Walk The Great Wall
Walk the Great Wall by Bryan Feldman
The long-awaited new book from the Great Wall Forum, Walk the Great Wall, is now available.
Walk the Great Wall is the most authoritative, most complete, and most detailed book available about walking the Great Wall of China. From a one-day stroll to a year-long thru-hike, this book has the information you need to make your goal a success.
The book is available from Amazon.com and can be read on Kindle readers and Kindle Fire tablets. Amazon also offers free reading apps so you can read on your phone, tablet, or computer.
The Great Wall of China is one of the world's best places to walk. It has beauty, history, variety, and complexity. The landscape varies from rolling green mountains to stark yellow desert. The challenge ranges from trivial to extreme. The weather varies from extreme cold to intense heat. And the environment goes from a carnival atmosphere to utter desolation.
When I first wanted to walk the Great Wall, I was overwhelmed with all the information I needed and how difficult a lot of it was to find. I know many people are in the same situation. This book will help them to travel to and experience the Great Wall beyond the typical tourist visit.
Walk the Great Wall is the most authoritative, most complete, and most detailed book available about walking the Great Wall of China. From a one-day stroll to a year-long thru-hike, this book has the information you need to make your goal a success.
I have begun a website dedicated to the book: http://www.walkthegreatwall.com/
I have been working on this book for two years and plan to finish it sometime in 2012. At this point, I have completed the first draft. It contains about 100,000 words and about 240 photos. I am currently proofreading and making corrections. Once that is done, I will share the document with the members of this forum who have contributed p hotos as well as some other proofreaders. After final proofing and correcting, it will be published electronically as a Kindle e-book, which can be read on e-readers, hones, tablets, and computers. Initial price will be under ten dollars. Next, I will be looking for a print publisher, some of which have already expressed interest. The ISBN is 978-0-9827198-8-6.
What kind of content does this book have? This is the preliminary table of contents. More detailed content listing here.
Contents...........................................................6
Preface...........................................................11
Introduction......................................................12
History of the Great Wall.........................................13
The Great Wall today..............................................15
Dynasties and construction periods................................16
Types of construction.............................................18
Condition.........................................................23
Features..........................................................27
Misconceptions....................................................42
Visibility from space or from the moon............................44
Building materials................................................44
Burials...........................................................45
Restored and original Great Walls.................................46
Physical differences between restored and original Great Walls....47
Legal considerations of restored and original Great Walls.........48
Walking the Great Wall............................................49
Why walk?.........................................................49
Why walk the Great Wall?..........................................50
Basic planning....................................................54
How many?.........................................................55
How long?.........................................................57
How far?..........................................................57
How strenuous?....................................................58
How risky?........................................................60
Guided or solo?...................................................62
When to go?.......................................................63
Travel planning...................................................66
Preparation.......................................................68
Equipment and supplies............................................68
Travel preparation................................................95
Training..........................................................99
Physical training.................................................99
Mental training..................................................102
Getting there....................................................118
Traveling to China...............................................118
Traveling within China...........................................119
Staying in China.................................................125
Tour guides and groups...........................................130
Reaching the Great Wall..........................................133
Returning from the Great Wall....................................135
Getting along in China...........................................137
Money............................................................137
Personal safety..................................................138
Criminal safety..................................................139
Health and wellness..............................................140
Conservation and protection......................................145
Walking, hiking, and trekking....................................147
Types of hikes...................................................148
Day hikes........................................................148
Section hikes....................................................149
Extended hikes...................................................149
Thru-hiking......................................................150
Planning your hike...............................................163
Planning your route..............................................163
Logistics........................................................164
Walking the Great Wall...........................................170
Observation......................................................170
Nature awareness.................................................172
Birdwatching.....................................................173
Flower appreciation..............................................174
Photography......................................................175
Souvenirs........................................................178
Safety...........................................................182
Sleeping and camping on the Great Wall...........................189
Sleeping in hotels, guest houses, and residences.................190
Resupplying en route.............................................193
Adjusting and adapting your plan.................................195
Dealing with problems............................................197
Common mistakes..................................................211
Great Wall locations.............................................215
Liaoning Province................................................217
Hebei Province (east)............................................232
Tianjin..........................................................314
Beijing Municipality.............................................327
Hebei Province (west)............................................575
Shanxi Province..................................................597
Shaanxi Province.................................................626
Inner Mongolia...................................................630
Ningxia Autonomous Region........................................636
Gansu Province...................................................649
Shandong Province................................................681
Hunan Province...................................................687
City Walls.......................................................689
Suggested walking locations......................................701
Suggested locations for day trips................................701
Suggested photography sites......................................704
Suggested locations for two or more days.........................709
Suggested itineraries for road trips.............................710
Suggested plans for extended walks and section hikes.............711
Suggested thru-hiking plans......................................714
Immersion........................................................717
Conclusion.......................................................719
Bibliography.....................................................721
Appendix.........................................................722
Great Wall location summaries....................................722
Restored or repaired Great Wall locations........................759
Great Wall replicas..............................................766
Great Wall websites..............................................767
About the author.................................................768
Special thanks to the forum members that have contributed photos for this book.