Thru-Hiking France with Thomas Bouïssaguet of Hexatrek

Journal
Written By Emory Wanger

The Hexatrek is a 3000 km long-distance trail that begins at the border of France and Germany just northwest of Stuttgart and runs through France across the Pyrenees mountains to the Atlantic Ocean, where it ends at the Bay of Biscay located at the Southwestern tip of France on the border with Spain.  In American terms, that means nearly 1900 miles of backpacking through the mountains of France.

Thomas works for the Hexatrek organization and spent the summer and fall of 2022 hiking and documenting the trail.

The focus of this episode is to get to know what the trail is and how it works so if you’re interested in hiking it one day like I am, you’ll know what to expect, but we also dive into a number of other topics.

Thomas is a regular guy like you and me who happens to love backpacking and the outdoors, but it’s not all he is.  His interesting backstory allows him to reflect on his experiences in a way that’s honest and real.

Backpacking often gets the beauty filter treatment where people would prefer to only mention their love of everything wild rather than how they actually feel about certain aspects of the experience. I get why people omit tiring of a landscape and wishing for it all to be over so they can move on with life because it’s not sexy when you’re not balls to the wall excited about every little detail. But, if you’re only telling people about the amazing parts, then you’re short-changing whoever listens to you because you’re fabricating the entire experience.

Personal opinion here, but I prefer a little dirt mixed in with my glitter.

Thomas has the ability to recognize the realities of hiking a long trail like the Hexatrek and share all sides of that reality. He’ll describe the trail as an epic adventure that includes vineyards, castles, mountains, and stopping into a small village for a baguette or espresso, but he’ll also tell you how mentally complacent you can become when all you see are mountains and castles day after day after day. At some point, one view blends into the next and before long you’re not even noticing them anymore and you begin to feel bad about it

This is what I appreciate about Thomas, he gets it. He understands that the beauty in backpacking and life is about contrast.

If you’re dreaming of backpacking through France one day like I am, you’re going to love this episode and if you want to see the trail, Thomas is now beginning to upload a documentary series of his hike to YouTube so I’ll leave a link in the show notes for you to check that out when you have a chance. 

Enjoy!

 
 

Show Notes and Links

 
 
Emory Wanger
Donate here

Emory, By Land

Thanks for stopping by the website and checking out the podcast! If you have any questions for me or want to connect, you can leave a comment below or shoot me a personal message at emory@byland.co.

Donate Support By Land

By Land is independently published meaning no one pays to have this content written or created. If you’ve enjoyed this article, the website, resources, or other By Land content and want to become a supporter, please consider making a one-time donation (or tip). 100% of each donation will go right back into operational costs so I can continue to bring you the same great content for years to come!

Thank you!

Check Out More Episodes!

 
Emory Wanger

Emory is the creator of By Land and is passionate about helping others find the adventures they’re looking for.

https://www.byland.co
Previous

Getting to Know Dan Becker

Next

Hard-won Insights with Andrew Skurka