Table of Contents
- About the GR11 Trek
- Experience shorter hikes before this big one
- Reading and Research
- Physical readiness
- Gear and Packing
- Dog Hiking & Camping preparations
- Start/End and Dog backup Logistics
- Trail Logistics
- Get the phone & electronics ready
- Food Preparations
- Work & Life
- Follow us along the GR11
This summer Wingo (my dog) and I are going on my first ‘solo’ long-distance hike together. It’s also my first longer hike (longer than 2 weeks). We’ll be walking the Gr11, crossing the Pyrenees from west to east. I’m very excited about next level exploring and experiencing this way of travel and living on the trail. For many years I’ve been living at sea, or near the sea, with my van, and now we’re going into the mountains! A next level of minimalistic adventure to be 100% in nature. We’ll bring a tent and camp along the way. I’m receiving more and more questions about how we prepare for this so I’ve written a summary of our long distance hike preparations down. I hope it inspires and helps you to do your first or next long-distance trek.
About the GR11 Trek
The GR11 trail is an 850-kilometre trek across the Spanish Pyrenees. It goes from the Atlantic Ocean (Irun in the Basque Country) to the Mediterranean (Eastern Pyrenees to Cap de Creus). It’s a fairly popular trail, especially amongst the Spanish, and also known as ‘la senda pirenaica,’ in Spain.
‘GR’ Trails are a network of long-distance footpaths in Europe. They are (usually) well-marked with red and white markers. It’s like doing one big treasure hunt in nature. GR stands for Gran Recorrido (in Spanish) or Grande Randonnée (in French)
There are two more Pyrenees trails that cross the whole of the Pyrenees all the way from west to east (or east to west): the GR10 (French Pyrenees) and the HRP (Haute Route). I choose the GR11 because it’s in Spain and I love Spain, but also, it allows dogs on the full trail. The HRP is a next-level high Pyrenees mountain trail, and it would be better to hike it with someone.
It should be one of the most beautiful long-distance trails in Europe. GR 11 passes national parks like Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park in the central Pyrenees. But also, the GR 11 is not to be underestimated. It’s a tough trail with many descents and ascents. It goes from deep valleys close to the highest peaks. All sorts of weather are to be expected, from hot days to nights below freezing points, and there may be even snow on the trail. Bad weather and thunderstorms at some point are a guarantee, and preparation is essential. People have died of hypothermia doing this trails. Careful preparation is essential. July to September is the best time to hike the GR11 (no/little snow, daylight and good temperatures). We estimate to have about 50 days of hiking. Most people it takes a little less to hike the entire gr11. Wingo and I aim to go slow and steady with a rest day now and then.
What I have done to prepare for hiking alone and reach start to hike the GR11? It may help you prepare for your solo hike.
Experience shorter hikes before this big one
I’ve hiked a couple of one to two week trails, learning what it’s about and learning what I need and don’t need on the trail. The overnight hikes I’ve done so far: GR131 Canary Islands Fuerteventura and GR131 Tenerife, GR7 Tarifa to Ronda, Waitukubuli National Trail in Dominica (Caribbean), La Ruta de Reconquista (GR202) in Picos de Europa, and a small one from La Pared to Cofete in Fuerteventura. Having hiked with my partner Jonte, PCT hiker aka ‘the ambassador’, I’ve learned some smart thruhike hacks and hiking essentials. He has done lots of thruhiking and taught me many tricks. Thanks to him, I feel ready to traverse the Pyrenees and hike solo, with Wingo.
Reading and Research
What’s the hike like? I’ve been looking at the map for a long time. I’ve also enjoyed watching a few youtube videos on the hike. I’ve only watched the Spanish ones as they help me learn Spanish. And there’s less content in English about the GR11 (So far;). Subscribe to my blog and Youtube :). Further, I read the beginning of the Cicerone guidebook. I don’t really read about the stages. This will be explored as I go. I looked into which navigation app to use. I downloaded the Ebook and Alltrails, and Mapy.cz for this hike. I considered Komoot, Wikiloc, and Gaia GPS, but I prefer the ease of use of the apps mentioned.
