Walled Village to Huanghuacheng Great Wall, 2016/08/24
Twenty-two photos from our hike from the Walled Village up to and along the Huanghuacheng Great Wall.

The Walled Village to Huanghuacheng hike is one of our popular Huairou area hikes, offering views of village life and farmland as well as the Great Wall in repaired and unrepaired condition.
We began with a short walk up to the Walled Village, a barracks during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and now a strange mix of old and new houses within the thick walls.
From the village we hiked through farmland and orchards, and then up a steep trail to reach the unrestored Great Wall.
The hike took us down along the wall to a dip in the mountains where there is a big archway in the Great Wall.
From the dip we climbed up repaired Great Wall to a high point. The photos from the top are excellent, with views of the Great Wall descending steeply to a reservoir.

A lane inside the Walled Village.

Purple flower on a vine.

Shade under the chestnut trees. The oldest trees in these orchards date back to the Ming Dynasty.

August is spider season!

Further into the orchards.

A butterfly hitching a ride on a backpack.

Finally at the wall – time for a rest.

We stopped for a snack break, choosing shade inside the tower or sun outside.

Good spot for some photos.

A rough line of wall leads out to a lookout tower.

DELE

The wall is almost hidden by the greenery.

Views of Great Wall and a village far below.

Yes!

A view of the solid foundation of the Great Wall.

Looking back along the wall.

The Great Wall under a big blue sky.

In a few hours we’d be hiking along the wall in the background.

We hiked through this large tower.

This shot is of the ‘out’ side of the wall. Imagine trying to attack it.

A view of the repaired section of wall. Steep!