Hike! hoping for some suggestions on hiking in eastern Hebei

[futailai]

Hi all,
First off this forum is a great resource, I really thank everyone who takes the time to make all this info accessible to nubes such as myself. I have some free time in the beginning of July and am wondering if anyone can recommend a section of the wall I can hike in eastern Hebei heading towards Qinhaidao? I am thinking of spending three or four days on or along the wall. Also can I expect to sleep along the wall in this area? What should I plan to bring in terms of food? Any and all information would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Dan

[Bryan]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for joining the Great Wall Forum. It's nice to have you here.

Kim is our expert on the area you're interested in, but I could offer you some thoughts too. In order to help you best, could you tell us a little bit about your hiking and climbing experience? Have you previously done multi-day wilderness hikes? Will you be alone? When you ask about sleeping along the wall, do you mean you'll be carrying a sleeping bag and a tent? Do you have any specific place where you want to start out or end up? Do you have a car, or how will you be reaching your starting point and returning from your ending point? Do you have a GPS receiver? Do you have a camping stove and equipment for preparing food?

Thanks again, and we're looking forward to hearing more from you!

-Bryan

[Kim]

I'm honoured to be considered a expert of this area

In July the weather should be very warm so it will probably be possible to camp along the wall although you should expect some thunder showers epically in the evening.

As my favourite I would recommend the Baiyangyu area (40°11'52.12"N 118°43'31.16"E) - use Google Earth to see the locations.

If you want the hike eastwards you can enter the wall here (40°15'29.44"N 118°35'38.63"E) or here (40°15'8.36"N 118°36'56.73"E).

Or you can also enter here (40°11'29.38"N 118°44'1.10"E) and continue east.

Liujiakou is an excellent location for a one day hike: 40° 8'28.53"N 118°56'3.82"E

The Taolingkou area might also be a very interesting hike( 40° 6'38.06"N 119° 7'51.74"E)

Closer to Qinhuangdao the Yiyuankou (40°11'6.70"N 119°32'56.76"E), Banchanyu (40°13'1.19"N 119°33'22.32"E) and Donjiakou (40°13'27.17"N 119°40'6.19"E) will be a very beautiful but challenging hike.

It might be difficult to go there without a car, or I would recommend go to the nearest big city and then take a taxi.

[futailai]

Bryan and Kim,
Thank you both for your prompt and helpful responses. Hopefully I will be hiking with at least one and perhaps two other people. We all have experience with multi-day hikes and would like to sleep on or near the wall with sleeping bags or hammocks. I don’t have the funds for a tent and was hoping that one would not be necessary. An camping stove is a possibility but I was hoping that we could purchase most meals from local farmers near the wall, is this at all feasible in the locations you mentioned Kim? I don’t have access to a GPS receiver, and was again hoping to rely on locals to find the access points to the wall. Kim are the spots you mentioned multi-day hikes? Thank you both for your help, I really hope to make this happen.
All my best,
Dan

[Bryan]

In my opinion, you won't need a stove, and you should be OK without a tent as well. You know, it can rain a lot in July, so a waterproof bivy sack or something similar to protect you from the rain might be a good idea. Kim will have a better feel for how often you will find towers that could provide shelter.

I think finding and carrying water will be more important than food. You should be able to bring enough food for a four day hike and supplement it as you go. But you can't realistically carry enough water for four days so you will need to replenish your supply, if possible every day. This should not be a problem but it's something to be aware of.

Will you be carrying a camera? It would be great to see some photos.

[Kim]

Kim will have a better feel for how often you will find towers that could provide shelter.

Should be no problem but be prepared for heavy rain showers.

I was hoping that we could purchase most meals from local farmers near the wall, is this at all feasible in the locations you mentioned Kim?

That might be possible but most places there are only very small villages further down the mountain. I don't have any experience regarding that.

Kim are the spots you mentioned multi-day hikes?

We are planing a one month hike next year so a few days is no problem

The Yiyuankou, Banchanyu and Donjiakou area is probably the most difficult area of the places I mentionen, but I think the Baiyangyu are would make a very good multiday hike. However you need to be prepared for some difficult hiking in the Baiyangyu area where the wall some places is in very bad condition.
Taolingkou would probably be a good one day hike but I've never been there myself so I'm not sure about the condition of the wall here. It's next on my list of places to go, but that might be too late for your planed trip.

[Bryan]

Originally Posted by Kim

Taolingkou would probably be a good one day hike but I've never been there myself so I'm not sure about the condition of the wall here. It's next on my list of places to go, but that might be too late for your planed trip.

According to The Wild Great Wall, "Most parts of the Taolinkou section of the Wall in Lulong County, Hebei Province were built of stone, and have collapsed badly." The photo on page 7 shows a stretch of Wall that would be difficult to walk on. The photo on page 8 shows a section next to the Taolinkou reservoir which is in somewhat better condition but still quite rough.

[Kim]

According to The Wild Great Wall, "Most parts of the Taolinkou section of the Wall in Lulong County, Hebei Province were built of stone, and have collapsed badly." The photo on page 7 shows a stretch of Wall that would be difficult to walk on. The photo on page 8 shows a section next to the Taolinkou reservoir which is in somewhat better condition but still quite rough.

Seems more interesting then

I think it would be very difficult to find a place in eastern Hebei where you can walk for several days (or just one day) without encountering some rough area.

The Yiyuankou, Banchanyu and Donjiakou area might be an exception but here are some difficult mountains and very difficult climbs in this area.

[Kim]

I don’t have access to a GPS receiver, and was again hoping to rely on locals to find the access points to the wall.

I strongly recommend you to plan everything in advance so you don't need to rely to much on local advice. A GPS is a very good tool and can be used to easily find the access points visible in Google Earth. Even though the wall might be close the local resident might not know where to find it - I tried that more than once.

This map (http://ditu.google.cn/) can also be useful to plan the trip although only in Chinese. You can print a map of the area and show the taxi driver or other drivers.

[samflutch007]

Hi futailai, you got the good information from Kim & Bryan. Carry stove is the good option for you. Bread, Jam, Cheese are good food for journey. Enjoy the stay in Eastern Hebei.
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samflutch007