Recommended reading and websites GR11:
Guide Book Gr11 Cicerone Guide 2024 edition (not bringing it on the trail)
E-book GR Cicerone 2024 edition for on my phone. With this hiking guide you also get the GR11 GPX file that you can upload to your navigation app.
Travesiapirenaica.com which has tons of info about the trail and GR11 stages explained
Ordesa and Monteperdido National Park guide
Physical Maps of the GR11 (For Mum and dad, who’ll be trail angels for a little bit)
Website about hiking in the Pyrenees: TrekPyrenees
GR11 on the official GR website (In Spanish)
Physical readiness
In my previous hikes, I learned that fitness comes very fast on the trail. However, if you’re not fit, the muscles are going to be very sore in the beginning, you suffer and there’s more chance for injury. I improved my endurance mostly via surfing. Further, I’ve been hiking lots through loose sand on the beach to strengthen the legs, but that’s pretty much it. I make sure my dog moves a lot each day and doesn’t gain weight, and I’ve been feeding him extra good food for months now, so he’s in tip-top shape.
Gear and Packing
Hiking gear research and selection has been the most time-consuming part, and I’m officially a hiking nerd. For about the last two months, I’ve been levelling up my decision-making and minimalism skills reading, exploring, and comparing thru-hiking gear. To bring or not to bring? As well as researching tons on eco and ethical friendly outdoor gear and the essentials to bring to this hike. A lot of the gear selection is personal preference, but there are some essentials you’d always need and may be worth investing in. Over the years, I invested in a good sleeping mat and sleeping bag (I’m at 3 euros/night now;)). When you sleep well, the rest is figuroutable. I’ll make another post and video about the hiking essentials and camping gear and considerations.
Therm a Rest Neoair Sleepingpad
- Ultralight (330 grams for Regular Small 168cm)
- Compact
- Insulates well
- Super comfortable
- Available in different sizes
Here you can see my Lighterpack packinglist. Yes! I’m a hiking nerd now;). I’ll try to get a little more weight down.
Dog Hiking & Camping preparations
My main ‘concern’ for this hike is my dog and how to keep him safe and sane. My dog is also the main reason I do this hike. We’re going on his longest dog walk ever. How special is that! What I did to prepare for hiking with my dog:
- Researched others who did this hike with the dog. I couldn’t find any trip reports.
- Checked Reddit. There’s a forum on hiking with dogs which lots of useful discussion.
- Vet check and got a subscription for painkillers for the worst-case scenario
- Arranged a Wingo trailangel team, aka my parents. He could go in my campervan may he has to skip a section of the GR11.
- Items I bring for him:
- Pawwax to protect his paws from heat and spikey ground.
- A sleeping pad (also my sitting pad when picnicking)
- An ultralight dog bowl for water and one for food
- Comfi dog collar + leash
- And food and snacks
You may also like reading: Hiking Section 1 of the GR11 with my Dog
Osprey Eja 48 Backpack
Start/End and Dog backup Logistics
The hardest part is getting to the start. It’s the preparation, research and figuring out bit that may be the most challenging. I live in my campervan so I had to figure out how and where to park and later how to get back to it. A good camper van parking I found with cheap long distance rates is Ingvarcaravan in Figueiras (Girona). In my other hikes I hitchhiked with my dog but this is not easy in Spain. Also trains only allow dogs on some routes. Luckily a friend as well as my parents are happy to holiday in the campervan a little bit and drive the machine east as I walk the trail. This is most valuable, especially for my dog. If something happens or he needs rest, he could go to the van. Priceless! I figured out what are the easy routes to drive with the van and potential campsites en route or close to the trail as well.
These towns should be easy to reach for GR11 trail angels:
Bera/Vera de Bidasoa – Accessible via N-121-A
Elizondo – Located on the NA-121-B
Ochagavía/Otsagabia – Accessible via NA-140, with Camping Osate.
Isaba/Izaba – Accessible via NA-137, with Camping Isaba.
Candanchú – Accessible via N-330.
Sallent de Gállego – Accessible via A-136, with Camping Escarra.
Benasque – Detour from the GR11, accessible via A-139, with Camping Aneto.
Torla – Accessible via A-135.
Planoles – Accessible via N-260.
Puigcerdà – Accessible via N-152.
