I was excited from the very start today, knowing that I would end up where the Great Wall meets the Yellow River. It felt warmer than yesterday, and from the very beginning I was sweating a lot. Luckily though I am getting used to the heat. Even though I am almost constantly damp with sweat, it is not that uncomfortable any longer.
The first part was really hilly. Some places there was a drop of a hundred metres on one edge. Some places The Wall was surprisingly wide. They are building some gigantic electricity towers close to the Great Wall and on one section, they had built a dirt road right next to The Wall. I followed the Great Wall route. Comparing the distance I walked with the actual road, it became obvious that in sections I was walking about double the length of the road.
The Great Wall meets the Yellow River (And so does Robert)
Then came the long descent towards the Yellow River. I kept my eyes open and saw the wide river in the distance. The Yellow River has dug itself quite far down, so it wasn’t until I got really close, that I could get a good view. Wow – the Great Wall is Great, and the Yellow River is impressive. I soon started imagining what it would be like to kayak down the river. The current was pretty strong. Looking over to the other shore, I saw a vertical cliff that must have been about 150 metres high.
It was fantastic to look down at the mighty river. Nearly all the rivers I have seen so far have been almost dry. The Yellow River will definitely not dry up any time soon. I was happy to have reached it. This is the most southern point of my entire Great Wall hike and it was fun to be at this point the day before the sun is at it’s highest point at noon, meaning that the northern hemisphere is closest to the sun.
I looked for evidence of the Great Wall on the other side of the Yellow River, but found none where I was standing, apart from what might have been three beacon towers. Then I walked southwards and found what might be a Great Wall Beacon tower built of stone. I looked across the Yellow River at this point and to my surprise found what could have been the Great Wall sneaking it’s way up on the other side! You can read more about the findings at the Great Wall Forum.
I found no evidence of any wall going northwards on the western side of the Yellow River, so I did as planned: I bid the Great Wall a temporary farewell and will walk along small and large roads to get to the point where it crosses back on the western or northern side of the Yellow River.
As I started following a dry riverbed in the right direction, it started to drizzle. It was nice to get a little cold water on my body. The sides of the mountains on either side got steeper and higher. It felt strange and a little depressing being in such a claustrophobic place after having followed the Great Wall along mountain tops and ridges for so long. The river bed started bending off to the south and west instead of north, so in the end I left it and went off-river-bed, climbing over a small mountain to the north.
A very interesting meeting between the Great Wall and the Yellow River (and Robert Loken!). The riversides look awsome! If you survive a landslide into the river, there would be no easy way up again, by the looks of it. The tall and steep cliffs probably explain why there seems to be no agriculture along Yellow River (but some along the smaller side rivers). And with no agriculture, the landscape is pretty bleak. I do not quite understand, Robert, how you have managed without water refills on this longish detour. With a need for at least 3 litres of water pr day, that sounds like a big burden?