great wall, good times

What is meant for the eyes may not be born of words. And so, I'll keep this posting short.

The last time I camped out on the Great Wall was in the late spring of 2001. I had been craving another night on the wall after all these years, and so gathered a few friends for a 14+k hike in this crisp pre-winter weather.

This section of the wall dates back 400+ or 600+ years ago, respectively in accordance to which local tourist or Wall worker you ask. Some say it is the original wall. Others say it the current wall using old bricks but new construction.

Some would say the current [hikeable] sections of the wall are new in their entirety (and I'm not referring to the cable cars, zip-line, weeeee-slide, or hillside-tram.) What would you say?

the Golden Mountain Ridge (金山岭) to the Ancient North Entrance (古北口)

From the Golden Mountain Ridge (金山岭, or 'Jin Shanling'), we hiked eastwards to a nearby section (司马台, or 'Simatai').

beacon tower at the Golden Mountain Ridge

The latter gives a [50%] student discount; the former does not. The two sections are continuous, in fact, and are merely distinguished by the rate of admission, as one must purchase a separate entrance ticket for each.

a *great* sunset from atop the wall

On the bright [and redeeming] side, *camping* fees are nil... as long as you are willing to suffer the cold.

a * great* sunsat

For just ¥50 + ¥20, you can exercise your soles and stretch your soul all the way from dawn of today's morn until the eve of tomorrow!

[more *great* pics here...]

"A [verrry cold] overnight on the Great Wall at the Golden Mountain Ridge (金山岭长城) with 5 friends from PKU. After hiking 10+ km towards Simatai （司马台), the late October windchill did not succeed in keeping us from bailing out on our plan to camp in a historic 400-600 (?) yr old beacon tower. Camping fees are nil; the price paid is merely the suffering offered up to the winds of the nearing winter. Plenty of humor and a gorgeous landscape to share it in. Good times!"