[Mark Griffith]

This has been my only hike in 2 weeks but at least it was on the Great Wall. I have been over in Beijing on business. My wife came with me and while I worked she saw the sights. I made a long weekend and we went to the Great Wall at MuTianYu. This is not as crowded as BaDaLing, but is not as remote or as rustic as SiMaTai, which I visited in March of 2007. After a 40 minute ride in a van, we arrived at 8:45 and were some of the first people to the village of MuTianYu. We took a tram to the top of the wall and started walking east. There are some VERY steep steps to get to one of the towers where my wife Stac and our guide waited for us while Kyle, Ankit and myself carried on. We came to the end of the maintained wall and despite the warning signs telling us not to we continued on the "wild wall", the section that has not been restored or maintained. There chest high shrubs growing all along the top of the wall that a narrow path wove through. I ate a couple of spider webs along the way, but my PNW training aided me in this feat. I hiked to the next guard tower before deciding to turn around. We tromped back to the way and down the steep steps where we rejoined my wife and went back to the tram station. While the others took a break I hiked up the wall to the western tram and back. I figured it was around 3 miles round trip with 1000 vertical feet. I can't wait to get back to fall in the PNW, and I hear the rain has returned. Sounds like home. Some pics

I continued on west past the tram towards the far side of the wall near the other tram. A few sections were quiet but there were more people on the other side.

Stac walking down the mega steep portion of the Great Wall. I love the sweep of her skirt. Large On Black

Everyone poses on the Great Wall and I mean everyone. Sometimes you can't make your way through crowded sections cause there is a group posing on one of the narrow stairways. Our guide took this photo of us.

Looking back down from the highest maintained point on the wall to the tram terminal.

Not exactly your typical dawn patrol. We were some of the firsts tourists up on the wall this morning though, its good to beat the crowds. This is on the "wild wall" section which is unrestored and unmaintained.

A huge spider sput its web among all the branches on the section of the unmaintained "wild wall".

The Wild Wall

Kyle in full sleep deprived jet lag mode and Ankit make their way up the wall.

Stacey and our tour guide Rosemary making their way up the steep staircase on the Great Wall, one step at a time.

There is one crazy steep staircase leading up this section of the wall. Almost straight up, one step at a time.

Stac heads down the stairs on an adjacent stair case to the Great Wall at MuTianYu.

Heading east from the open air tram you come to a home built on top of the wall. Here the general slept on stone beds that could be heated from underneath.

If your really bored and want to look at all 160 photos I have taken so far, go here. For just the food photos go here (I gained 10 lbs at least!!!!! ) For just the best photos (only 22) go here.

[GaliWalker]

Lucky you. Beautiful advertisement for the place. Someday, I'll get there...

[touron]

Nice pictures! I had not idea parts of the Wall were that steep. I wonder how poisonous that spider is....

[Scrooge]

I believe those are the most intriguing pictures of the Great Wall that I've ever seen ........ in sixty-odd years of looking. Very neat. Thanks for sharing.

[bobbi]

thanks for the memories. i've been to Jing Shan Ling and Si Ma Tai. fantastic! i did slip near si ma tai and took months and months for my rotator cuff to heal. heck i'm not sure if it is healed

[Slide Alder Slayer]

Excellent photos!

[Hulksmash]

I love the photo's....did you bother counting steps?

[Hiker Mama]

Very cool! Those are some steep steps. Thanks for sharing.