Beijing Hikers.

Beijing Hikers exploring natural China.

Shortly after arriving in China I picked up several local English papers to see what is happening in Beijing. I am still blown away by the sheer number of options you have as a Beijing resident. Regardless of your interests you are sure to find something interesting. The city offers everything from tango classes, calligraphy lessons, art exhibitions, Chinese opera, live jazz, organized mountain bike trips, and even pickup games of cricket. In terms of culture and activities, I feel Beijing is right up there with DC.

My first weekend I linked up with Beijing Hikers, a local group that heads outside the city every weekend to get some fresh air and explore the natural environment. As you all must know by now, this is right up my alley. I was excited to get my first glimpse of China outside the capitol.

Our group of 14 met up at a Starbucks just before 7am and we all piled into the minibus waiting nearby. An hour later, we were outside the city and winding up the side of a steep green mountain. Despite being so close to the city, the area in which we were hiking is very rural and a number of farmers could be seen working their small fields.

Not what you'd expect to see in China, is it?

We began the hike in a small village and were soon pressing through lush vegetation at the bottom of a canyon. In some ways, the area reminded me of Shenandoah in Virginia. After a few hours, the canyon opened up in spectacular fashion. The group scrambled over rocks and helped each other along as we continued on our way.


I met an awesome Australian couple named Karl and Amy during the hike. They are originally from Melbourne, so we had plenty to talk about. Karl works as an editor and amateur photographer for a major newswire service while Amy works for IBM. After several years in Hong Kong and Singapore, they moved here. They were pretty impressed with my knowledge of Australia, especially the fact that I still follow the footy (Aussie rules football). In case you are wondering who i barrack (root) for, the Hawthorn Hawks are my side. They are currently in 2nd place out of 16 teams and are having their best season in years!

My first encounter with the Great Wall.

I knew that we would get to see a remote section of the Great Wall on the hike. What i did not realize is that i would get to see the 'Wild Wall.' The sections of the wall most visited have been rebuilt in order for tourists to see how the wall once appeared. The section we visited is how most of the wall (or what is left) appears today.

Truly.. the nickname Wild Wall is well deserved.

Remnants of the guard tower.

Personally i prefer Wild Walls over tame walls.