After overnight flight from Toronto I land in Frankfurt and take a train or two to the French/German border town of Wissembourg. The clouds are grey as I step out in to the village to resupply at the supermarket. There are German tourists everywhere and the sky hangs low.
As a tourist myself I can't help but stare at all the European architecture and impressive churches from a time long past. I feel like I'm in a cliche romantic European getaway as I make my way to start of the HexaTrek. Cozy streets give way to vineyards and the rain starts as I reach the northern terminus. I scramble to pull out the trail-book to scribble my name in the rain.
My rain jacket keeps me somewhat dry as I climb the nearby hill overlooking the town. There is an empty gorgeous hut waiting for me in the forest that I take shelter in as the evening approaches. I only hike 7km(4mi) before settling in for the day. The rain stops as the sun sets and I sleep on the cold floor of the shelter.
I sleep in a bit and take the day slowly. The sun tries its best to break through the overcast skies as I meander down gravel forest back roads. I come across two hikers, from Edmonton and Ohio, who are also doing the HexaTrek. I take a few detours to climb around castle ruins before the rain starts, spoiling the mood.
The latter half of the day is depressing as the weather does not improve. My mood is very low and I feel unnaturally tired. The only respite is that I am able to hideaway in another empty shelter for the night. This one is significantly more bare as it is roughly 5mx3m(16ftx9ft) with no door, but I won't complain.
I sleep in once again because I awake to the sound of rain. After an hour or two I realize that it is not actively raining but just the sound of water falling from the surrounding trees. I leave into a thick fog for the rest of the morning.
There are more castle ruins to explore today and around midday the sun breaks through the clouds. My mood is immediately improved as I dry out and hike hard for the rest of the day. Today I camp along side the trail.
Waking to a dry morning I set off and blast. I get close to running out of water at some point but end up passing a number of tiny villages. Almost every village seems to have a public fountain in it's town square which is very convenient.
As the day progresses the back roads I'm on becoming increasingly muddy. It's been an unnaturally rainy spring according to locals so most of the countryside is soggy. I eventually walk into the first "large" town, Niederbronn-les-Bains and walk around a bit.
By 1600h I reach a nice shelter and start to settle in. I get restless looking at the great weather and thinking about all the time I have to kill until the sun sets at 2200h. I pack up and decide instead to push another 15km(9mi) to the next potential shelter. On the way I meet a local taking their dog on a evening walk as we exchange some words in French and English. I eventually arrive to a large camping area that has a big picnic shelter and a fresh water spring. I setup my tent and settle in for the night.
I have big plans for the day since I feel like I have been dragging my feet a bit for the first week. That drive only lasts until midday where I take a brief nap and scale back my mileage. I have to spend time rationalizing to myself that their is no rush and I shouldn't push too hard at the start of a hike.
The day is filled with a series of long break and removing ticks. I eventually climb up and above the treeline for the first time for a nice panoramic view of the surrounding forest before catching up to another hiker. From Netherlands, he's with his dog section hiking the GR5. I stop early with him at another nice picnic shelter/camp area, though unfortunately this one has no water source. I spend the evening reading on my phone.
I wake up just before sunrise to head out. I pass an ancient Roman temple along a ridge before descending in the nearby village for resupply. The morning is easy going though I take a number of wrong turns as the trail seems to randomly turn at unmarked/faded junctions.
Suddenly I enter a clearing and see tourist signs. Turns out the trail passes by the only concentration camp in France established by the Germans. It's a haunting experience to be at such a place. I take awhile to look around, contemplating the immense cruelty and suffering endured.
There is a light sprinkle of rain at the start of the evening as I reach a pavilion shelter in the forest. I share it with another French hiker as I attempt to converse in French.
I wake early to a clear and sunny sky. Another chill day of hiking follows. I reach Châtenois and take a nap near it's church. Leaving the town passing vineyards then by the massive Château du Haut-Koenigsbourg. The day ends when I reach a small shelter by 1700h.
The morning is dominated by small castles ruins sprinkled about in the forest until I reach Thannekirch. I run into a hiker leaving a bakery and we chat a bit. I get to the next town of Ribeauvillé just as it's grocery store closes for the day so I'm unable to resupply.
From the town I climb back up into the hills and keep up a moderate pace. The weather is great without any threat of rain which is a nice change. I zone out for the rest of the day and get to a small ski cabin(locked) in the woods around 1630h. I end up cowboy camping on it's porch for the night.
I wake with a beautiful sunrise and climb up to a wide ridge with great views. Reaching some 1300m(4265ft) I finally have a reward for all the climbing up and down in the forests. The trail then turns off and leads me on a tight rocky trail along the edge of a mountain outcrop.
It suddenly rains hard in the early afternoon but stops after ~30 minutes. Unfortunately the clouds and fog stay behind as I once again climb up onto a ridge. The wind howls and the fog envelops my vision. The rain comes back but soon enough I reach my destination. I quickly hideaway inside a small concrete cabin, having done 45km(27mi) by 1700h.
I watch the wind and rain rip outside for the evening. A French girl surprises me at dusk and takes shelter in the cabin as well. We both cowboy camp on the stone floor of the cabin as the storm rages outside. A mouse keeps us company during the night.