Day 43 Great Wall Spur hike

Hank and I had chatted up how wonderful it is to hike the Wall with Beijing
Hikers, and we got together a group of eight of us to spend our Friday
on the Great Wall Spur hike.  As we were hiking up a narrow path to
an unrestored section of the Wall, we had to step aside for two locals
and their donkey who were making their way down.  I could not believe
the weight the man AND the donkey were carrying.  It was a 500m
ascent for us, and uneven footing along the way.  I was having a
difficult enough time carrying my own big self UP the hill, let alone
having gravity and all that weight pulling me DOWN the hill.  Yikes!

Adam was kind enough to hang back with me on the climb
up.  It was rated a 3.5/5.0, but we were a steady uphill
climb for a solid hour or more.  I needed a few breathers
along the way.  I was the happiest girl in China (and
very red faced and sweating) to finally get up to the Wall.
I was even happier to say that I was NOT the last one up!

Yeah, buddy, I was red faced, but the view atop that
first tower was so worth it!  We were allowed a
longer snack and water break before heading west
out on the Wall behind me.

It was actually a cool and foggy day, but we all worked
up a sweat.  It was Rob's first time on the Wall, and
I loved capturing his look of awe as he took it all in :)

Time for a BNDS group shot before we head out. L to R, our AP/IB
principal, Mark, my friend Kathleen and her husband Ray (in front of her),
Hank, Rob, Adam, and Carlos.  For most of them, it was their first trip on the Wall.

And a group shot of everybody, minus our guide, who was taking the picture!
There was another Canadian, a couple from Sydney, another couple from
the UK, a Western couple living in Hong Kong, a mother and daughter
 from Paris, and still others from different parts of the United States.
It is so much fun meeting people from all over the world :)  

Time to get hiking- we had six towers to get through. That's a lot of
up and down some pretty steep hills!

But even on a foggy kind of day, the views were gorgeous.
I thought the fog just added to the mystery and mystique of China.

This was an unrestored section of the Wall, which made it that much
more appealing, to me.  It was pretty wild and woolly.  Just follow the ribbons!

I made a point to distance myself from everyone else
just to take in the quiet.  It was beautiful.

I cannot pass a flower, wild or not, without taking a minute to admire it.

Though it is getting late in the season, the colors were beautiful.

I was a happy girl, out there all alone, at the time :)

I passed this sign, but there wasn't a red ribbon, so I kept going.

What a view :)

I caught up to everyone at the last tower.

I stopped for a peek out on my way to the top.

It is now tradition, that wherever we go, Hank and I must
do a selfie to document the moment :)

This was our view from atop the tower, as the others
caught up to us.  Can you see Kathleen and Ray?

Carlos and Rob brought up the rear with the Parisian
mother and her daughter who is in China for her 'gap year.'

I had Mark snap a picture of me at the base of the tower,
before we started our descent down to a small village below.

Coming down the mountain was beautiful; to look
up from my slippery footing to take in this view?
Oh. My. Goodness.
If I said that once, I said it at least 20x that day!

It was about a 45 minute descent down on some slippery terrain with loose stones and such.  I'm glad the rain decided to hold off, or we would have been in a world of hurt trying to get down.  It was slick enough in the damp, foggy air.  This was the first time I used a hiking stick, and I definitely needed it. I pulled myself up with it several times on the ascent, and I caught myself several times from falling down on the descent.  After a brief squatty potty stop, we hiked through the village to a local restaurant.  True to Chinese form, they just kept bringing out the food, and beer, and more food, and soft drinks.  We had all worked up quite the appetite, and we ate ourselves silly.  Needless to say, it was a very quiet two hour bus ride back to the city, lol.

Day Three of Golden Week was the highlight of the week so far :)

G'nite, y'all!