Ann Schutte, former KHRP intern, has almost reached the halfway point in her ambitious Pyrenees Hike in Aid of KHRP; both in terms of distance travelled and money raised.

Two weeks ago, she set-off from Bilbao, northern Spain. Now 300km into her journey, she has reached the beautiful and mountainous Bujaruelo valley, on the French-Spanish border, and still has over 500km to go! She has also successfully raised almost half of her £1,000 fundraising target.

Commenting on her progress, Ann said: ‘The first 12 days of the trans-Pyrenean trek have been fantastic. There have been a huge variety of landscapes, flowers, butterflies and massive biting flies! Here are a few lessons I have learned along the way:

Only border-dwellers understand 'Franish'. Otherwise, consider carefully what
country one is in before opening one's mouth;
To camp in a storm you need: a) earplugs to dampen the sound of the thunder; b) an eye mask to prevent inadvertent counting of seconds between lightning and the aforementioned thunder;
Never take a snack stop near a (herd of) horse(s);
Take EVERY opportunity to wash yourself and/or your clothes;
When crossing a stream, test the stability of each rock before putting all your weight on it;
I like Rioja; and
Walking 10km before 10am is sure to get rid of your hangover.’
Ann’s goal is to complete the 900km route across the entire Pyrenees, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea. She is raising vital funds for KHRP, to help combat the historic discrimination which remains at the root of the widespread human rights abuses endured by people living in the Kurdish regions — including over 30 million Kurds indigenous to this mountainous expanse — across Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria and the Caucasus.

If you’d like to support Ann or just learn a bit more about her awe-inspiring adventure, please visit Ann’s JustGiving page today. You can also follow her progress by visiting Ann's Amazing Pyrenees Trek on KHRP’s Facebook event page.