Despite full of advantages the Northern Thailand is rather unexplored by hikers and runners. Many “treks” are organized but are simple ballads of few miles on the same trails and areas. Walkers meet each other in a few different places on short-distance trails. The rest of the mountains is not visited at all. Not any trek goes deep inside the jungle and the forest; none of them will ask you to go all over the mountains for many hours; none of them will require any specifical effort. If you are looking for adventure, loneliness and surpassing yourself, just pass your way!

The main reason for this situation is there’s no GR or marked footpath in the mountains. I’ve quickly noticed it when i arrived in Thailand last year. I had decided to leave France with a project to connect through the mountains the two main cities of the north of Thailand, Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai. I had no idea if was possible and if there was any trails. I didn’t know any trekking agencies or specialized guides able to help me in my project.

After many weeks of researches to find documents and people, I had to come to this final conclusion: there is no detailed maps, no marked trails, no agencies or guides which can help me to reach Chiang Rai from Chiang Mai. I had to admit if I wanted to achieve this project, I had to build everything by myself from the begining. The mission sounded crazy but the adventure promised to be beautiful.

Without any guide or agency to help, it was necessary to look for information by starting from scratch. This meant to go asking local people about trails in their own areas. With a translator (Ya) I went to many tribal villages on the way to Chiang Rai. Ethnic tribes from Laos, China and Myanmar have lived for several decades in these mountains. If some people knew about trails, there would be there!

After several months of investigation with many back and forth, exchanging and explanations, misunderstandings and bargainings, we finally managed to find several local “guides” to help in my researches. I walked many times and several weeks in the mountains escorted by my special guides. Day after day I was been able to identify and record different parts of the track and at the end the entire route from Chiang Mai to Chiang rai. It was long and difficult but finally rewarding, exciting and beautiful.

This is how the 1st GR footpath in Thailand has been born; this is how my project in Thailand started.