I was thrilled by the message of Hervé de Bressy (57 years old and a true ultra-lightweight backpacker) that he started his Pyrenees-‘traversé’ on July 14th in Hendaye. He wants to do all esfr-bordermarkers from the first one up to bm602 within 30 days, in bivouac style.
He is not the first to do so: Pierre Gallart did the same in 2022 in 74 days but his goal was primarily to follow the borderline as much as possible. In doing so, he covered most of the bordermarkers. But Hervé is the very first one who uses my GRPdesBF-trail design to do so, though definitely giving his own twist to the route.
I met Hervé at La Pierre Saint-Martin on 25/7, and he showed me in an enthusiastic way his ‘ultra-léger’ backpack. Including tent & sleeping bag and food, his backpack is about 4kg. I found it really amazing.
Just an example of this minimalism: his tent is a ‘pocket tarp’ with a loose groundsheet:
I was impressed; I started my wanderings in the Pyrenees with ±20 kilo. His story inspired me to reduce my daytrip-backpack weight the next day by 50%, and it definitely made a difference.
At this very moment – 28/7, two weeks after his departure – he has almost reached Gavarnie, his favourite place for a day of rest.
You can find more information about this project with these links :
– https://www.randonner-leger.org/forum/viewtopic.php?id=45467
– https://www.youtube.com/@apasleger
– Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/a.pas.leger/
Update august 28th
Hervé couldn’t make it in 30 days, his planning proved to be too ambitious. On august 8th he stopped at Pont du Roi (bm410), after four weeks of walking from dawn to dusk. He lost 8 kg in those weeks! He missed around 15 markers, some he could’t find in the abundant vegetation and others were skipped because of fatigue or practical reasons.
Next summer, he will continue until the Mediterranean, an estimated 3 weeks of walking. It is his habit to publish on the forum of randonner-leger.org an elaborate account of each day.
The first one of his very first day is ready:
Check also Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8TWQBTxg28