‘All armies prefer high ground to low.' – Sun Tzu
While Lizzie and Ing took their afternoon nap I decided to conquer the big stretch of Ming Dynasty wall in the mountains above our lodge. There is a section of the original wall on the property dating back to 220 B.C. during the Warring States period but most of the Wall that is climb-able is from the Ming period from the 1400's to 1600's A.D. It is untouristed and unrestored so the condition is quite poor in most places though the watchtowers are still in decent shape. Looking out at watchtowers on the neighboring mountains gave me a very 'Lord of the Rings' feel as I wondered how long it would take the fire beacons to signal word of an invasion all the way back to the Forbidden City.
My hike took nearly 3 hours and ranged from easy strolling along rubble to really challenging sections where I had to climb near vertical sections of the wall like I would a ladder. My fitness level isn't great at the moment and I was hiking alone which is never a bright move. But I used my Flip to record video of parts of the hike with my panting narrative as the soundtrack. And for the record, Man vs. Wild is a favorite show of mine but at no time was I compelled to hydrate myself with my own urine or bivouac in the gutted carcass of a mountain sheep.
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