Corsica & The Grand Randonnee

Before we get into the literal ups & downs of the journey across Corsica, we want to send a special thanks to everyone who has brought us so much closer to our goal of raising $2000 for the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana's Campaign to end sentencing of youth to life in prison with no hope of release:


Big Thanks to: 
Kristin Hoddinott
Nicole Varma
Megan Caldwell
Arin Rollingher
Brian Weberg
MaryClare Peak & Dan Marlow
Casey Hughes
Kristin Wenstrom
Lauren Sanchez
Matt Wolf
Connie & Gregg Orians, as well as Belle, Cassius and Elbert
Cindy Wood
Carl Boand
Travis Massman
Nancy, Terry & Samantha Blankenship
Caitlin Boyce
Carrie Ann Alford
Ryan Basta
Daniel Gutman
Eliza Willamson
MaryJane Burch
Lou Szkatulski (in memory of her daughter Cherri Saltzman)
Nathan Peyer
Amy, Michael and Montgomery Sobol
Lauren Shapiro
Iva Blankenship
Sue Blankenship Boltz
Joanne Talarico
Betty and Bruce Hediger
The Pineda Family
Dan Nibler
Travis Martin
Michaela Kovaks

Thank you to everyone who has donated both their time and their money to spreading the word about this effort. Only $175 to go! Please consider donating what you can!


In an interesting twist of fate, if it were not for us being failed by technology (by way of an electronic book malfunction), Chris and I may have never begun to truly understand Corsican culture. After arriving in Corsica, we quickly realized our literacy options were very limited. We reluctantly purchased the only English book in the village of Bonifacio - the very dense Granite Island: A Portrait of Corsica by Dorothy Carrington. This failed technology glitch turned out to be a blessing in disguise as from our new book we learned the long and strange history of this small Mediterranean island - made even more fascinating by the (for lack of a more accurate description) interesting social culture. Although our experiences were mostly limited to areas above 5000', where we passed few hikers, this literary brick/book helped to explain some of the nuances that left many question marks in our minds. 

Since we cannot hope to summurize over 2000 years of history in a short blog post, here are some quick and interesting facts: 

- Until about 60 years ago, the vendetta was a legally sanctioned form of justice in this region.    Through vendetta,  one or many will die at the hands of  a victim those persons once harmed. This harm could be a result of anything - from  a murder or from simply having the victim's donkey stray onto another person's land....Vendettas could last decades and would be passed on to future family. It was not uncommon to see Priests carrying out a vendetta.

- Although they only constitute 10% of the population, "autonomists" (people who want to be separate from France) are a vocal constituency.  While we were on the island of Corsica we heard of instances of foreigners houses being blown up in an effort to protect the "integrity of the island". Corsica is regarded by many to be a very lawless territory.

- Although less common today than in times past, there are people known as the Mazzeri who are believed to be the vessels through which death is determined on the island.  It is said that the Mazzare separate from their bodies during sleep and run into the maquis (hills) to chase down an animal and kill it with bare hands. While the animal is dyingthe Mazzeri look into the animal's eyes and recognize a member of the village  - that person will be the next to die. 

- Pride is far more important and valued than money, and pride is often measured by family. 

- Although not at all common today, in the 20th century Corsicans were still frequently carrying out marriages between cousins in order to build the numbers of the family and keep the family line intact. 

- For Centuries, Corsicans have practiced "transhumance" to raise live stock:  In the summer they reside in the mountains in "bergeries" where it is cooler, in the winter they return to the shores to avoid the snow.

-  Though we did notice that nearly every shop closes for two hours for lunch,  that the method for making olive oil involves waiting for all of the olives to fall off the tree (giving the olive oil  a very....distinct flavor), we do not want to pass judgment or perpetuate stereotypes.  However,  we were often told that Corsica was regarded as an island where no one likes to work.  We can neither confirm nor deny this assessment. We did, however, learn from the book by Dorothy Carrington, that Corsicans are subsistant people and (before industrialization on the island) most of its people  focused on providing what was needed for their families - Nothing more and nothing less. Familial relationships are of the top priority. 

With this historical and social context in mind we think the photos below may make this island seem even more unique...

Corsica: An Island at 8000'

With what we determined to be the most appropriate soundtrack...we present some of our favorite photos.

Our trek through Corsica began with a four hour ferry ride across the Mediterranean Sea to the city of Northeastern city Bastia. 

