A Truly AMAZING Day!

Us on The Wall at Mutianyu

Laurie & Kieran taking in the sights.

Note Riley trying to catch his breath on the way up...

Of all the things I have seen in life that were made by man, seeing and walking on The Great Wall is definately up there... As I write, I still am trying to grasp the enormity of the spectacle that we were able to wittness today...

We boarded a small bus today with a bunch of friends from ISB. On our way, we noticed that there were people from Romania, Venezuela, China, Australia, Japan, England, and the US who were taking part in the adventure.

The drive there was nice, as we enjoyed this completely different world we now call home. We soon entered the foothills to the mountains and could smell and taste the fresh air. As you notice from the pictures, it was foggy and hazy, adding to the mysitque. Then came The Wall.

We pulled into Mutianyu and parked. I just wanted to run up and get onto this thing I've thought about since a boy and see what it really is like... But, as a father of two young boys, I obliged to have a little picnic before our ascend. Tough, but necessary.

After a quick lunch (lovingly prepared by mom), we began our real journey. We were doing this trip with the Merritt's, a family whith two girls around Kieran's age whom we have really bonded with. Liz, Laurie, Emmy, Hannah, and Kieran were going to take a ride up on a ski lift to the top. Matt, Kellan, and I wanted to experience what it was like to walk up there. Please note that I had Kellan on my back.... Trying to be macho... And, little did I know that memories of wearing those weight jackets in Coach Turner's basketball practices would come back to mind....

Us guys bought our tickets and headed off. Matt lead the way and took us through a cave. Some of it was real, and some of it seemed man-made. Anyway, we breezed through that trying to get a good jump toward the top of the mountain. It really was pretty cool to see though.

About 5 minutes into our hike, we came to a spot where we had to show our entrance ticket. Matt showed what he thought was his, but it was the ticket to ride the luge down from the top. Unknown to Matt, his wife Liz still had his ticket. Thanks to technology, he was able to run down and get the right ticket from her. Kellan and I welcomed a rest as I was already sweating profusely....

Matt arrived out of breath from running the whole way and we set off. The next 15 minutes consisted of walking up winding stairs in air that was cool, but seemed to hang with humidity. As I paused to try and catch my breath, I'd look out at the landscape and lose it again. The foothills and mountains below were covered in a blanket of fog/moisture, giving it a surreal look and feel. Adiing to this was the fact that Matt and I were on a hike that few people took. So, it was extremely quiet...

About the time when we were wondering if we were close, The Wall opened up to us before our eyes. The feelings of being tired and worn out immediately dissappeared as we climbed the entrance steps to The Wall... We made it!!!!

Once on the top, I saw and felt an immediate rush of amazement!!! And, until the day I leave this earth, I will wonder how this was ever built. Even if it was built today, with our present technology, I would marvel at it. But to do it when they did???? Truly amazing!!!

Matt, Kellan, and I called the girls and began to walk their way. The wall is constantly sloping and twisting, adding to my amazement... You go from steep steps, to a quick twist, to a guard tower, to a descend down a valley. Very few flat spots....

We met up with the girls and Kieran, and took tons of pics on our journey. I would guess that we hiked on The Wall for a few hours... One funny thing is the celeberty status our kids had up there. People would frequently stop the kids for pictures, and get their hair or skin touched... Kellan has programmed himself to say "Ni hau!" to people and give high fives... Kieran really doesn't like the attention, but goes along with it (like just about everything else).

I tried to soak up every minute of our first trip today... I also thought about how much I would love to take you all up there... It's a place that I could never get sick of....

Our descend down consisted of a winding luge ride down to the base of the mountain.... If we didn't have a lady in front of us who seemed to have her hands on the brake the whole way down, we could have gotten some good speed going.... Kellan and I rode together, and Laurie & Kieran piloted their own. The boys liked it a bunch. I think Kellan would have preferred more speed, but Kieran was content with a lazy ride down the mountain...

Once getting off, there are markets lining the road all the way down. It's your typical tourist trap, full of trinkets. We bought a few things to celebrate the experience. Kieran got a fan, Kellan a stuffed panda, Laurie a silk robe, and Riley a t-shirt (since his shirt was completely soaked from sweat).

Our ride back was rather quiet as the children passed out from their day. All the kids were wonderful. I sure hope that they remember it....

As I write, I still haven't grasped the whole thing yet... Laurie and I both agree that this is our favorite experience thus far... We're worn out, but truly thankful to be able to have done this... As I said earlier, I really hope to bring any of you up there. I though of Grandma Bea and how much she'd love it....

We send our love to you all....

Until our next adventure...