Construction of the Great Wall of China started around the 5th century BC and was rebuilt and maintained until the 16th century. It stretches for 8,852 kilometres, so I am definitely not walking the entire thing! It is an amazing structure that offers an amazing opportunity for some fantastic photos.  When I toured Asia with my father in 2004, I visited the Great wall at Badaling. This is a very touristy location as it is well maintained and relatively close to Beijing. This time around, I wanted to see a more raw and untouched version of the wall, so I had to travel further out and off the beaten path. It took 90 minutes on a local Chinese bus and then another hour in a taxi to get me to Simatai. The lengthy journey would be turn out to be worth it.  Right now, spring is almost here, but it still does not give me the green surroundings that I was hoping for. Instead, the look is very grey and baron. Either way produces some great photos as you will see below.  Getting up to the wall was a little more than a hike. I literally had to climb a small mountain just to get to the base of the wall. I walked from the Flowers tower all the way to the General tower. I am not sure of the exact distance, but it was 16 towers from beginning to end. Before my summit attempt of Kilimanjaro last year, I trained for three hours a day on the step mill with a 40lb pack on my back. The workout I had yesterday on the wall made those training sessions seem like a walk in the park. The unstable and loose rocks along with the knee-high steps made the walk feel like I was running the gauntlet.  Enjoy the images of the Great Wall, I am off to explore Beijing!