Walled Village to Huanghuacheng Great Wall hike, 2013/03/20
Amazing views of the snow-covered countryside and Great Wall
We headed out to Huanghuacheng in Huairou for a Great Wall hike the day after a heavy snowfall. We were a little unsure of what we'd find, but we it's lucky we went – the views of a snow-covered Great Wall were amazing!
We started with a quick look about a walled village that dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644), walking through the narrow lanes and getting a look from above by climbing up on the old walls.
From the village we headed for the Great Wall, following slippery snow-covered field trails through chestnut orchards.
We were able to climb up on the wall for more great views, but not as far as we might have liked to – the snow made the steep wall too slippery. To make up for it we climbed another nearby section after lunch, reaching the ridgeline high above a local reservoir.
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Snow tops the walls of the walled village.
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It will be a bit difficult to grind the corn today! This grindstone is used to make cornmeal and flour.
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A derelict house.
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The trail took us through chestnut orchards.
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The Great Wall on the ridgeline behind the chestnut trees.
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This chestnut tree is really old.
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The Great Wall under the blue sky.
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A young hiker amidst beautiful snowy scenery.
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The Great Wall at Zhuangdaokou, covered with thick snow.
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Some hikers carefully climb the steep wall.
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Views of an unrestored Great Wall tower.
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We met some people who were using a little helicopter to get birds-eye photos of the Great Wall.
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Descending the trail on the other side of the Great Wall.
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Clear footprints in the snow – looks like a rabbit has been through here.
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After lunch we climbed up a narrow hill trail to another section of Great Wall.
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The sun came out, and we enjoyed the views of the reservoir below.