Tag Archives: hiking

The Pyrenees by Moto – a week riding & hiking in these majestic mountains (Sept 2025)

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The Pyrenees Mountains… finally!  

Some fun facts:  the Pyrenees is a 267-mi (430-km) long mountain chain that forms a natural border between France and Spain, and spans from the Atlantic Coast to the Mediterranean Sea. 

We’d hoped to zig-zag through the mountains, criss-crossing between France and Spain but… it turns out there aren’t that many roads that cut through this high, snow-capped mountain chain. Ha! 

So for this trip, we decided to explore the French side.

To start our adventure, we drove up the long, winding road to the Col du Tourmalet, one of the highest paved mountain passes in the French Pyrenees at 6,939 ft (2,115 m). This pass is one of the most famous climbs on the of the Tour de France so, we were not surprised to share the road with some pretty darn amazing cyclists… wow!  

From there, we spent the week winding up and down more high-mountain passes (sharing the road with more amazing cyclists), meandering through beautiful quaint villages and hiking in some truly amazing mountain landscapes… alpine lakes, granite peaks and… so many waterfalls! 

Some highlights of the trip…

  • exploring the Réserve naturelle du Néouviell.
  • standing below waterfalls cascading down the glacier-carved granite walls of the Cirque de Troumouse and Cirque to Gavarnie amphitheaters.
  • meeting the statuesque Comtois horses at the Col de Pailhères.
  • hiking up to the alpine lakes and granite peaks in the stunning Parc National des Pyrenees.
  • marveling at the Chateau Carcassonne, the medieval castle said to have inspired the design of the Castle in Walt Disney’s Sleeping Beauty.

And did I mention… amazing mountains and so many waterfalls!

There was so much more to explore but alas… a chain of incoming storms forced us home earlier than planned. Oh well, it was a great introduction to the beauty of the Pyrenees, and we’ll be back for sure.  

But don’t take my word for it… see for yourself!

Enjoy!

Trekking the Stunning Tour du Mont Blanc (Sept 2024)

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Imagine hiking through the beautiful mountains of the Alps, crossing through France, Italy and Switzerland, to circumnavigate around Western Europe’s highest mountain… this is the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB).

This iconic, multi-day trek has been on my bucket list for some years, and finally in September, I did it!

Trekkers seek out this iconic 110-mi (177-km) loop trail for the amazing scenery…. the picturesque valleys, lush forests, crystal-clear rivers, and charming villages. And of course, to be in the presence of giant mountains, and NOT just the towering Mont Blanc, rising 15,766 ft (4,805 m) above sea level, but all the adjacent mountains as well!

I would have liked to do this trek with Mathieu or my brother or a friend but no one was available, and I didn’t want to wait any longer, so I decided to do it solo. Given the trail’s popularity, with an estimated 20,000 people completing it each year, I was sure I wouldn’t be alone… something I found comforting and… a bit worrying.

Like many trekkers, I LOVE immersing myself in the natural beauty around me and find it distracting when I’m surrounded by TOO many other people. But… I also LOVE sharing the experience, the wonderment, the joy, and the challenge of trekking with others.

Lucky for me, mid-September was the perfect time to do it. The weather was good, the “trekker traffic” was fairly light, and I got to hike with some really great people. [*Special shout-out to Nathalie, Sebastian, David, Malgorzata & Piotr!] So, I got to immerse myself in stunning natural beauty AND… share the experience… perfect!

There’s a reason the Tour du Mont Blanc is such an iconic trek… both the views and the vibe are… epic. But don’t take my word for it… see for yourself!

Enjoy!