Vast Chinese Walls Series: Laiyuan

A north-south spur in Laiyuan’s a keeper

A Ming counter-flank three valleys steeper

---

The last Vast Wall hike of our China journey, the fourth in five days, was the hardest Wild Wall trial yet. We were in Laiyuan County, Hebei Province, a few hours west of Beijing, for a ten-kilometer, 7.5-hour marathon on rough, terrain-hugging Ming Wall. We entered and exited up to fifty watchtowers (I lost count) on the way to our campground in the shadow of the Wall.

We descended and ascended three substantial valleys. My knees were screaming. My thighs groaning. My chest often heaving more than I cared to admit. I was fast reaching my limit, at times not sure I could make it but with no alternative. When we broke for a picnic lunch at the halfway mark, I did not want to get back on my feet.

Our first steep descent took us down to the cold, clear rushing waters of a stream at the bottom of the Yubo (Jade and Silk) Valley. I took off my pack, sat on a sun-kissed rock, and imagined I had found the secret entry to the Peach Blossom Spring. After crossing the stream on well-spaced rocks, we clawed my way up an earthen cliff, grasping at tufts of grass, tiny trees, and bare earth for any purchase on the slippery slope.

Narrow, open ledges were frequent because of dense vegetation and wall collapses. We went up and down several wicked staircases, intact and in ruins, sliding and scrabbling, conscious of every step. We sought out off-wall detours when boulders and ruins were simply not surmountable.

This spur section of Vast Wall extends south from the southern route of the main east-west line further north. The Laiyuan landscape is granite, with boulders spanning the spectrum from medium to small house size everywhere one looks. The many dozen watchtowers here were spaced close together because the region had easier terrain for the enemy to advance. The goal was to protect the Ming flank from an end around.

This adventure was not nearly as scary as the last hike at Jiankou, but that was maybe because the challenges were now expected. No, this time it was the relentlessness of the traverse that wore me out. Throughout our Wild Wall hikes, little was flat, nothing was even. The overall journey was harder and more intense than I anticipated, and yet, it was also immensely uplifting and exhilarating.

This was China off the beaten path.