Wild Wall of China

Ecuador
December 16, 2008 7:35am CST
A few years ago, I got lost on a "wild wall" section of the Great Wall of China. We missed our path back to the bus, and spent 2 days hiking the wall, sleeping in guard towers, trying to find civilization. Sometimes we had to climb sections of the wall a foot wide, with a 200 foot drop on either side. Other times the wall would end in a pile of rubble, and we'd have to climb down to farmland, walk in the fields and then reclimb the wall to continue along. After to days, we finally ended up at a large dam, with a 500-1000 foot drop off the wall to the water below. The top second of the stairs down had completely degraded into gravel, and we were sure we'd pitch off the side to our death but had to take the stairs down to get off the wall. Below we found a village with a few houses and some farm land. A lady was selling fruit and soda in a basket - walking up and down the street. Finally we found someone with a van, and because my friend could speak Mandarin, we negotiated a ride to a town where we could take the bus back into Beijing. A few years later, I went back to Beijing with my mother and son and we climbed restored sections of the wall instead. It was still very cool, but all in all I prefer the wild wall. My question to you is - have you ever climbed the Great Wall of China, and did your prefer the restored wall or the wild wall? My second question is - do you have any clue where we ended up. To this day, I have no clue where that town was or what it was called. It had a large dam separating the sections of the wall. About a kilometre across until the wall started again. The section of wall ends in a steep stairway down off the wall into the town, mostly crumled at the top. I wish I knew where we were because I'd really like to go back one day. :)
3 responses
• Aruba
16 Dec 08
From your description it looks like the Xifeng Pass. However, I would post your question in the Great Wall Forum.
@cher913 (25782)
• Canada
16 Dec 08
my sister in law adopted 2 little girls from china and went to the wall and took a ton of pictures but i have not been there but would love to go! your experience will be one that you will remember always and it is something that you will be able to tell your grandchildren about.
1 person likes this
@maximax8 (31053)
• United Kingdom
16 Dec 08
I haven't yet been to China but I would really to go there. I would visit Beijing and take a days walk on the Great Wall of China. I like less touristy places so the wild part of the wall would be fine for me. I really enjoyed reading about your exciting time of the old and wild like part of the wall. I imagine you felt some of the history. I hope that you find out which part of the wall you discovered. I am sure one of the Chinese members of My Lot might know. Good luck and happy traveling.