Trail Logistics
What’s important to figure out beforehand is how/where to sleep, how/where to resupply, source water. And prepare accordingly. The above reads and resources help with that. Wingo and I mostly go wild camping. There are also lots of refuges (paid and free mountain huts) that you can use as accommodation, but most don’t allow dogs and need reservations in advance. Part of the magic for me is being in the wild and going with the flow. So the decision to just bring a tent and go was easy. There should be plenty of towns for resupply but also there are quite some stretches without so we are prepared for that. There are plenty of water sources so I’m not worried about that. I carry a water filter to be more flexible. For this hike I used the Katadyn BeFree (0.5l). It was fine for this hike. My preferred hiking waterfilter is the Maunawai hiking filter, better quality, but also a little heavier
You may also like: 10 Lightweight water-filtration options for solo adventures
Get the phone & electronics ready
I cleared up space on my phone and downloaded the apps I need for navigation and safety. These are the ones I use:
Mapy.cz (Digital trail map of full GR11)
Alltrails (to read up on all GR11 stages, separately in the app) and check out elevation). With this link you can download a 7 Day Free Trial.
Weather: Mountain forecast and AEMET (Spanish weather station)
Safety: 112 app and Earthmate of Garmin.
Also I downloaded some plant identification apps to hopefully forage some food.
For powerneeds I got the Nitecore Powerbank, an ultralight option (10.000 mAh)
I downloaded some music and podcasts and my Ayurveda course to listen to some things on the trail.
Further I carry a Garmin inreach Mini (sattelite tracker)and I activated the plan.
I plan to film on my phone, so I cleared as much space as possible.
You may also like: What I brought on the GR11 hike across the Pyrenees
Food Preparations
In my other hikes, I learned the kind of fuel and food that works well for me. I eat vegetarian food, and my Agni (digestive fire) cannot handle too much-processed food. Spain is not the most vegetarian friendly country and small shops in the mountains tend to have little variety. I’ll write another blog post about vegetarian hiking food. A short version of what healthy hiking food I prepared: some electrolytes. My new favourite discovery: coconut water powder! (Yes! That exists.) It’s the most natural way to top up on the minerals.
I got a bunch of dried food menus that I spotted at Decathlon. Checking the ingredient list, they are quite pure and look delicious. I LOVE the Rice Coconut Dahl. I’m now preparing some meals myself that would just need boiled water. I got lots of fruit bars. Further, I make a seed and superpower mix with different seeds and spices to add to the breakfast party. Further lots of dried fruit and nuts. I make a spice mix for dinners, including some seaweed I dried. For Wingo, I got some snacks and supplements for healthy joints. On the trail I’ll make some videos about this.
Work & Life
Having my own company Ocean Nomads it’s quite a big deal disconnecting for about two months. It’s also very exciting and a needed break from the constant executing, implementing and realizing ideas. I anticipated and started planning the sailing trip, which is part of what I do, way more in advance than I used to. With peace of mind I now start my hike as the trip is pretty much full, and I have an angel Brianna who looks after the essentials.
I also plan to film and capture content on this hike. I’m passionate about outdoor exploration and figuring out things and creating useful tips and tools for others encouraging you to get out there too! To prepare I made a list of what content I would like to capture. But mostly, I’d love to hear from YOU! What would you like to see or learn from this hike? The GR11 in particular or perhaps something about hiking with the dog, or solo hiking as a female. Let me know in the comments!
At the end, there’s only so much you can and want to do planning to hike. The beauty of a long-distance hike is also figuring it out and seeing what happens along the way. These preparations will get me to start of the trail and give me a reasonable possibility of making it to the end. I hope with these preparations we stay safe and stoked. Time will tell 🙂
Follow us along the GR11
I may share some stories on the gram during the hike, but I’m also looking forward to mostly disconnecting from the internet, to be in the outdoors alone, experiencing solitude, but also sharing this with friends on the trail. After the hike, I’ll publish some YouTube videos about our Pyrenees hiking adventure. And I will revisit this blog to see what other preparations we should have done for the GR11 route. You can subscribe here. Thank you!
Questions or curiosities about Wingo & I traversing the Pyrenees? Drop them below!
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