Summer 2024 I hiked across the Pyrenees from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. 850km on the GR11 Transpirenaica.
What a trail and treasure hunt! Rough, tough, brutal and beautiful! This was probably the most mental and physical challenging but also most rewarding adventure of my life. 50 days of calling the trail my home and a mountain of memorable moments richer.
I hiked parts with my dog Wingo, with friends, and with my partner Jonte. But the biggest part alone in solitude. It’s very special to be on your own in the wild and getting at ease with it all. In tune with my own and nature’s rhythm. Experience to treasure!
Here you can read about part 1 of my trip diary: Etapa 1-11, segment 1 of the GR11 across the Pyrenees.
On to the next stage!
Stage 12 & 13 of the GR11
⛰️42° 49’ 0.96” N, 0° 18’ 29.5” W💃
🏕️Day 17 & 18 hiking across the Pyrenees (Aug. 25&26)
Stage: Candanchu to Sallent de Gallego (12) & past Respomosu (13)
Kms hiked: 255 / 840
Weather: Perfect! +/- 20 degrees. Cold at night🥶
Total ascent: 905m (12) + 955 (13)
Total descent: 1180m (12) + 30 (13)
😋Wild food: Blackberries, raspberries & blue berries🙃
💫Highlights: The berries! The beauty
🤪Challenges: Without Wingo🦌😔Long ascent. Cold night.
Gear fav: Stove! 🔥 priceless to have a cooked warm meal after a long busy day.
Highest point: 2220 m
Spirit: high
After two days of rest, sheltering, some laundry, lots of eating, and quality time with my parents, I am fully powered on to the next etapa!
Without Wingo🐕. He needs more rest. And with many unknowns and more difficult trails ahead of me, it’s safer he stays with my trail angels, 😇 aka parents.💃🕺🏼❤️
I’m excited to explore how I’m doing completely alone and what my rhythm would be. I never hiked & camped completely solo for multiple days.
I’m now reaching the higher Pyrenees, and it’s getting wilder, sunnier and rockier. Warning signs appear to be prepared. I changed into a long-sleeve hoody shirt to protect myself better from the sun. It’s strong ☀️up there! Lips are burned.
It’s getting more beautiful around every corner. I’ve stepped over (and in) +100’s of streams. I don’t carry any water anymore. It keeps the pack light.
I crossed a few ski resorts, mountain lakes, and the trail now provides raspberries & blueberries!! 🥳😋In case you wonder why I’m slow ;) I take my time and can recommend that!
After a 7 km morning walk, I met my parents for a tostada aceite tomate second breakfast in Sallent de Gallego. lovely! And meanwhile I dried the tent to be dry and light for the stage 13 ascent. So far almost all nights have been quite moist💧
In 1,5 day, I finished stages 12, 13, and the first kms of stage14, hiking +/- 40 km in total. I pitched the tent at 2300m just before the toughest bit of the whole GR11 on stage 14. Tomorrow, I have to be ready for some almost vertical climbing. Vamos a ver!💃
Stage 14: The toughest of all?
Hiking across the Pyrenees on the GR11
⛰️42° 47’ 31.4” N, 0° 16’ 9.1” W💃
Stage 14/47
Day 19. August 27, 2024.
From the lake below Collado de Tebarrey (2765m.) to somewhere after Panticosa
Kms hiked: 275 / 840
Weather: Perfect! +/- 20 degrees. Cold at night!
Total ascent: 715 (12) + 955 (13)
Total descent: 1300 (12) + 30 (13)
😋Wild food: Blackberries, raspberries & blue berries.
💫Highlights: Conquering the tough bits
🤪Challenges: The rocks
Gear favourite: Telescope hiking poles. Without them this would have been a disaster.
Highest point: 2765 m
Spirit: high
The guidebook says this is the hardest part of the GR11. After hiking it now, I agree! So far at least.
I’m happy I started the tough bit fresh in the morning. Out of the sun. The forecast is with me. This would have been a different story in rain or clouds or snow.
Part of the reason I started the trail in August is because then most of the snow has been melted, mostly in this bit. Otherwise, you have to bring mountaineering gear, and it’s a next-level challenge.
I’m happy I didn’t bring Wingo for this part and to have trailangels around 🐕. The almost vertical climb would have been quite a challenge, but mostly all those 10000 rocks and boulders that came afterwards. It’s a miracle I got through all this without a single injury. It was one big obstacle run.
Superhappy with having good telescope hikingpoles. I found them on Wallapop (the Spanish second hand market place).
And if this was the hardest bit, bring it one next stages! 💫
So far one the most riskiest thing I found, is coming across other hikers and looking them in the eyes to say hello! It makes you not watch your feet and it’s easy to misstep. It’s also one of the most fun bits :) Every day I meet a couple of other GR11 hikers. Few of them do the whole route. And few of them are females. Of the about 25 people I met doing the full GR 11 trail, only 2 are women!