From Bastia we hitchhiked south to the village of Bonifacio for the sole reason of seeing the truly awesome cliffs on which the city is erected.

To gain a better view of the cliffs, we took the Escalier du Aragon (over 100 steps at about a 70 degree angle) down to the sea and through the cliffs...

We have been experiencing some serious "Elbert withdrawal".   So...we take every opportunity to offer some affection to local animals....even the dog that ate rocks, who we affectionately dubbed "stupid."

From Bonifacio we tried to catch a ride up North to the village of Conca, the site of the trail head where we would begin our hike of the GR20. We came upon the hitchhikers dream in the form of Chantal and Michel. 

We intended to begin our hike that very day, but we abided by the "rules of the road" and accepted the offer to hang with Chantal and Michel for the day and visit some beaches, villages, cork tree groves and other treats around the southern tip of the island. One day turned into three and we ended up starting our hike with them at Col de Bavella a few days later. During our time with these two, they advised  us to avoid the often skipped 12 mile steep and forested incline that begins the trail. This small bit of wisdom was but the most insignificant of the knowledge that these two beautiful people imparted to us during our time together. Chantal and Michel: You have our eternal thanks, admiration, and respect - see you soon in the Alps! 

Known as "army worms" these little monsters are quickly devastating the population of pine trees around Corsica - and they are a nasty insect to come into contact with as they  leave you itching for days -  fortunately not verified by personal experience. 

The day before setting off, we warmed up for our trek with a nice hike around Col de Bavella.

The GR20 trail head!

...The Virgin of Notre Dame blessed the start of our trek.

When day 1 involves over 3000 ft of elevation gain and loss spread across 6 miles over steep and rocky terrain, it did not take long for us to realize we had really under estimated this hike....It certainly did not help that our training regiment involved a two week stay in Italy where we enjoyed first courses of pasta and bottles of wine - for lunch.

Although we were hurtin', Chantal and Michel felt fine! As we approached the summit of the first mountain of the day, they casually informed us that the last time they did this section of the trail Michel was carrying their infant son on his back....

These are the sections of the GR20 that we did not inform our moms about....

End of day 1: cooking Uncle Ben's Paella in the tent. Bed time: 6pm. 

These faces illustrate our feelings about the author of our guide book in which was noted "today is an easy day." I have some notes for you, Paddy Dillon. 

After summitting our third mountain in less than 24 hours (note: we were also carrying 50 pound packs) we had a nice stroll through some level area and were greeted by some pregnant mares. 

 Some pigs tagged along!

Pigs sleep in piles - who knew!?

The only things tougher than the people of Corsica are the animals - except the pigs. Pigs are sort of the same everywhere.

Watching clouds form on the ridge line makes exhaustion seem irrelevant ....

...until you see that you have yet another mountain to summit before finishing. 

Besides the fact that most of the GR20 is above 4000', another interesting aspect of this rigorous trail is that it is marked by "refuges".  Because the terrain is too steep for most hikers to find suitable camping spots, these refuges host hikers along the way . They also allow hikers to lighten the load by enabling hikers to not have to carry food or tents. We underestimated their convenience and decided to carry our own provisions.  This was not our best idea.

The GR20 is divided into two sections: the north & the south. The northern section is much steeper and more elevated terrain that holds snow much later in the season than the south. As we feared, the unseasonably cool weather during winter and into the spring kept the snow around longer than expected. The snow, compounded by our slower than expected pace and sheer exhaustion, forced us to abandon the trail after 60 miles. 

A salamandar walked us to the finish line!

Although we we were not able to hike Corsica from end to end, a beer after 60 miles and seven days in the outback cannot be beaten. 

That night we camped outside the train station with about two dozen French soldiers....odd.

Kelly's boots met their final resting place after leaving the GR20. RIP buddies. 

We spent our last couple of days on the island at a small beach town we spotted from the train. 

The pace and the priorities of the Corsican's on the coast was a much needed change.....Pictured above is round 5 of a several hour long game of "Petunk" - similar to bocce ball and played constantly in Southern France.

 

Corsica is -  without a doubt, the most beautiful environment we have experienced during our journey. Despite its beauty, we often found ourselves laughing about the fact that this oasis is also the toughest and most rigorous environment in which we have resided. We shared our final laugh about this reality after a day of relaxing and sun bathing by these crystal clear waters.   Kelly was stung by a jelly fish.