“Did you take your headlamp well? On Place Jussieu in Paris, 900 hikers met. We are May 14, it is 11:30 p.m. The start of the Marche de la Bièvre will be given at midnight. The finish, in Bièvres, is 54 kilometers away. Either between nine and eleven hours of walking, at least. In the crowd, quite a few regulars, many groups. Johann, 24, and his friends are doing the Walk for the second time: “Last year we took it as a challenge. we’re not really walkers, except for a bit of hiking on vacation sometimes. We studied here, at this university, so we found it fun to enroll. »
Midnight
The group of walkers, after having collected a cup and a map of the route (and checked that the headlamp was working) set off at midnight sharp. The first hour of walking is euphoric. The crowd takes time to stretch and occupies the entire street. The Parisian way winds in streets where, formerly, flowed the Bièvre, river today largely transformed into underground sewer.
On the sidewalks, dumbfounded night owls challenge the crowd of walkers. ” What are you doing ? Where are you going ? Surprisingly, their faces are even more amazed once the explanation is given: “we walk all night following the Bievre. »
1h45 – First refueling
After ten kilometers of effort, there have already been a few abandonments. “I was with two girlfriends but in the end they took the last metro, explains Zoé. I also saw guys taking a taxi. Me, I feel good so I continue, even if I have never walked for more than two hours in a row in my life. »
Even if it requires good physical condition and a certain taste for pain, the Marche de la Bièvre indeed attracts a good number of first-time hikers. Thierry embarked on the walk with ordinary tennis shoes, Bermuda shorts and a long-sleeved T-shirt. “I didn’t take a bag because I’m already a little heavy just with my body,” he laughs, cup in hand. For him as for the others, the first refueling is an opportunity to drink a lot and eat a little, but not to linger. The way is still long.
3h04 – Doubt
After crossing the ring road, the long line of hikers stretches out towards Gentilly, Arcueil, Cachan, Fresnes… There are still a few astonished spectators, sometimes drunk, at the strange transhumance. “What exactly is delirium? advises us a young man returning from an evening and who is traveling with us. But in fact, what are you walking for? »
For what ? The word is out. At this time of night, dark despite the urban lighting, the question arises all the more acutely as the feet are beginning to suffer. What am I doing here ? Where am I ? Where am I going ? Will there be oranges at the next ravito? “My approach is more poetic than sporty,” explains Nadine, 72. Walking at night means getting out of your daily routine, trying something unexpected. »
3h51 – “The last kilometers are the best”
At his side, Meriem, a former work colleague, appreciates the feeling of community, of solidarity among the hikers. “There are groups, friends, it’s fun, it’s nice. Even people alone, they can feel this momentum. It’s not that often in life. Ok for all that, but why such a long walk? We could have made a community on 10 or 12 terminals, right?
“A certain surpassing of oneself is the basis of sport hiking, explains Thierry, 52 years old and dressed in sports from head to toe (in rain). You’ll see, the real good time is when you feel like you can’t take it anymore but in fact, you still can. The last kilometers are the best. »
4:30 a.m. – A (thick) Eco-walk
In the depths of the night, a certain discouragement can win over hikers, no one speaks anymore. We follow the red lights on the backpacks in front of us. Without thinking. The route has reached towns now really bathed by the Bièvre – Verrières-le-Buisson, Massy, Ign… – which brings breaths of freshness; wet smells, sounds of young frogs…
“There is an ecological discourse and approach behind the March, explains Agnès Theeten, president of the organizing association. The route follows the route of the Bièvre, including where it has disappeared or is underground. We highlight the sections where the Bièvre has flowed back, under the impetus of the municipalities. Because it brings freshness and biodiversity by disartificializing the soil. This March is a way of saluting these initiatives, such as those of the municipalities which take care of their banks of the Bièvre by developing parks there. »
5:37 a.m. – Birdsong and the sound of walking sticks
As we cross a forest around Loges-en-Josas and the sun finally plans to rise, Hubert, 69, explains that he particularly appreciates this walk for this militant approach. “I live in the countryside but I grew up in Paris. Starting from the hypercentre, then traveling through the ultra-concrete suburbs to arrive in this corner of paradise, it allows us to reflect on the place of man in the environment and its impact. Where are houses being built? What natural places should we preserve? The urban sprawl of individual houses with gardens and swimming pools raises more questions for me than the Gentilly towers…”
These considerations are interrupted by the burst of a troop of walkers armed with sticks and flashy skin-tight outfits. These are the Nordic walkers. They started the March at 4 a.m., departing from Igny, and are “only” 30 kilometers long. They still smell of soap and aren’t there to dawdle. The noise of their sticks on the pebbles annoys some walkers who left at midnight and at the end of their lives. “There are different types of walking and walkers, that’s how it is, philosopher Catherine, 52 years old. They are more interested in the sporting side than in the hiking aspect. But we have to share the journey… I prefer to see the positive and see that there is a renewal of generations, I saw lots of young people! »
7:15 a.m. – Buc-sur-Bievre
The sun is now well up and, after going around the ponds of La Geneste, source of the Bièvre, the route turns around for an arrival in the town of Bièvres. The last refueling takes place in buc elementary school. Organizations are affected. Some lie down (big mistake). But there are still two good hours of walking. The sun is starting to beat down and the last elevations are particularly painful. Finally, it’s the arrival in Bièvres.
You get your degree from finisher and a very nice meal. Timothée is doing some repairs for… the 100 kilometers of Perche: “if it’s too long for you, there’s the Bourges-Sancerre night hike, 59 kilometers only. The long walk expert is full of praise for the night walk: “You are tired but admit that you had fun. It is a unique experience of connection with oneself and one’s environment. The only objective reason to organize a hike at night is to disturb other road and path users less. But the only valid reason is the love of being able to say “I did it”! »