Shaanxi section I

The first section of the Great Wall I hiked in Shaanxi started near Yangqiaopan, east of Jingbian and across the Lu River, and continued toward the Boluo fort in Hengshan.

The Great Wall in northern Shaanxi lies along the boundary between the Mu Us Desert and the Loess Plateau. Constant wind and sand erosion made the walls probably among the most poorly preserved sections of the entire Great Wall. In other words, there really isn’t that much left to see.

The walking itself was also very difficult. The Loess Plateau is cut by countless gullies, making the landscape look like cracked skin. Again and again, I followed the wall only to find a deep gully suddenly blocking the way. I had to detour, descend all the way to the bottom, and laboriously climb up the opposite side. Half an hour of effort might gain me only a few hundred meters in a straight line.

Eventually, I found myself staring once again at the Great Wall on the far side of another gully, plunging down like a diving fighter jet. I then looked up at the cold, overcast winter sky and decided to stop hiking at Lugou village.

I exited to Tawan town. From then on, I mostly traveled by local transportation, visiting scattered sections of the Wall rather than continuous hiking on foot.