The first of three long days. It started with a very long, very gradual descent. First around the alpages of Refuge the Longon, taking care not to let the dogs follow us. A sign at the refuge informed us that if we took the dogs, we might as well take the cows, too, but I hate cows so the dogs had to stay put. We were definitely out of the high mountains though. Most of the day we walked through the forest or along broad tracks between villages. The first of these villages was Roure, which clings to the hillside overlooking the Vallée de Tinée.

GR5Marte van der LindenJanuary 6, 2018GR5, Grande randonnée, Refuge de Longon, St. Dalmas, France, Mercantour, Alps, Long-distance, Hiking, GR52AComment

Day 16: Roya to Refuge de Longon

We left Roya early to escape the hordes of flies. We were definitely fitter at this point; the 1000 m climb felt a lot shorter and easier than it did at the start. We quickly left the forest behind and climbed further up into the valley beneath some dramatic cliffs with vultures hovering overhead.

GR5Marte van der LindenJanuary 6, 2018GR5, Grande randonnée, Roya, Refuge, Refuge de Longon, Mercantour, France, Long-distance, HikingComment

Day 15: St. Etienne de Tinée to Roya

Well, that was our last night camping! Of course there was a thunderstorm during the night so we had to wait for the tent to dry. Once it was completely 100% dry, we packed it up together with the sleeping bag, mats and other camping gear and dropped it off at the post office. We’d had a look at the map and realised there would be no further campsites.

GR5Marte van der LindenJanuary 6, 2018St. Etienne de Tinée, Roya, France, Mercantour, GR5, Grande randonnée, Long-distance, Hiking, FliesComment

Day 14: Bousieyas to St. Etienne de Tinée

The GR5 guidebook suggests hiking from Bousieyas to Auron in one day, and on towards Refuge de Longon the next day. However, this would mean two fairly long stages (26 and 31 km). We decided to split it in three (the alternative suggested by the guidebook) and end the first day in St. Étienne de Tinée. This meant a very easy day for us, so we started out on sandals again.

GR5Marte van der LindenJanuary 6, 2018France, Bousieyas, St. Etienne de Tinée, Mercantour, GR5, Grande randonnée, Long-distance, Hiking, AlpsComment

Day 13: Larche to Bousieyas

I woke up on the cold hard ground because all the air had gone out of my sleeping pad. It was the middle of the night but Jasper must’ve noticed me being awake because he asked what was going on.

GR5Marte van der LindenJanuary 6, 2018France, Mercantour, Larche, Bousieyas, Long-distance, Hiking, GR5, Grande randonnée Comment

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