Hiking photos - Gubeikou to Jinshanling, 2010/01/09
We recently scouted out a new place to start hiking at Gubeikou, adding on almost an hour of walking on the Great Wall. On this visit, the weather was perfect for hiking: cold, but clear with a lot of sunshine, and no wind. There was a bit of snow on the ground, but not so much that it made walking difficult. The hills and wall were deserted--perhaps because of the weather--and all in all this was a peaceful, picturesque, and very enjoyable walk along a scenic stretch of Great Wall.
Statistics: Approx. 5 hours in total, with 4 hours of walking over approx. 14km; starting height 205m, finish height 326m, highest point 480m. Estimated 2303kCal burned.
Starting out on the Great Wall at Gubeikou.
A dilapidated tower.
When not on the wall, we followed some nice trails through pines.
Like the Jinshanling section of the wall, Gubeikou also has towers at close intervals.
The clear air allowed great views the whole way.
We pushed on to the tower at the top before taking a rest.
After a brief rest we snapped a group shot, and then continued.
We enjoyed views of the Great Wall running along ridges and through snow and pine trees practically all day.
A nice spot for a rest!?
Snow on the cornfields below a tower of the Great Wall.
Getting close to the end.
Jetstreams over a tower at Jinshanling.
After an excellent hike we warmed up with some good hot food before heading back to the city.