Pete's GR20 Trek

In September 2022, I hiked the Grand Randonnée Vingt, a ~120-mile trail across the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean off the south of France. The GR20 (zhay aihr vahn) is considered the most challenging hiking trail in Europe because of the jagged terrain, elevation changes (+/- 40,000′), mountain ridges and technical sections. The trip […]

On Sept 3rd and 4th, I flew from Seattle to London, and then to Figari in southwest Corsica. I didn’t check my backpack because I couldn’t afford to lose it in transit. Backpack base weight: 17 lbs (8 kg). It fit fine in the overhead bins. I needed a pocket knife on the trail, but […]

Monday, Sept 5. Porto Vecchio to Conca. I slept well and walked out on the grass between the hotel and the bay, and found a good spot to read as the sun came up. The petit-dejeuner was not petite. I had all day to get to Conca, and it didn’t seem far away on Google […]

Tuesday, Sept 6. Conca to Auberge de Bavella. My roommate Benji didn’t hear his alarm for a while, then turned it off and went back to bed because there was no reason for him to be up so early. It was still dark outside so I guessed it was about 5h, but it turned out […]

Wednesday, Sept 7. Auberge de Bavella to Refuge de Croci. I arose before 5h30 to get an early start. I didn’t want to wake my sleeping companions, so didn’t turn on a light and crept to the door with all my gear. However, I couldn’t open the door out of the room. The handle turned […]

Thursday, Sept 8. Refuge de Croci to Refuge d’Usciolu. Breakfast was available at 6h, and many hikers were ready before then, waiting patiently outside the restaurant with their headlamps. The bergerie served granola, orange juice and tea. The host didn’t realize he had forgotten to pour the milk at our table for a few minutes, […]

Friday, Sept 9. Refuge d’Usciolu to Refuge de Prati. I was awake at 5h45 and on the trail by 6h15 since I didn’t have to break down my own tent. It was too early for refuge breakfast, and I didn’t want to wait in the cold morning air, so I got underway and had a […]

Saturday, Sept 10. Refuge de Prati to Refuge de Capanelle. Despite the sloped site and wind that buffeted the tent all night, I slept well. Earplugs are a great backpacking investment. The previous day when I staked the main line securing the tent rain fly, I covered the stake with a big rock so it […]

Sunday, Sept 11. Refuge de Capanelle to Vizzavona. The refuge was protected by the ridge, so the wind wasn’t as significant as the previous night. I ate breakfast on the trail after the sun was up. This was the only section of the GR that had metal markers rather than painted markers. Today was the […]

Monday, Sept 12. Vizzavona to Refuge de L’Onda. Today began the more challenging section of the GR20, the northern half. The day was short in terms of distance but a killer on elevation and rock traversal, with an initial climb of 1200m in 6km (4000′ in 4 miles). I passed Jean-François and Didier early, and […]

Tuesday, Sept 13. Refuge de L’Onda to Refuge Petra Piana. We were up with the dawn. From L’Onda, we descended into the forest valley. Near a small spring, we stopped for morning tea and breakfast sandwiches. We crossed the Manganello river and began our ascent. Didier and Jean-François described different words for rocks in French. […]

Wednesday, Sept 14. Refuge Petra Piana to Refuge de Manganu. This section of the GR20 included high rocky elevation, ridgeline treks, mountain passes, scenic lakes and bucolic pastures. It was the hardest day so far, and also a favorite. After breakfast of bread, jam and hot tea, we continued the ascent we started the previous […]

Thursday, Sept 15. Refuge de Manganu to Refuge de Ciottulu. This was a long trail day, but the terrain was more gentle. We travelled three times as much distance as Day 9 and our speed was twice as fast. It took us 9h:30 to get to Ciottulu, one and half hours longer than the trail […]

Friday, Sept 16. Refuge de Ciottulu to Refuge Tighiettu. The hiking time to the next refuge was short, so we arranged to sleep in until 6h30 and were on trail at 7h30. Departing the refuge, it was still windy with no views of the valley. I wore every layer that I had. The wind was […]

Saturday, Sept 17. Refuge Tighiettu to Refuge Haut-Asco. This day was a highlight of the trip. The route passed through the most epic terrain of the GR20, known as the Cirque de la Solitude, literally Circus of Solitude, but better translated as Arena or Spectacle of Solitude. This section of the trail was closed in […]

Sunday, Sept 18. Refuge Haut-Asco to Refuge de Carozzu. The morning was clear and crisp. After two weeks, my feet were in great shape. The blister that had first appeared on day four had hardened and wasn’t painful. We began the day on a steep ascent. There were rocky vistas in every direction. We climbed […]

Monday, Sept 19. Refuge de Carozzu to Refuge de l’Ortu di u Piobbu. Didier’s characterization of today was UNdescribable. There were mountain peaks in every direction, classic GR20 scrambles, and multiple instances of the Pete Technique — tossing the batons so hands were free. From Carozzu we climbed to the first pass, Bocca Innuminata. On […]

Tuesday, Sept 20. Refuge de l’Ortu di u Piobbu to Calenzana, then Calvi. For the first — and last — time I was at breakfast before Didier and Jean-François. It was the coldest morning of the trip. I wished that I had better gloves because my hands were cold, but once we got underway I […]

Wednesday, Sept 21. Calvi, Corsica. I slept the sleep of the gods and awoke to the sounds of the Calvi harbor. In the late morning, Jean-François, Didier and I drove to the airport, had a bite to eat, and said our farewells. Jean-François and Didier told me that they have good friends in the wine […]

Below is the list of everything I had with me on the trail. The gear I carried, not including water or food, weighed 8 kg (17 lbs). Worn Gear Carried Gear Overview Maps This was one of the best maps showing the general outline of the trail relative to the rest of the country. I […]