I think stage 15 was actually tougher
Hiking across the Pyrenees on the GR11
Stage 15/47
⛰️42° 43’ 0.4” N, 0° 13’ 50.9” W💃
Day 19 & 20 . August 27 & 28 2024.
Around Panticosa to Bujaruelo
Kms hiked: 300 / 840
Weather: Hot! +/- 25 degrees. Cold at night!
😋Wild food: Blackberries, raspberries & blue berries all around:)
💫Highlights: No injuries, the berries, 10 hours of sleep, and the tentpoles stayed in tact.
🤪Challenges: The 1000s of rocks
Gear favourite: Sunhoody to protect from the sun
Highest point: 2765 m
Spirit: high
I finished stage 14 and continued with stage 15. I don’t do ‘a stage a day.’ I hike them according to the weather and how I feel. It was only 15 km left until the end of the stage. I thought I would easily make it. No way!
On the map, I scouted a cabana, which I aimed for the day. Cabanas are super basic shelter huts where you just roll out your mat and have a roof above your head. Sometimes, there’s a fireplace and a table, too. As I get higher, more and more of these are in the zone.
I didn’t reach the goal. It may only be 15 kilometres away, but that doesn’t say anything about the time it takes you to get there. Etapa 15 was largely over rocks and boulders and every single step needs focus. At one point, my speed was close 1 km/ hour.
With about 8 kilometres of trail left to the cabana, I ended up pitching the tent at one of the most beautiful spots so far. I love that you can just pitch your little home wherever you are. And that it still withholds:)
I put the alarm at 06.00 for the next day. I really appreciate the first hours of the morning in mountains. It’s silent. There are no day hikers yet, and the temperature is perfect. The next morning, was just a lovely stroll down to the end of the stage, with a few river crossings here and there. At the end I dove into the ice cold river for a fresh shower and met my parents (& Wingo) for a second breakfast :)
Stage 16. Dad joins me! And Wingo again for a little bit
⛰️42° 39’ 5.9” N, 0° 0’ 59.3” E💃🐕🕺
Hiking across the Pyrenees on the GR11
Stage 16/47
Day 20. August 28&30
Ordesa Nacional Park
Kms hiked: 325 / 840
Weather: Rain & Sun. 20 degrees
😋Wild food: Blackberries, raspberries & blue berries!
💫Highlights: hiking with dad & Wingo, the canyon, waterfalls, a normal path, meeting other GR11 hikers
🤪Challenges: Thunder, leaking roof, park logistics
Trail tip: If the weather and your pace allow, hike until Fuen Blanco (stage 17). Spectacular campsite and allowed. No reservation necessary ;) It’s in the wild.
Highest point: 2160
Spirit: high
After breakfast numero 2, Dad and Wingo joined the next bit of the trail, the beginning of stage 16! It was a lovely forest hike, with some river crossings and ropework included 🥳🕺🏼💃🐕 Dad just did that! And how special to hike a part of the GR11 with him AND Wingo. This one goes in the memorybook for sure! 🥰
Stage 16 also enters the Ordesa Nacional Park. A stunning piece of nature I never heard before until recently. Wow! With thunder in the background Wingo stayed the second part with my parents. I finished the first Ordesa kilometres and then took the national park bus down to the campsite. There’s only one place you are allowed to camp in the park and you need to book that way in advance. I’m happy I did not because the forecast looked terror. The night promised to be wild, rainy and stormy. And it was! Later I heard that about half of the tents pitched next to the refugio broke. I sheltered in my campervan, with also a leaking roof. At least my tent was still in one piece.
I took a one day break to shelter from the weather and hang out with my parents. The next day I took an early bus up back to the park. Without Wingo. Too many unknowns. I was one of the first to arrive in the park. After all that rain, the waterfalls were spectacular! The whole route was just one big wow.
Same day I made it to the refugio Fuen Blanco, etapa 17, surrounded by waterfalls. After me two more hikers arrived who are hiking the GR11.
With more buckets of rain in the forecast, I decided to stay in the shelter hut instead of the tent. Good call:) More about etapa 17 in the next post.
I only reached until stage 16 so far with posting. Stay tuned! Spring 2025 I’m processing it all, including the youtube videos.
Meanwhile, if you have any questions or curiosities about hiking the GR11, drop a comment. I’m happy to help you get ready!
What would you like to hear stories/ tips of? Have you heard about the GR11 trail before? Any questions about this hike for Wingo & me?
My best trail tip for now: Prioritise it! A solo long-distance hike! Without a tight schedule so you can follow the weather and feelings. In my experience the healthiest and wildest possible wellness retreat for body, mind and soul.
Subscribe to the newsletter to stay updated on the next trip reports. I’m currently processing all the footage and notes and get it out winter 2024/2025. On my Youtube you can soon see the stories and tips :).
