Romain Rouanet sets off on the Hexa Trek
Romain Rouanet, 24, is preparing to walk the 3,034 km Hexa Trek, a route that connects the most beautiful natural parks in France. We invite you to learn more about him and the adventure he is about to embark on through this article.
Who are you?
My name is Romain, I am 24 years old, and I was born in the Tarn region. I have a Bachelor's degree in Sports Management, a Master's degree in Sports Nutrition, a BPJEPS (sports instructor), Cycling, Trail Running, Rugby, Football, Tennis... As you can see, sport is everywhere, professionally or personally, practicing or watching, talking about or supporting, it is at the center of everything.
The word passion is not powerful enough to represent my relationship with sport: joy, fear, pain, anger, doubt, ecstasy. Sport is emotions, sport is life, My life.
How did your passion for hiking come about?
3 years ago, I didn't yet know that a hike at Lake OO (near Toulouse) would change my life... A gentle, peaceful, but also majestic and intoxicating encounter with the great outdoors. Dozens of kilometers later, walking, running, or cycling, in the Pyrenees, the Montagne Noire, the Alps, or on the GR20, the flame remains burning. Since then, I try to spend as much time as possible in the mountains, in nature.
Tell us about your project "The Epic"?
I told myself that it was not necessary to go to the other side of the world to experience a real and beautiful adventure on foot! My project "l'Épopée" consists of the realization of the HEXA TREK, a hike crossing France through all its massifs (more than 3000km on foot). I will start on June 4th for a duration of 3-4 months.
It is an ambitious project which aims to promote adventure, self-improvement and the preservation of great natural spaces.
How did the idea for the project come about?
I had seen the beginnings of this route, the Hexa Trek, 2-3 years ago. I told myself that it was a great adventure without telling myself that I would do it one day. And finally, it came back to me after having hiked the GR20 in 2022 with friends in 5 days. I loved being content with the essentials: sleeping, walking, eating...
So I decided to take advantage of the end of my career as a sports instructor to carry out this project before embarking on my professional life. It's the right time!
Why are you embarking on this adventure? What are your motivations? Your goals?
To follow my destiny...
To live my dreams... Each of my choices, since always, aims to respond to this quest. Today I have found THE project that excites me: THE EPIC, the first of a long series.
For the love of our land... Grandson and son of a farmer, I am keen to share this project which is a way to raise awareness to protect our land. Our country holds thousands of riches and diversities, which should be left in the best possible condition for future generations.
It is also a personal sporting challenge since sport is my whole life.
How do you plan to share your daily adventures?
I want to share my passion, what drives me and in particular:
- Raise awareness of the riches of our territory.
- Show that there is no need to export yourself to the other side of the world to live adventures and see beautiful things.
- Even if you leave with great things, you can live your dreams.
I would be happy to share my journey on various social networks: Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tik and YouTube.
Can you tell us more about the Hexa Trek circuit?
Created just 1 year ago, the HexaTrek is a 3034 km trail (3 to 5 months of walking), linking 14 of the most beautiful natural parks and crossing France from the Vosges to the Pyrenees. Along the mountain ridges, crossing the most beautiful valleys and stopping in the most picturesque villages, the HexaTrek has 500 points of interest, unmissable places and natural wonders visible on the route.
To date, only 80 people have completed this route, and no one has shared it on a daily basis.
This adventure will be done on foot, it is an independent trek, so you will have to carry everything with you, in your backpack. What equipment do you plan to bring?
I will obviously have a backpack with all the necessary equipment:
- Clothing: 2 changes of outfits
- Essential equipment: towel…
- Accessories for a possible mishap: adhesive tape, thread…
- Water bottle, pocket with water with a filter to take water wherever possible
- Food for 2 to 3 days of autonomy (relays in villages, towns): to support me in the adventure, I am lucky enough to benefit from donations from the French sports nutrition brand, Authentic Nutrition. Their energy bars and their sports drink will help me maintain an energy reserve over time.
- Duvet
- Tent: an ultralight tent without poles, for which my poles will act as poles.
- Walking poles: which will be of great help to me to cover these 3000km and to put up my tent.
The poles will help me to support the weight of the backpack, to distribute the weight over my whole body, to relieve the joints put under severe strain!
I chose to equip myself with a French brand: Guidetti. After discussing with their teams, I opted for an ultralight carbon model, foldable and adjustable: the Platinium Flexo.
The little extras: they are fully repairable (you can change a tip or a single strand in case of wear or breakage) and they are equipped with a detachable gauntlet (which allows you to attach and detach them quickly).
Did you do any special physical preparation before the big departure?
As I do sport every day, I don't necessarily need any special training! I'm just adapting my training a little to make it more specific: lower limb work, weight training and a few long hikes to get my body used to taking it.
You can follow Romain's adventures on Instagram: @french.epopee