Hiking the GR20 in Corsica, France, with Marianne Bohr

Above the clouds at the beginning the Twenty in  Corsica, France. All images are the property of Marianne C. Bohr. Unauthorized use is prohibited. 

"There are dreamers and there are planners; the planners make their dreams come true.” Edwin Louis Cole

The GR20 Blaze, the trail marker that would guide Marianne and her intrepid explorers along the Corsican trail.

With two months to go before her trek would begin on one of Europe’s most challenging trails, the GR20 aka "The Twenty," little did Marianne know that this journey recounted in her latest book, would not only present the inherent physical demands of a two-week, 124-mile long and strenuous hike across the rugged rocky spine of Corsica, but an equally rugged trek through her past and present ending in a reconciliation and personal transformation—a remarkable triumph and breakthrough spanning many levels from the treacherous external to the emotional internal. But before we get too far along this adventure, we need to take a few steps back in time to the training regimen two months before the August 2015 trek.

Marianne enjoys one last respite before the start of her journey. 

“If you want to make God laugh, tell Him about your plans.”  Woody Allen based on Yiddish expression “We Plan, God Laughs.”

After retiring from their full-time jobs at age 60 and every detail of their trip carefully planned, almost, it was time to hit the trail, so to speak. Marianne and her husband Joe began their training regimen in June 2015 conditioning their bodies and building stamina as they prepared for the rigors that would test the endurance of their aging bodies. But with all the careful planning in the world, there is one unforeseen detail that Marianne never could have planned, a detail that would greatly impact the entire trip—an unexpected diagnosis of a condition that would not only ultimately test her physically but emotionally as well.

A love affair with husband, new friends, and the Twenty

On the way to Corsica aboard the Mega Express Two.

Having arrived in France and after a month of training on the mainland, they sailed to Corsica to meet up with Marianne and Joes’s guide and fellow trekkers—a harmonious group of seasoned hikers hailing from Europe and the U.S., many of whom would prove to be true friends despite having to break down a few walls here and there. But after the intrepid explorers set out on their expedition along the GR20, the bonds of friendship blossom as they struggle their way along the rocky terrains of the Twenty.

How to make love with Granite.

As we hike along vicariously, we learn how to make love with granite while experiencing exhilarating scenery, topped by towering moutainscapes in the daytime, and at night, the heavens shine with radiant light. We encounter dangerous slopes with falling rocks, celebrate the views from the mountaintops as we ravenously scarf down midday meals during one of the breaks and by the end of a 10- to 12-mile hike, we endure less-than-luxe refuges with inherent dangers of their own.

Crossing the Spasimata River on Day 4 of the GR20.

A test of endurance for the hikers. 

Grasping at the chains, Marianne finds her way across the challenging terrain of the GR20.

One of the many refuges along the GR20 with additional accommodations available in the surrounding tents. 

Roughing it along the Twenty. 

Joe snapped a photo of our intrepid GR20 hikers. From L to R: Kees, Phil, Julien, Jim, Marianne, Chris, Sarah. 

HAFE?

Exhaustion after a grueling day on the Twenty.

But despite the stumbling and struggling, the falling and dangers of slipping down mountainsides, we are treated to moments of levity replete with many laugh-out-loud moments leaving you in tears. How many of you have heard of HAFE? Well, you will find out more about this and other endearing qualities of Marianne’s fellow hikers, all of whom we get to know quite well by the end of the book.

A Moment to Rejoice

Marianne and Joe training in Greolieres, France. 

But with each step of the way, we also struggle with Marianne as she is forced to not only confront her new condition or “invader,” but her past and her own self doubt as an athlete; we understand how difficult it is to ask for help when you want to stand on your own or crawl on all fours; we feel the pain of an injury that would force her to take a three-day detour from the “Twenty” and while that prospect crushed her spirit, it proved to be a turning point, an epiphany that altered her outlook not only for the remainder of the hike but for the rest of her life. And by the time we reach the end of the book, we rejoice in Marianne’s triumphs on so many levels, both external and internal. Ghosts from the past are finally laid to rest and on the early-morn horizon, a new dawn awaits.

The blazing sunset along the GR20.

Marianne and Joe.

This exciting book that blends treacherous moments of their expedition, the warmth and love of marriage and camaraderie of friendship, and the celebratory moments of daily triumphs when they reached their refuges for the night, “The Twenty” is part memoir, part travelogue and is recounted step by step in Marianne Bohr’s latest book which releases on Tuesday, June 6; a unique and compelling read that proved to be rewarding on so many levels! You don’t have to be hiker to read “The Twenty” but you do have to understand the human condition—an experience that’s not limited to an outer journey we encounter along this path of life but the inward journey and the reflections and reconciliations along the way.

Having endured many hikes in the past, it was time to kiss these boots goodbye at the end of the GR20.

"The Twenty,"—One Woman's Trek Across Corsica on the GR20 Trail releases June 6, 2023.