Please note: My page has moved to http://www.travelaroundwithkris.com – so follow me there as there will only be reposts on this site randomly throughout the month.  New articles are being posted at the new site – with ino on Germany, Portugal and Spain added most recently.

Found out yesterday that the hike I’m planning on doing from Jinshanling to Simatai is a 600-foot climb with some steep sections (I read some people say 49% grade, and others talk of scrabbling up slopes). This is supposedly the part of the wall with the best views/pictures that’s easily reachable in the day from Beijing  ***If you want to do this trip, it is limited and the easiest way to get to it is through the hostel I stayed at – Beijing Downtown Travelotel*** 

So I considered that I’m a 40-something desk-job woman, and read a few more reviews from similar-ish people, considered how much I walk (albeit in flat Chicago) and decided I’m going to try it. Worst comes to worst, I go back down off the wall at one of the many access points and find some other way back to the city. You can always see for a ways ahead what the trail will be like. I’ve also read that there may be ways around some of the sections if you get tired and want to go down and just walk to the end at the bottom of the wall. So it seems there are a couple options if it’s just too much for me.

However, it does seem like having a set of hiking poles would be a good idea – given that there is no railing and the wall is falling apart in some areas in this section as it’s mostly not restored (other than safety concerns).

So, today I’m ordering this combo of cheap, highly rated, most useful trekking poles I could find on Amazon. I’ve been in other situations where trekking poles (or pole) could have been helpful so I figured about $40 wasn’t bad for something I and my friends/family can use too. These are super light, and the reviews are great.

In about a month, we’ll find out how I fared, and what the hike is really like.

Later…

Well, I got the trekking poles I’d ordered earlier for hiking on the Great Wall of China.

(Click the picture if you want to see them.)

They are really quite nice. Very very light which is wonderful with all the weight restrictions the airlines are enacting. They come apart into 3 pieces so you can fit them in a carry-on size bag, although you can’t take them in a carry-on onto the plane according to TSA rules. They have several different tips (like for snow or smooth hard surfaces) and come in a nice carry bag. Overall I’m quite happy and will likely be able to use these many times when I’m in various national parks and on other trips.

If you are getting trekking poles for a trip, do make sure to look up how to hold them, as many people don’t use the straps for their full use, which puts more strain on your hands than necessary.

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