Twenty years ago today I began the GR20 in Corsica

 

The terrain gets tough

Midday on June 26, 2005 and I set off on the GR20 long-distance path in Corsica with Cameron McNeish. It was a mistake. Not hiking the GR20 or being with Cameron. The noon start. Straight from the Scottish Highlands we felt the heat instantly. The sun was blazing down from an unreal blue sky. From the little town of Calenzana the trail climbed through sun burnt fields towards distant mountains. There was little shade. We'd soon drunk all our water. The first spring was incredibly welcome.

The trail starts.

We did acclimatise, eventually. But a predawn or evening start would have been sensible. So would starting at the southern end of the trail. By starting in the north we had the steepest, toughest sections first. I'd never been on a waymarked trail with so much exposure and scrambling. Overall it was a wonderful trip though.

Welcome shade! There wasn't enough.

These pictures were all taken on that first day. I used a 6 megapixel Canon EOS 300D DSLR with a Canon EF-S 18-55mm lens, my first digital camera setup.

Looking back to Calenzana.

Water, delicious water!

Goats, trees, mountains. 

First camp.