Up and Down the Great Wall

Our first stop on Saturday was the Great Wall. Instead of taking us to the section nearest to downtown Beijing, Angela took us to a section a bit more remote. She said the nearer section was nearly always mobbed with people, and by driving a little longer, we could avoid the large crowds. There was also an added bonus. The section we went to had an aerial tram to get us from the parking lot to the Wall, and the way down was via toboggans on a metal chute that resembled a water slide. It was about a two hour drive to get there, so it felt good to get out and stretch the legs.

And stretch we did. This particular section was very steep, descending into a small valley and then ascending sharply to a high ridge. Because of all the things we had packed in for today, we only had about 45 minutes to walk the wall, but we made it to the end of the maintained section, turning our legs to Jell-O in the process.

The way down was a treat. I think the boys enjoyed this more than walking the wall. Each person descending had their own toboggan, which was a small plastic shed with a single lever in the middle. Pull up on the lever to slow down, push down to speed up. The track was a metal chute that switched back and forth all the way down the mountain. There were people stationed periodically along the track who would yell at you if you went too fast, but the hills and the cornering were a real kick. If we had more time, it would have been worth it to pay the entry fee again just to go back up and do it all over again.