The Amazing Wall Part Two aka I Hope I Don't Have Tetanus
星期四, 六月 22, 2006
hiking with Chris on top of the Gubeikou Great Wall
I currently have a particularly nasty cut on my left shin. It is small but very deep -- the result of a stumble during last weekend's hike to the Great Wall.
Our hike last fall started in Jinshanling and headed Simatai so this time we wanted to hike the 'other half' of the route. The trail from Gubeikou 古北口 to Jinshanling 金山岭 is so off-the beaten path that it's not even listed in the Lonely Planet and our driver had to stop and ask for directions to drop-off point at the start of the trail.
Another indication that this was an obscure trail? The complete absence of any hawkers selling water or postcards. The top of the wall was also run-down and overgrown with shrubs but we just happily picked out a path for an hour or so until we ran into a dead end:
Watchtower with a blocked entrance
To quote Craig: omg! wtf? A blocked entrance? We looked around and saw a trail leading off the wall and into the valley. It looked like it went alongside the wall so we decided to follow the route (it's not like we had a choice). At this point, I'd like to note that we wasted an hour because we hiked along until we saw this sign on the Wall...
What does that sign say?
By "Military Forbidden Zone," I think it really means "Forbidden. Military Zone."
...became intimidated, and turned back to the point where we left the Wall. We didn't want to risk a run-in with the PLA, even if we could claim ignorant foreigner status (The sign had flawed syntax! We thought it meant the area was off-limits to the military!) Anyway, back at the Wall we run into the first people we've seen the entire morning since we set foot on Gubeikou: a group of three Chinese hikers also heading towards Jinshanling. We pointed out the blocked watchtower ahead, mentioned that we came across the military area sign, and asked if they knew anything about the route to Jinshanling. One of the hikers told us that we were heading in the correct direction and that the sign was to discourage people from climbing/ crossing the Wall, not from hiking the trail. "If you head too far in the wrong direction" he said "someone armed with a machine gun will eventually stop you".
With that reassuring thought in mind, we head back down the trail and into the valley again. The trail goes from overgrown (this is when I trip on a rock and cut my shin) to neatly maintained when it runs by several corn fields - complete with scarecrow. We pass a cute abandoned hut too. Eventually the trail runs back uphill and along the base of the Wall. At this point, the path is very narrow, scattered with loose rubble, and has a steep drop on one side, so we were relieved to finally reach a watchtower opening that led us back onto the Great Wall.
The funny part was when we crossed into the (highly restored) Jinshanling section and saw this placard, where the final sentence refers to the direction we came from:
So much for "please stop"...
Talk about surprises. Who knew hiking the Great Wall would involve spending 2 hours off the Wall dodging military facilities?
A view of the section we could not walk on. It nearly disappears into the hillside.
Lots more photos are after the jump.
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