About me
One day, I lost a bet... and the challenge was a 10 km race, something crazy ! It was back in 2006.
Not the kind to escape this defeat, I started to train with 25-minute jogging sessions, an eternity... I was pushing a 100 kg without having seen it coming and I suddenly put my body in agony...
The worst thing is that once this 10 km race done (in terrible suffering in 59 minutes), I began to take a liking to running.
Losing as many pounds as I was gaining time became a source of excitement and great play.
Those who started running like me on a misunderstanding see where I'm getting at ... Little by little, I went from 10 km, to half a marathon , and from half a marathon to a marathon in very respectable times (this is the moment when I get a little carried away... 10k in 37' , 21k in 1h23, 42k in 3h02)...
Then from running, I slipped to trail running after an injury and then obviously one day I went too far : ultra-trail running !! I truly found happiness there, the perfect association between moderate performance and contemplation of nature ...
In my running circle, I go by the nickname "hiker"! Is that what it is now ? Well, fair enough, let's walk then... but not without challenging myself over long distances like thru-hiking the Alps, or Corsica !
...And then one day, I said to myself, "why don't I just walk from Mexico to Canada...?"
...Or rather, I stopped being inspired, dreaming... to achieve more, and take action...
Like many, I discovered the Pacific Crest Trail through the film Wild which retraces the incredible adventure of Cheryl Strayed and then over the adventure or travel stories of John Muir, Sylvain Tesson, Julien Blanc Gras, John Krakauer, and Nicolas Bouvier... I started to consider these long journeys for me...
I also started to taste the pleasure of finding myself in nature over long distances without necessarily running but looking for a minimum of sporting challenge.
And then one day, I discovered that a work colleague, Isa, had done the famous PCT... And there, it became real and nothing could make me hesitate... I said to myself "Come on, I'm going"!
Ame...solo...?
Je veux être dans le mouvement pour retrouver l'équilibre et l'apaisement;
Je change de lieu autant que d'idées;
Je ne tire pas un trail sur le passé, je souligne le trail pour avancer.
More fan of puns than Star Wars and Harrison Ford, I chose Ame Solo first for America and particularly Northern America which has fascinated me since I was 18, the age when I first set foot on the American soil.
Ame (for soul in French) because it is as much a question of effort or physical feat as of the search for meaning. Admittedly, the PCT is the desire to fullfil an old dream, but it comes at a crucial moment in my life, not because I am reaching half a century, but above all because I need to go far away, to clear my mind. to find meaning after a painful period.
At the same time, I need to think of nothing other than putting one foot in front of the other, but at the same time, I expect from this adventure a great step back, a change.
I want to be in the movement to find balance and calm;
I change places as much as ideas;
I m not drawing a line on the past, I m moving forward.
Ame therefore goes hand in hand with Solo since I will be alone, it is my choice, and I need it.
I'm also impatiently awaiting the traditional Trail name that someone will give me on the PCT !
From lost to found,
From words to actions,
From turmoil to quietness,
From lonely to solitude.
Frequently Asked Questions...
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"And where are you going to sleep for 5 months?"
My house is my tent of 500 and a few grams! Well, from time to time, a motel to wash, rest and resupply, but otherwise nothing other than the bivouac 😅
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"And aren't you afraid of animals ? bears, snakes, scorpions?"
I would be lying if I said no, but at the same time, it's more an excitement than a fear... a hoped-for apprehension! and then as a famous writer would say, if you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it is deadly 🥵
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"And you won't be bored?"
No, because somehow, that's what I'm looking for, not boredom as such but time, contemplation, letting go .
On the other hand, I will miss my daughters a lot!!
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"What are the greatest dangers?"
1- Dehydration
2- Wildlife: plants, animals
3- The weather conditions - heat waves, storms, the cold if I drag to reach the North
4- Men