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Badaling. The most famous, most photographed section of the Great Wall. Just two hours North of the capital Beijing, I encountered the largest group of people yet…the tourists. What were these people doing on “My Wall?” After six weeks of having the Wall to myself, I felt invaded, and looked like the desert rat I was. I was now into the third section of the journey…the mountains. At Badaling, I met a group of Marines who had been following my adventure in the papers, and decided to make me one of their own, ponytail and all. Unlike the flat section I had become accustomed to, the mountainous part of the Great Wall would test my mettle. This was where the Wall achieved its name, as it wound its way straight up one side of a mountain range and down the other. The last six weeks had made me a seasoned pro. Peng had often cycled with me, but now he was going to be spending more time in the air-conditioned land cruiser. Who could blame him? I wanted to drive through this section myself. This part of the Great Wall would prove Mao right or wrong about this “Yang-guizi.” The proof came the day in an area known as Simitai. The steepest, most dangerous section of Wall I encountered to date. Peng had been on it a year earlier and it scared him to death. If he ever made it through alive, he swore to himself he would never attempt such foolishness again. He aimed to keep that promise. Joe Yu didn't have any such fears, because he never had Peng's experience, so he volunteered to go along. Viewing the ridge of Simitai through binoculars, Peng announced, “The Wall here is only 12 inches wide with a drop on each side of a sheer cliff.” I decided to walk this particular section of Wall, instead of being a heroic fool. Peng, Gao and I made plans to meet one another 10 kilometers down the path. Peng was right about Simitai. At times, Joe Yu and I had to crawl on our hands and knees and shimmy up, practically kissing the 400 year old bricks. At one point, he froze in front of me, and wouldn't budge. Fear completely took over. Nothing I could do or say would make him move, so I decided to crawl over him. Big mistake. I lost my footing and slipped. Just before completely falling to my death, I grabbed a protruding brick. Calling out to Joe Yu for help, he suddenly regained his confidence enough to continue to the top tower, leaving me to save myself. “Lord, don't let me die like this. Not when we're so close to finishing.” Before the brick gave way, I managed to haul myself up the side of the Wall. Somehow, I heard Death laugh. |
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captainamerica@kevin-foster.com
© Copyright Kevin Foster |
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