Last week we mentioned going on a hike with a group called the Beijing Hikers to the Yellow Grass Plateau. We recently went on another amazing trip with the same group, this time to a less known section on the Great Wall. We hiked a 20 km (12 mile) section of the wall from Gubeiko (古北口) to Jinshaling (金山岭) to Simatai (司马台). The visit was spectacular and truly awe-inspiring at times. While the day was a bit warm and hazy, it was still clear enough to see miles into the distance and appreciate the true enormity of the wall.
The 4,000 mile-long construction project lasted centuries and claimed an estimated 2 to 3 MILLION lives during it’s making. At it’s peak during the Ming Dynasty it was guarded by over one million men. Walking along the parapets it seemed it would be a lonely task, guarding that wall, which looks into a beautiful but largely uninhabited valley. We visited the wall right at the time of year the fruit trees blossom, so all around the valley were beautiful wild apricot trees blanketed in bright white flowers.
A Great Wall.
