BEHIND THE SCENES

Réunion Island is hiking heaven! Photojournalist Shaen Adey trekked the Grande Randonnée Route 1 (GR R1), a tough 60 km trail that loops around the island’s highest mountain, Piton des Neiges. Read all about it on p 42

Where did you hear about the hike? I was baited to run the Grand Raid ultra-marathon on the island years ago. Parts of that crazy 162 km race crisscrossed sections of the GR R1 trail.

At the time, I felt that I’d missed a lot of the island’s sights. When you’re running – especially when you’re running at night as we were required to do during some of the longer stretches – you don’t get much time to take in your surroundings. This trip was about going back to “smell the roses”.

What was the highlight? On the day we climbed Piton des Neiges, we woke early to reach the summit by sunrise. The views from the island’s highest peak were incredible. At 3 070 m in altitude, it’s also the highest point in the Indian Ocean.

What camera did you travel with?

I carried a Canon EOS 5D Mark II, with a 16 – 35 mm lens for wide-angle landscapes and a 100 mm macro lens for bugs, flowers and portraits. It was a heavy setup to lug around, but worth it.

Tips for hikers who also love taking photos? It’s not necessary to take a heavy D-SLR like I did – some of the latest compact cameras produce images of mind-boggling quality. You get what you pay for in the compact camera space, so buy the best one you can afford. I particularly like Leica and Zeiss lenses – pricey, but crispy sharp.

An optical zoom lens is always better than so- called “digital zoom”, which actually just magnifies your photo and wrecks the quality. Don’t get caught out by the sales pitch.

When weight is an issue, don’t carry a tripod. I just whip off my cap, pop it on a rock and balance the lens on the curve of the peak.

Which trail is next? I enjoy a challenge, so I’d love to hike the

GR 20 in Corsica. The 180 km trail follows the island’s mountainous spine and is notoriously tough.

I’d also love to go back to Réunion and hike the 140 km GR R2, which traverses the island from north to south.