We spent an entire day walking atop the Great Wall in Jinshanling, a less-touristy area of the wall that was a great mix of restored wall and original wall. Some parts of this section of the Great Wall date to the 1300s.
Full of energy at the start of the day (around 9 a.m.) and jumping for joy at the prospect of a day walking the Wall.Hiking up some of the steep steps between the different guard towers. It’s easy to imagine soldiers protecting China from invaders with the intact fireplaces and lookouts.The area around the wall is mountainous, part of the defense strategy. The mountains also offered up greenery and beautiful mountain flowers, a nice contrast to Beijing’s concrete jungle.
The wall literally stretches as far as the eyes can see, disappearing into the horizon.The first part of the second leg of the hike has been heavily restored over the past 30 years, making it more appealing to the bus tourists from Beijing. However, after the first few towers, the Wall turns more towards its “ruins” state, with exposed holes in the brick and broken walkways.Some parts of the wall have narrow elevated walkways, but with enough room to safely cross.
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