The hike in 2007 on the Great Wall of China was crazy! When I speak to people about their experiences they ask me whether I took the ski lift up or whether I enjoyed the leisurely stroll on the beautiful wall.

The answer is: “No, I did not.”

Jinshanling to Simatai

We decided to take the walk from Jinshanling to Simatai (which by the way was closed for renovations recently so people going now will probably not experience what I have experienced).

The route from Jinshanling to Simatai is about 10.5 kilometers, with 43 watchtowers (18 watchtowers on Jinshanling, 17 watchtowers on the west section of Simatai and 8 watchtowers on the east). The whole trip takes about 4-5 hours.

The walk starts pretty easy at Jinshanling and the first 1.5 hours passes in a breeze (albeit a slightly hilly one) but when you reach the 12th tower the terrain gets insanely tough.

Then comes the hard part. From this point on all you can do is climb up and down the hills whilst minding your footing. All rocks are loose so you can never set a sure foot. Most of the last 2.5 hours were done on hands and feet and most of the downhill slopes I did on my bum.

The landscape is stunning, but it’s difficult to appreciate when you are staring at the rock in front of you willing them not to fall. In retrospect, I enjoy the beauty from the pictures I took and the fact that I actually did the laborious trek.

Was it worth it? Yes. Aside from the fact that I could not master stairs in China for about a week due to sore muscles it was definitely worth it. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you when you decide to take the same route.