Great Wall

The group and I, in our convoy of taxis, traveled to one of the more remote entrances to the Great Wall, Mutianyu.  Our negotiated location was a place where tourists and curious Chinese travel to fulfill their pilgrimage, sans loud tour and travel groups.  We were greeted by a typical market scene, filled with it’s share of pushy shop owners and other interesting characters. However, within twenty minutes of our arrival we were making our up to the Wall, some via funicular, some by foot (myself taking the funicular).

I can’t be entirely sure of the typical person’s perception of the Great Wall before climbing it, but I certaintly wasn’t sure what to expect.
In each direction, the miles of brick cling to the every curve and dip of the northern China mountains. The paths and stairs of the Wall are interrupted by castle-like watchtowers, that now serve as shelters for the sun-exhausted. Our group scattered into three groups, each respective one maintaining it’s own pace and choosing it’s own direction.

The unofficial finishing line for our fraction of the Great Wall was drawn by what seemed to be 1,500 stairs at a 50º angle… a challenge we were more than determined to meet.  I would be bluffing if I said that I enjoyed that climb, but the view that followed was unrivaled. 
Rather than descend by way of open ski lift or stone walkway, Liz Reising, Ted Land, Sam Unger, and myself decided to take a path less traveled.  A few American families that we had shared a few laughs with along our walk on the Wall, spoke of a metal chute that adventurous tourists could travel down by toboggan.  It was a steel luge of sorts, and the engineering was questionable, but wow.. what an experience in its own right.  In hindsight, it seemed like an unusual thing to find, next to what is hailed as the oldest and most incredible work of masonry in the history of the world.
Overall, it was just an incredibly rewarding experience, as I am sure most of the group didn’t know entirely what they were getting themselves into.  Several hours of walking up and down the wall, meetings foreigners, and getting to know one another a little better all made for a great time.  It was hard to believe that the most touristy location in China was as peaceful as it was.

A Brief on the History:
The Wall, one of the largest construction ventures ever completed, began over 2,000 years ago by Qin Shi Haungdi, the first emperor of China during the Qin Dynasty. After conquering and uniting China from seven warring states, the emperor connected and extended four, old fortification walls along the north of China that originated from about 700 B.C. (over 2500 years ago). Armies were stationed along the wall as a first line of defense against the invading nomadic Hsiung Nu tribes from the north of China (today known as the Huns).  The wall, comprised of brick, rock and packed-earth, was enlarged to it’s current length during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). The specific length has been widely debated; conservative estimates of 1,500 to upwards of 4,000 miles.
Historical Information borrowed from http://www.enchantedlearning.com