The Gang...........
.......Day 1: The Precipice Drop
Last month I joined a team of intrepid trekkers....actually a bunch of ordinary folk looking for an adventure. We had all come together at Heathrow airport thanks to a company called Charity Challenge. Our chosen charity was Help the Aged. By the end of the trek we all felt about 100 & in need of their support!
We were joined by Miranda -a rep from Help the Aged who had a wonderful scattiness about her and a playful way of bringing the group together, and Trevor the masterful leader who has a wealth of experience -climbing to base camp Everest and organising community projects in far flung places around the World. We will call him "Rambo"(minus the hair).
The rest of us were a mixture of ages - from 23-60, some students, workers and retired. Together on that first day on the Wall we all shared the same feeling: awe at this magnificent sight of miles of miles of mountains dotted with a rough path and tumbled down wall. Little did we know that Day 1 was just the start of an incredible climb and endurance test. The path we started on had no wall either side...simply a sheer drop and enough room for two large size 8 hiking boots (mine). Sharon behind me spent most of the first hour staring at these fine specimens with as much concentration as physically possible. She has a big fear of heights. Oh dear! Once the Wall became more complete, the path widened out and we could start to mingle a little with the group.
I came on this adventure with friends of mine - Tracy and Mel. A few people came on their own...it didn't take long to gel with the group over the pain and the interesting country accommodation and toilet facilities. The Wall runs for about 4800 miles...we covered about 50miles. The distance is not the important part...it is the amount of steps you climb up and down. I never imagined in my wildest dreams i would be using my poles to literally wrench me up each boulder of a step (in places). I'm pretty tall at 5ft8 compared to the 5ft girls who at some stages of the walk crawled up on their hands and feet like little monkeys!
For the first 3 days we were blissfully unaware of any other tourists...our days starting about 8am with a coach journey to the part of the Wall we were climbing that day. So much of the wall is in ruins, so walking a continuous path is not possible. Camping up there is equally a "no, no" as you could end up at the bottom of a very large mountain with more than grazes. Our day began with Aaron...our chinese guide and his english name giving us a warm up in public with many intrigued local chinese. It was a saving grace and i was thrilled to have it! Then we walked in a funny centipede style way with big gaps in the middle, always stoppingto let the back legs catch up. Every view was breath taking and a camera moment. Sometimes we would see the path meandering into the distance so high and steep that we couldn't really believe we were going to follow it. We did - breathlessly. Our markers were the Watch Towers...they also became those desperate loo stops. I have never had such an exciting view & windy experience whilst relieving myself. Excuse the pun.
The end of the day was always an achievement, followed by anticipation at the next lodge we would be staying at. There were only two lodges in the country (two nights each). The first welcomed us proudly with the english National Anthem - the Beatles "Love, love me do"...it seemed funny on arrival but 4 hours later when we were attempting a siesta, the novelty wore off. It became our morning wake up call too. Awful. We discoved from Aaron how much the chinese love to karaoke. He had a good voice and happily sang whenever we needed some enertainment. The first time was slightly cringe making...i had egged him on to sing, not thinking in a million years he would have the guts. He did. It could have been a very awkward few minutes but he pulled out all the stops & in english.
Some highlights for others would have been the stunning colours of the autumn leaves, the cute children, the hospitality one lunchtime from a local family who let us eat in their courtyard and take photos of their home, the cute kittens and funny yappy dogs, the toilets and state of them, the group bonding, the lack of heating at one lodge & wearing a hat, gloves and fleece in bed, the bugs in the room, the 4* hotel in beijing at the end of the trek- the WHOLE GROUP, the smiles on the faces of the older chinese women in the parks while they danced to techno, sang crazy english songs their way and silently performed tai chi in an almost meditative state, the creepy crawlies on sticks they ate as snacks, and the temples with their exquisite decorative designs in rich reds, greens and blues.
What an adventure, what a group and what an interesting country. It keeps you guessing even after you have left. A mystery.
Do have a look at this site if you fancy a challenge: http://www.charitychallenge.com/
