The Great Flood

We’ll start from the Bai Village in Miyun County, and follow a nearby river upstream. In the past this river must have been very powerful - the dry riverbed is quite wide in places, and there are a lot of big boulders and steep drops. A decent sized stream still runs down the middle of the riverbed, and it would be quite hard to follow our trail if the water level rose.

After thirty to forty minutes of walking we will leave the river and head uphill. From here until the pass through the saddle at the top of the mountain is prime goat-spotting territory, a popular place for the shepherds to bring their herds because of the thick grass and foliage in the valley. The climb is quite steep in places, and we will stop for rest a few times on the way up.

Once we reach the saddle we’ll head down the other side of the mountain to the Duijiahe Village. This side of the mountain is quite different to the other side - it’s not as bushy, and looks more like pasture. There are still plenty of goats on this side, as well as a very small quarry. Several un-split boulders remain in the quarry and we can see on them evidence of the technique used to break off slabs for building walls and houses. A flood washed out the only road up the valley and since then the quarry has fallen out of use - without a road it’s not possible to transport the rock out of the valley, and it’s too hard for the few people that live nearby to break and transport the stone for their own use.

The trail through the pasture leads to the riverside village of Duijiahe. Duijiahe was a small settlement, and was abandoned after the flood destroyed the road. Now it’s inhabited by one man and his dogs. He sells water, and has a small guesthouse. The village has no electricity.

After a look around the village we’ll follow the river downstream to our finishing point. When the amount of water running down the stream isn’t that great it’s a nice walk, but it could be quite dangerous after a heavy rainfall. As we walk we’ll see evidence of flooding - washed-out roads and bridges, and eroded cliff sides. We’ll also be able to see Great Wall towers on the cliffs and ridges, including the Round Tower from one of our other hikes. This valley is the same one that we look down into from our Round Tower Great Wall walk.

What to bring on this hike?
Sun protection: hat, suncream, sunglasses, long-sleeved shirt
Good hiking boots
Something to eat for lunch
(Click here to read our full What To Bring on a Hike list.)

We will provide snacks, tea, coffee, soft drinks, and beer after the hike.