After dinner, we loaded up the van with our sleeping bags, pads and backpacks and drove 15 minutes to another section of the Wall where we were to hike up to the guard tower in which we would spend the night. An unexpected twist was to even reach the wall we had to climb up a path consisting of 2000 stairs! I’m not a fast or good hiker to being with, and add a two sleeping bags and a backpack full of water to the mix (the boys agreed to carry the cases of beer so I offered to carry some water for them) and I literally almost died. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one in the slow boat so Megan, Molly and I took our time and let the rest of the group go ahead. I saw the stars for the first time in months (too much smog in Chengdu to ever see the sky). When we finally reached the Wall, we quickly realized we would be climbing on a lot of non-reconstructed sections so we had to walk carefully and slowly because our flashlights weren’t projecting all that much light. At one point, with Molly in the lead, we entered a guard tower and we heard her say, “Where’s the door out?” We all shown our flashlights forward and saw that instead of a straight path out the other side like the other guard towers had had, this one had a steep set of stairs leading to an exit that was about 10 feet below the main floor of the tower. If Molly wouldn’t have stopped she would have kept walking right into the 10-foot drop; however, due to her caution the crisis was averted and there was no need for anyone to be air-lifted out of the remote Chinese countryside. We hiked a little further and made it to the bottom of the hill that would be our last to reach the guard tower in which we would set up camp. The others were already there waiting for us, and as we hiked the last incline they played the “Rocky” theme song out of the mini-speakers Cas had purchased at the Silk Market in Beijing.
That night we set up camp inside the tower, and were joined by two American guys that were traveling throughout China and happened to be camping on the Wall the same night we were. They weren’t part of a tour, though, and were just doing it on their own. They were planning on staying in a guard tower a few away from us, but decided to stay in ours instead. We all chatted for about an hour then I hit the sack. It had been a looong day. Sleeping was interesting….our guide told us to sleep away from doors and windows to avoid the breeze so I found what I thought was a perfect spot. It was a chilly night and I slept with one sleeping bag inside another. It took awhile for me to wiggle my way into both sleeping bags and get situated, and as soon as I did I looked up and realized I was under a hole in the ceiling….a skylight window! I didn’t feel like moving so I just hoped it wouldn’t rain. I slept pretty well considering we were sleeping on uneven stone blocks, and my sleeping bags kept me relatively warm although I think I almost suffocated because I kept my head inside the bag all night because my nose and ears would get too cold otherwise. I was also sleeping extremely close to Megan and Molly, and I got Molly’s knees in my ribs a few times.
At the first sign on morning, our tour guide roused us to get up and see the sunrise. I made myself get out of my sleeping bag and go see it, even though it must have been like 10 degrees out! I was freezing! It was an amazing sight, though. The sun was barely illuminating our surroundings, and there was a fog sitting in all the valleys so all you could see were the tips of the surrounding mountains. I enjoyed it for a few minutes then ran back to the warmness of my sleeping bag. In retrospect, I should have just moved my sleeping bag and thus myself outside to enjoy the complete sunrise, but I was too cold to think clearly. I guess that means I’ll just have to do it again.
Pictures: Celebrating after we reached our guard tower; Our sleeping area
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