The GR5 (and GR52) – The Journey to the Sea

In August 2021, Jim McKeever embarked on an adventure, hiking the GR5 and GR52 trails in France from Lake Geneva down to the Mediterranean at Menton, navigating south through the stunning French Alps. He walked with his hiking buddy, Peter Fehrenbach (accompanied by another friend and Jim’s daughter-in-law for parts of the way.) They walked for 33 days and – with rest days – were on the trek for 40 days, averaging 9 miles and 3300 feet ascent/3450 feet descent per day, for a total of 300 miles walked, with 107,969’ ascent and 114,092’ descent. For various reasons they missed some mileage; a GR5 through-trek is typically between 400 and 450 miles, with an elevation gain of 131,235 feet. (For comparison, the John Muir Trail is 213.7 miles long with 47,000’ elevation gain.)

Jim comments that: “The GR5 was hands-down the most spectacular mountain trek I have ever done. It was incredibly beautiful, and traversed really varied ecological regions. It was also the most sustainedly strenuous trip I have ever done. However, if you chose to do so, as we did, you can stay in lovely small hotels and well-appointed refuges and gites, almost all offering dinner and breakfast (and picnic lunches). Camping is possible, though. But an en suite bathroom and shower before dinner, a soft bed, and wine/beer with dinner was our preference.”

Jim will review the route, talk about how he arranged their accommodations, and share with you the beauty of what he trekked through.