2,300km solo on the Hexatrek – Gala Moerlen’s adventure

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In four and a half months, Gala Moerlen crossed France on foot, from Alsace to the Atlantic, following the HexaTrek, a 3000 km long hiking trail. Setting off alone with her backpack, she covered 2,300 km in partial autonomy, experienced the unexpected, confronted the weather, experimented with solitude, met strangers who became friends… An outstanding adventure, which brought her sabbatical year to a close.

The HexaTrek, it wasn’t planned… until it clicked

Initially, Gala had planned to end her sabbatical year on the Stevenson trail. But an unlikely exchange in the Rockies changed everything: “It was a refuge keeper deep in the Rockies who said to me ‘I’d so like to come to France to do the Hexatrek’ […] And from the day he introduced me to the Hexatrek, I said to myself, ah but this is what I have to do, I want to do it so much.”

With no “sporting” preparation, but with the desire

No training program, little anticipation. “I have to admit that I went into it with my head held high, saying to myself, try it and see how far you get. I arrived in Saverne in the pharmacy in tears, saying, “I can’t go on, I can’t put my feet on the ground anymore.

With a small frame (1m53), the weight of the bag quickly becomes a key factor. “The nerve of the war is clearly the weight of your backpack. She adapts her gear, lightens what she can, changes shoes – going up two sizes – and learns fast: “I stopped, I sent some more stuff back through the post that was in my rucksack.”

A hike at your own pace

Gala adopts a gentle pace, taking breaks whenever she feels the need, and averages between 20 and 25 km a day: “I’m slow. I love to stop, look around, take photos, settle down in a place where I say to myself, here, I’m going to make myself an herbal tea.”

There was no pressure to perform, just a desire to live the experience in his own way: “I wanted to take it on, to do this exatrec, to make it my own, to do it like me.

Bivouacs, encounters and suspended moments

She bivouacs around 60% of the time: “The first night on the exatrec, when I pitched my tent in the forest, I didn’t often bivouac like that on my own… And so I was like a kid, I was overexcited, I listened to all the noises, I wasn’t going to sleep.”

Alongside this chosen solitude, she also discovers a very real solidarity : “The number of people who have invited me to eat, to sleep, who have said “Come on, I’ll take you to the supermarket, we’ll go shopping.” In fact, life is super easy.”

Weather, problems and personal choices

The weather was not kind that year: rain, heatwave, snow, thunderstorms… And sometimes, borderline situations: “I had a mega gastro while bivouacking without a water point […] I think that’s not far from the worst night of my life.” Or that night in the Pyrenees when she found herself alone in a scree with a storm in the forecast: “I really had a moment when I felt super vulnerable.”

Gala also had to make a difficult choice: not to do the alpine section of the HexaTrek because of the snow. “It was a little mourning to do, but I think it goes with having an adventure that suits you.”

A transformative experience

Beyond the walking, Gala describes a deeply personal adventure : “In all my life, I’ve never had such a low mental load. She also evokes a renewed relationship with oneself: “I’d say it’s always rather pleasant to let one’s dreams come to the surface, and that adventure is potentially just around the corner for those who want to seize it.”

And for those who are still hesitating, she concludes with a simple yet powerful message: “If there are any women out there listening to us who want to get started, or who are hesitating, I think I have just one word for them: go for it.”

Follow Gala

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gala.moerlen/
• Hexatrek: https://www.hexatrek.com/