second year, France’s HexaTrek spans one country, five months, six stages and almost 1,900 miles of terrain. Founder Kevin Ginisty lays out its appeal — and what to expect from the hike’s Alpine sections
What inspired you to create the HexaTrek? My travels in the US. I was aiming to hike and hitch-hike from Patagonia to Alaska, though my journey was halted at the Canadian border during the Covid pandemic. When I arrived at the Mexico-US border, I decided to also hike part of the Pacific Crest trail, which runs for 2,654 miles through California, Oregon and Washington. It was my first experience of through-hiking, and it was one of the most beautiful of my life. Many of the people I bumped into along the way were from Europe. I wondered why everyone was crossing the Atlantic to have this type of adventure.
How does the HexaTrek fit within France’s wider hiking scene? France has an amazing network of old trails, but they aren’t particularly long. In the last 20 years, we’ve started seeing longer paths created — the GR5 or GR10, for example, which cross the entirety of the Alps and Pyrenees, respectively. But I wanted to make a proper through-hike, covering mountain areas and places where bivouacking is possible, similar to the Pacific Crest experience.
Why ‘HexaTrek’? France has the shape of a hexagon, and this trail starts at the top right corner and ends at the very bottom left corner — hence, HexaTrek. Initially, I thought it would be impossible to find a path of this length in a country of 70 million people, but I’ve managed to plot a route where 90% of the trail passes on mountainous terrain.
What’s the Alpine section like? It’s a bit more technical than the GR5. That’s known as the ‘highway’ of the Alps, but I decided to go for something scenic rather than straightforward. It’s 1,885 miles long and physically demanding, with some 459,317 feet of ascent — that’s a lot of up and down. But last year, we had everyone from 18-year-olds to 69-year-olds complete the route.
How do the six stages of the trek vary? The first section, from Vosges to Jura, is through forests high in the hills. Stages two and three are the Alpine sections, split into Northern and Southern Alps. Huts, villages, remote corners of wind and rock: whatever
comes to mind when you think of the Alps, it’s here. After that, stage four winds through gorges and canyons from Cévennes to Languedoc, and stages five and six are the Pyrenees. You can hike the whole way or just one stage. Resupply points are every four to five days, which means you might have one day where you see civilisation, then two or three where you’re in pure wilderness. My favourite spot is Cheval Blanc, near Chamonix.
What do you see for the HexaTrek’s future? Around 400 people started the hike last summer, and 250 made the full distance. I think seeing 1,000 people complete the trail is a good goal for now. A lot of walkers like to be alone, but others want to experience the community side of through-hiking. It’s one of the best memories I have from the time I hiked the trail myself — the time spent with those I shared the route with for weeks on end. You create friendships for life.
For maps, information on the stages and the HexaTrek charter, listing 20 rules to encourage travellers to be responsible, head to
hexatrek.com
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