Jiankou ‘Big West’ Great Wall, 2017/7/27
Nineteen photos from a hike along the Great Wall on the west side of Jiankou.
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We headed out to the Jiankou for a Level 3-rated walk on the rough line of wall on the west side of the Jiankou basin.
The hills were green and lush, and we were also lucky with the weather – after a cool and cloudy start, the skies cleared to blue but it didn’t get much hotter.
This hike is an easier version of our Level 4 Nine-Eyes Tower hike, following the same line of wall between two of Jiankou’s high points – in the north, Nine-Eyes Tower, and on the south side, the Chinese Knot. By skipping the steep climb up to Nine-Eyes Tower the hike becomes a lot easier.
We took our time on the walk, and had the Great Wall all to ourselves.
Photos below.
We followed old field trails through the forest on the way up to the Great Wall.
It’s mushroom season – wouldn’t recommend cooking this one, though.
Green hills on the east side of Jiankou, with the ‘Arrow Nock’ dip in the wall seen in the center of the photo.
The skies beginning to clear.
Our trail goes around to the side of the big cliffs. We did say this was a Level 3 hike – no need for rock climbing.
Another mushroom.
Up on to the Great Wall around the corner from those cliffs.
A tower with a tall foundation.
Looking ahead.
The peak in the background is the Chinese Knot (or the Beijing Knot), named so because it’s supposed to be the point where Beijing’s inner and outer walls come together. We’re looking at it from the outer side.
A stamp in one of the bricks. It’s a bit too weathered to read.
Wildflowers on the wall.
A great shot of the solid foundations of the wall here, which date back to the 1570s.
A tower which is still mostly intact.
Looking back along the wall, with the peak of Heituo Mountain in the distance.
We finished with another walk out through a forested area.
Arriving at the village.
A little picnic before heading back to the city.