We woke early in anticipation. Today we would take on the famous Great Wall of China. As we walked in to the lobby of our hotel we were greeted by Gary our guide. Straight away we knew we were in safe hands as Gary was friendly, enthusiastic & most importantly he'd walked the wall many times so had the experience to not only guide us but educate us about the Great Wall.
 
We met our driver & set off in to the morning traffic with Gary educating us on all things Beijing. After a quick 2/2.5 hour drive we made it to the small town of Gubeikou & strapped on our hiking boots ready to tackle the wall. Joining us for the day were a couple of Americans, Del & Tanner, who would set the pace all day & provide some entertaining banter along the way. As we walked down a gravel road with farmers crops on our flanks we looked up to catch our 1st sight of the wall. As we climbed up a steep incline the heart rates started to race & the mid morning sun ensured we knew that this would not be a simple "walk in the park". The wall would require its pound of flesh!!

Initially we walked along the wall for 15 minutes, dragging our hands along the ancient brickwork before finally climbing on top of the "dragons back". This was not the well trodden, fully restored tourist section teaming with amateur photographers but the wall in its original state with only the noise of twittering birds to break the silence. Perfect!! As we looked up & saw the wall snake in to the distance, dotted with watch towers, we realized the enormity of our task & relished the challenge. Walking along this stretch of wall we got a real sense of the history & with Gary ably answering our multitude of questions the gaps in our knowledge were slowly filled in.

After walking for 2 & a half hours at an easy pace we decided to stop for lunch in an ancient watch tower. As we looked back at the wall snaking back down in to the valley we couldn't believe how much ground we'd covered in such a small amount of time. As we tucked in to a delicious 3 bread sandwich & quenched our thirst the excitement levels were still at a high. Here we would leave the wall for an hour as this stretch was restricted to military personel only. This gave us an opportunity to walk through some beautiful bush & farmland before we jumped back on to the wall to finish the last 2.5 hours of our trek.

As we walked, clambered & climbed over the ancient stonework, wiping the sweat from our brows as the afternoon sun shone brightly we noticed the wall changing. As we approached Jinshanling we came across a large restored section of the wall & caught the 1st glimpse of other walkers. It was great to see the wall & its magnificent watch towers in their former glory. But instead of joining the scrum of tourists at the well trodden stretch of Badaling we only had to share the uninterrupted views with a few others. We patted ourselves on the back for deciding to take on the 2 day hike instead of the hurried day trip to Badaling

As we walked off the wall at the end of the day we were led by Gary to meet a local farmer where we would stay for our evening meal. As we chatted about our day over a beer, dishes of Chinese food were brought out. Delicious pork & green beans, dumplings, fried noodles & rice (to name but a few) were laid out in front of us. Armed with our chop sticks we set about feeding our tired bodies but couldn't get close to finishing the vast amounts of delicious food. Although the farmer didn't speak much English & we spoke absolutely no Chinese he made sure we were entertained throughout the evening & even brought out some local "fire water" (which tasted like whiskey) to try.

With darkness falling we were armed with torches & led up to the wall to the watch tower where we would spend the night. Gary handed us sleeping mats & bags & we settled down on top of the wall to sleep under the stars. This was 1 of the main reasons why we booked with Great Wall Hiking & it was fantastic waking with the sun rising over the wall. After a breakfast of fruit, cereal & tea we set off the finish the last part of the trek in to Simitai. As we looked up to the wall snaking along the ridge we knew that this would be the most
challenging part of the walk. The approaching rain clouds would ensure the challenge would be even more difficult but that didn't dampen our spirits.

As we approached the 1st huge climb up to a watch tower & moved back to the un-restored wall we started to ask ourselves how the ancient Chinese even managed to build the wall in such a steep & exposed climate? We put that question to the back of our minds as on hands & knees we climbed the huge steps. We'd repeat this process several times as the rain started to fall. "How far to go Gary" I asked. "Not far" was the reply as Gary counted out the watch towers in the distance. At least another hour & a half by the looks of it but the best thing was it looked like the wall was on the decent in to Simitai. With the light rain the flag stones became more slippery & we had to hold on the side of the wall to ensure we wouldn't slip over. Again the wall was testing our resolve.

Slowly but surely we walked through the watch towers Gary had counted out earlier. As we descended in to Simatai the wall again changed. Again we were walking along a fully restored stretch of the wall which gave us a glimpse of what the Wall must have looked like 1,000's of years ago. With the rain steadily falling we walked through the last watch tower & across the rope bridge in to Simitai. We'd made it! With a congratulatory hand shake from our guide Gary we proudly posed with our certificates confirming we'd conquered the Gubeikou – Simatai stretch of the wall. Stoked!!

As we walked off the wall we felt a sense of elation at what we'd achieved. We'd covered over 20km's in less than a day & a half through 30 degree heat & rain. We'd felt our lungs almost burst as we'd clambered up the steepest parts of the wall & we'd experienced the warm hospitality of the local farmer & his sumptuous dishes. With our guide Gary educating us along the way & setting a suitable pace we couldn't have asked for a more enjoyable 2 days. With another huge Chinese feast to devour for lunch before we jumped in to our waiting van meant that we'd sleep all the way to Beijing. Thanks Great Wall Hiking for an awesome & memorable experience on the Great Wall of China!!

Trip attended: Hiking and Sleeping on the Great Wall