Great Wall find!! 3


First – a big thanks to my two weather reporters! Bjoern Sindre and John. When I am not able to get a good weather report, I send a text message to them asking for the latest news. As you can imagine – this is pretty important so that I can avoid potentially dangerous weather, and walk half days if possible. Many thanks to both of you for sending the weather reports 🙂 I also want to thank Bjoern Sindre’s friend Alfredo for purchasing audio books for me, and sending them here.

Also a big big thanks to Oeystein (or Einstein amongst friends) for patiently taking backups of the more than 100 GB’s of photographs I have taken while walking the Great Wall. It feels reassuring to know I have a full set of pictures back home in Norway.

Got going at around eight this morning. It was cold. I had to walk for a long time before warming properly up. The plan was to hike a record long stretch.

During the day, I stopped several times to buy fluids. I have made a habit of asking people in the small shops if they have heard of any Great Wall in the area – any signs at all.

Well – today I struck gold. While asking a lady for shoe laces, a guy came in and we got talking. I told him what I was doing, and he said there was Ming Dynasty Great Wall in the area! I was SO excited and together we walked to the site.

Sure enough there was a 2-3 metre high Wall following a ridge upwards, and beyond. We walked it together for a while, and I photographed The Wall from near, far and several angles. There was no brickwork to be seen – especially with the layer of snow. He said few people in the village actually knew that this was Ming Dynasty Great Wall.

I have been eagerly hoping to find signs of Great Wall here in the mountains, and was extremely happy with today’s find. Have had a big grin on my face the rest of the day! This find feels like the icing on top of the Great Wall cake. Now ‘all’ I need to do is keep up the high pace for about another week. Thanks a lot to Frank for helping with translation today.

If it had not been for the Great Wall find, I think it could have ended up as a record long haul. There may be some bad weather rolling in tomorrow. Will have to confer with my professional weather reporting team…

44 kilometres today
About 137 kilometres to Dandong as the crow flies.


3 thoughts on “Great Wall find!!

  • Pappa Loken

    Congratulations!
    Finding remains of The Great Wall in this mountainous terrain on the last stretch of your expedition is a great achievement. A bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Good job that you met a local man who knows his area!
    Walking the last couple of 100 kms must feel like a Sisyphus task:
    You have walked a long 44 km stretch today, yet only got 18 km closer to Dandong (as the crow flies). That must feel like a tough deal.
    Look forward to seeing you on your return to Oslo!

    Pappa

  • Svein Erling

    Congratulations on the Great Wall find!!! Regarding the ‘about another week’, well, you don’t have much slack if you’re going to be back home in just over one-and-a-half week, so why bother about weather reports?

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