China 2019 - The Great Wall Jinshanling to Simatai Hike

I took this hike the day before I flew home, and it was the last of the 4 bucket list items I scratched off on this trip. I booked this tour with Great Wall Adventure specifically because it was a pretty good distance from Beijing, thus not super crowded. It took about 2 hours to get there by bus. I also picked this section because it started out at a fully restored area and transitioned to “wild” un-restored. And 1 other important thing about this tour is they don’t stop at a jade factory or a Chinese medical clinic. Always look for tours that say “no shopping”. This tour did not disappoint and turned out to be exactly what I wanted. If you go to Beijing I would certainly recommend you look at the tours they offer. I wouldn’t hesitate to book another outing with them. The lunch was also excellent!! There were about 20 or so of us in the group, but since it was a go at your own pace thing, once we got on the wall we spread pretty far apart. Chan, our guide did walk the whole way too, but this guy is a machine, he just power over sections that left everyone else stopping at regular intervals to catch your breath. He would eventually leave you behind if you didn’t have questions, and tried to make sure that everyone had a little time with him. He was a fantastic tour guide in my opinion. Funny, but not annoyingly so, and full of great information. The other people I walked with for various lengths of time were all very nice and I enjoyed meeting and talking with all of them. According to the internet this section was built from 1358–1389, then rebuilt in 1567 and 1570. The walking was pretty rough at times, mainly because of the inclines. There was one section that was both steep and was made smooth instead of with steps. When I picked up one foot to move forward the other would slide back a bit. And I was wearing good Merrill hiking boots. You can see it in the video, it’s the section where everyone is gripping the parapet wall. Chan explained to me that it was made that way because the lowest section would have been the easiest for an invader to gain access too, but then they wouldn’t be able to quickly or easily move up hill to attack the towers on either side. He also said that in winter they would poor water on it to make it pretty much impossible to climb up. Since I got to the exit point (the tower with 5 windows) with a little time to spare I walked a little distance past it to eventually come to a section that is closed because it’s not safe to be on. This was a very good day.

Hike Route with a photo overlay View from the tower at the start of the hike The tower we exitied is the farthest one you can see, on the top of the hill A View of the Great Wall The 5 window tower This was our destination View out of a tower window Scenic view from the wall A View of the Great Wall Scenic view from the wall Just one of several very steep stair sections Just one of several very steep stair sections Some bricks are stamped with the year they were made as well as the name of the maker and where they lived View out of a tower window One of the towers that no longer have a roof A View of the Great Wall A View of the Great Wall View out of a tower window A View of the Great Wall This tower was beyond the finish point but we had time to hike over to it This tower was beyond the finish point but we had time to hike over to it This tower was beyond the finish point but we had time to hike over to it Some views inside one of the towers Some views inside one of the towers Some views inside one of the towers View out of a tower window Some views inside one of the towers A View of the Chinese side of the Great Wall A View of the Mongol side of the Great Wall A View of the Great Wall looking up from the Mongol side   A great lunch after the hike A great lunch after the hike