China 602 Jinshanling Great Wall

I loaded up the kids on a hearty breakfast of eggs and bacon before our next adventure. The kids loved Chinese bacon which is really more like ham. I had not eaten any food at all in over 24 hours, and after two bites of eggs, I was done.  Ugh. We filled the backpacks with snacks, packed what little rain gear I had to share, and headed out- it was a 100% chance of rain, and guaranteed to be colder up in the mountains.  It started pouring not an hour's bus ride out of town.

But to see the kids faces at their first glimpse of the
Great Wall? Totally worth it- even if I did forget my mittens.
Yeah, it was that cold- numb fingers and toes.

The scenery was breathtaking.  I have hiked this section
three times now.  It is very high elevation, and a great
combination of unrestored and restored sections of the Wall.

As we got close to the final ascent, the kids took
off in a sprint to be the first to touch the Wall-
and kiss it! If my memory serves me right,
Ava had to kiss the Blarney Stone when her momma
was a Captain in the AF and stationed in England.
Both of these kids were born world travelers :)

They couldn't wait to scale the first watch tower
(the first of 10 that day), and peek out of every
window opening for the view down below.
Mountain goats, I tell you!

And this was my view all day- the kids about
75 yards ahead of me, and Stephanie nowhere
to be seen behind me!  

It was a very cold, wet, rainy, and slippery day.  The Wall
is very uneven footing anyhow, and the loose gravel and
wet rocks made it even more treacherous.  Stephanie
exited with a guide a few kilometers in to the hike.
I slipped repeatedly, and tweaked my right knee
several times- which proved to be an even bigger problem
as time went on later in our touring and travels.

But again, to see their faces taking in such
a cool experience?! Totally worth it.
They never complained once of being
tired, or cold, or wet, or hungry.

In spite of numb fingers, and slipping and sliding around,
I wasn't complaining either.  I got a helluva workout,
particularly after having been sick about 24 hours before.
But this view?  It never gets old to me. I love hiking the Wall.

Our hike was scheduled for 10km, but after 6.5km, a few hikers dropped out early, and the majority of us were soaked to the bone, teeth chattering, slipping and sliding.  Many folks on the hike were in shorts!  The guides wanted to cut the hike short, because it really was lousy weather, and even a bit dangerous conditions.  Three guys and a guide wanted to continue to the end, but the other 20 of us came down at about the 7km mark.  A warm bus never felt so good!

We descended off the Wall, into a parking lot,
and you can see how soaked Ava was-
but she was still smiling!  

We went to the public squatty potties at the parking lot- (always a disgusting time) and Ava and I laughed until we cried.  I gave her tissues and wipes (you must carry your own tp in China), and she chose the least disgusting stall.  I am waiting in line, and in no time she comes be-bopping out.  "That was quick!", I say.  She responded, "Mimi, I can't get my pants down- they're stuck to me!"  Now if you could have seen her expression, and heard her belt that out in a Kentucky drawl, she looked and sounded just like her Aunt Carissa.  It cracked us both up somethin' fierce!  If I remember correctly, Carissa said those very same words when we went camping years ago at McCormick's Creek State Park where we got caught in the rain hiking in the woods and belly crawling through muddy Wolf Cave. It was uncanny how she sounded like Critter Dee....we laughed over and over again, saying, "I can't get my pants down!!!"  It was hysterical, y'all.

But truly...hikers were wringing out their socks.

One guy stripped to his boxer shorts on the bus, wrung his pants out, and hung them to dry from the luggage rack up above!

We were all cold, wet, drowned rats,
but we were still smiling!

The kids and Stephanie got to experience a traditional Chinese
meal, where it is served family style on a giant lazy Susan
that you spin around the table.  Unfortunately the nation's
heat has already been turned off for the year, so the
restaurant was ice cold.  Everybody was openly shivering
and teeth chattering until we could warm our bellies with
food.  The good news is the kids fared much better
with chopsticks this time- they had worked up quite the
appetite.  They also loved a traditional Chinese hot
drink- warm Coca Cola with diced ginger in it. YUM!

A warm bus, full bellies, and not 10 minutes
down the road, the jet lag hit them again.
I watched Ava's head bob to her chest at
least 10 times, and then she tucked her
head in the headrest cover to hold it up!
Omg, HYSTERICAL!!!
 She looked like the Flying Nun :D

After a two hour nap on the bus ride home, I was afraid they wouldn't sleep again tonight.  Tomorrow is their first day of Chinese school, and I wanted them to be bright eyed and bushy tailed.  After a long day of being cold, wet mountain goats, they actually slept in until 5:30am!  I think the jet lag thing is nearly whipped- Hooray!

'cause Mimi has a busy, busy week planned :)

G'nite, y'all!