Long enchanted by the Pacific Crest Trail, I came to terms with the realities of the difficulties of hiking in America, due to high flight costs as well as the need to transport equipment and visa difficulties. Turning elsewhere I found out about the most recent addition to the long distance hiking community and it happened to be just on my doorstep. The Hexatrek.

A 3034km thruhike across France, traversing each of the major mountain ranges of France. It consists of a linked chain of GR (Grande Randonée) trails aimed at experiencing the mountains of France and the local cultures and foods of the regions traversed. There is a total of 136,000 metres elevation over the entire course of the hike (just over 15 times the height of Mount Everest!). My goal was to complete the Hexatrek whilst documenting the regions and my own experience.

After training in the -20 temperatures of Hokkaidō for a month I felt ready to embark on my Hexatrek. Armed with my Leica M6 and a single lens, a pack base weight of 8kg, I was ready to tackle the Hexatrek. 2024 was unfortunately a year of massively irregular weather patterns with late heavy snowfall in the Alps, immense flooding in the Vosges and subsequent landslides. Despite this I pressed on but ultimately I was only able to complete 1000km of the intended 3000km in 36 days due to repeat strain injuries following intense activity and high elevation. My close proximity to France both culturally and physically has led me to begin working on my personal publication detailing the photos I have taken whilst undertaking the Hexatrek.

Despite not completing the 3000km I feel proud of my achievement and I hope to one day hike the full length of the Hexatrek. I will continue to document the culture, food and beauty of the regions of France. On this page you will find some of the photos I have taken whilst undertaking the Hexatrek and you may find updates on the project later.