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Still in preparation for the summers hike to Iceland we did a week of Randonée in Haute Corse. I knew there were steep mountains here, but I did not expect it to be that alpine! In seven days we walked and climbed in total 75 kms and gained 5 250 m in altitude. Those vertical meters really did good to our legs. Corsica also offers a great variety of hikes by the seaside, in dense woods and in the mountains. During the week we reached the peaks Capu d'Ortu 1 294 m, A Muvrella 2 184 m and Monte Astu 1 535 m.

Lessons learned:

• When the old villagers says "if you go there they will need to get you back with a helicopter" - don't go there
• When the French map says difficult path, it is practically non existing and impossible to pass
• When hiking early in the season, north faced slopes above 1 700 meters are still covered with lots of snow
• The Corsican brier is indeed impenetrable