Europe’s Toughest Trek

At the February 25 Mountaineers meeting, Martin Staley will talk about his trek along the French Grande Randonnée No. 20, or GR20, in Corsica, France, which is billed as the toughest long-distance trek in Europe.

Martin traveled to Corsica in July 2024 to trek the entire GR20 with a guided group, covering over 120 miles and nearly 45,000 feet of total elevation gain and loss over the course of 13 days. The GR20 is a spectacular trail that winds its way along the long and extremely rugged spine of Corsica's central mountain chain, from the town of Calenzana in the north, to Conca in the south. Every day presented challenging terrain, with rock scrambling, exposure, and steep, long ascents and descents. Everyone on the team of eight trekkers was exhausted, but absolutely pleased with the experience by the time they reached their conclusion.

Martin Staley has enjoyed outdoors activities for his entire life, from his days of hiking and backpacking with his parents when he was a small child, to his 30+ years in Los Alamos, going on local hikes, climbs, canyon country trips and more with the Los Alamos Mountaineers. He has traveled all over the western USA, and to parts of the world from New Zealand to Greenland to Nepal.

We welcome all to this Mountaineers’ meeting, held on the usual fourth Tuesday of the month. The social hour, with cookies, begins at 6:45 PM and the program at 7:00 PM. The presentation will be in-person at Los Alamos Nature Center; the slides will be live-streamed on Zoom. Registration is required to Zoom and recommended for in-person – we would love to see your smiling face. Registration details will be posted once they are available.

A rugged ascent along the GR20