Diana Moran - Walks The Wall of China - October 2007
Sexagenarian Diana Moran completes her Big
Chinese Trek – walking the Wall of China and
accomplishes a personal first - 150 miles of
mountaineering & walking in 10 days – and all for
charity
Breast Cancer Care CHINA TREK Challenge 2007 by
Diana Moran
On October 11th 2007 I finally packed my bags for
the journey to China from Heathrow to Beijing. It
has been the journey of a lifetime taking up the
Challenge of trekking along The Great Wall of China
and through the rural mountainous regions in aid of
Breast Cancer Care. I had trained intensively for
months prior to and in preparation for the trip.
I’ve exhausted many brave friends who volunteered to
accompany me as I walked the hills and dales and
along miles of towpath at the side of the River
Thames near my home in Surrey.
The Great Wall itself stretches over 4,000 miles
across the north of China and was intended to divide
China from its enemies. It would take all in all
approximately 300 days to walk along its entire
length, at an estimated rate of 2mph. At 8 hours a
day that equates to about 1,600-2,000 hours needed
to complete the walk. Well none of us had that time
to spare so Kuoni and the Challenge Team at Breast
Cancer Care had selected 6 very different sections
of the wall and surrounding terrain for us to trek.
The Great Wall is famous for it’s sheer size – and
is the only man made structure which American
Astronauts reported seeing from space. As we trekked
we all marveled at this example of Chinese tenacity,
fortitude and engineering which is a permanent
reminder of China’s violent and volatile history. .
Underfoot the wall was uneven and precarious which
made the trek grueling and much harder than expected
and we needed to concentrate our efforts and
strengths. Although the weather each day started
somewhat cold the effort soon warmed us up and we
needed to consume copious amounts of water to
prevent us from dehydrating. On average which drank
fives litres a day per person.
There were 34 of us walking, divided into two
groups, accompanied by Lisa and Simon from Kuoni,
both experienced leaders, and Lucy and Christina
from Breast Cancer Care kindly caring for our
everyday concerns. Jim a charming Scottish doctor,
along with a handsome young Chinese doctor
administered TLC when required. 2 Chinese guides who
spoke good English led the way, plus the surefooted
“hello” people (local peasants) who for a few yuan
held the occasional hand in times of trouble.
At sunset, wearied by the day’s efforts we returned
to our accommodation or were met by a bus which took
us on to another location. There was much fun and
laughter in the shared dormitories as some attempt
was made to clean ourselves up in order to make our
way to the dining table ASAP... These basic but
friendly rural lodges served excellent local Chinese
food which we all devoured with monstrous appetites.
Vegetarians seemed particularly happy with the many
and varied dishes which just kept on coming! Not
surprisingly, after the nightly briefing for the
next day’s trek, bed followed very quickly. Hot
water bottles were popular!
Each day began at sunrise followed by a huge early
breakfast and packing of lunch. This was followed by
a warm-up exercise and stretch session which I
conducted daily (with my Green Goddess hat on) in
order to prepare our bodies for the day’s onslaught.
I’m proud to report no stiffness or accidents
occurred and would like to think these sessions were
beneficial to all.
We all carried a rucksack which felt heavy with
water, lunch, first aid kit, hand gel, toilet
requirements and of course our cameras. For the
scenery was dramatic with much of the Wall derelict,
strewn with rubble, overgrown with vegetation and
often without a parapet. Our first day was very
windy with heavy rain and made trekking quite
perilous. The area was remote, wild, and hilly with
some gradients of 70 degrees. Much of the wall was
track but if there were steps they were not
consistent, some with a very high rise, some low,
some narrow and very shallow. It was suggested that
this inconsistency was designed to deter the enemy
who were never able to achieve a regular and
constant rhythm as they attempted to storm the wall.
Well neither could we! We walked on average 7 hours
each day passing 23 watch towers one day and a
staggering 43.(check numbers please)the following
day.
If the wall was daunting, nothing had prepared me
for the rough and precipitous terrain in the rural
mountain areas. Over the 6 days we ascended to or
descended from the Wall, many times across very
remote countryside. On one occasion we descended 3
iron ladders, sheer down a rock face, in order to
make our way across a suspended wooden plank bridge,
swaying about 1,000 feet above a narrow gorge that
dropped to a silver ribbon of a river below. To
complete the ordeal most trekkers leapt off the far
rock face seated in a canvas harness to descend the
valley via a terrifying zip wire. I suffer badly
with vertigo and could not bring myself to do this
crazy feat so contentedly kept my feet firmly on the
ground as I walked the extra mileage to base camp.
But upon reflection I’m just a little disappointed
not to have taken that ultimate challenge!
Our fabulous group was made up of mostly women, all
of whom had some connection with Breast Cancer. We
all had our own personal stories which we shared in
moments of emotion. Some received consolation from
these moments whilst many gave strength and
inspiration to others. We were all shapes, sizes and
ages (at 68 I was the oldest) but we shared
camaraderie and supported one another both
physically and emotionally throughout the challenge.
On day 6 climbing the highest tower on the Wall at
Mutianyu was awesome. From 300 metres we eventually
some hours later climbed the dramatic final Stairway
to Heaven at 1000 metres. It felt more like Hell!
The climb along a renovated section of the Wall was
particularly strenuous and exhausting but the
spectacular views and all of us completing the
ultimate challenge were our reward.
And rewarded we were later that evening. A Chinese
massage can be highly recommended! After our descent
from Heaven we traveled to Beijing where we sat en
masse, bare aching feet in bowls of mineral water,
whilst delightful young men simultaneously massaged
our exhausted bodies finishing with reflexology for
our tired feet. Now that felt like heaven! Revived
and raring to go the next day we visited The
Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and The Summer
Palace and attended a tea ceremony. Beijing is full
of colour and excitement as the City prepares itself
for the 2008 Olympic Games. The shops are fantastic
with so much on offer but bartering is necessary in
order to get a bargain.
The Breast Cancer Care China Trek 2007 has been a
truly amazing experience for me. I have laughed and
cried in equal measure - and I have been very
scared! But I’m glad I put myself through it and
glad I didn’t miss the opportunity of doing my bit
for such a worthwhile charity. I returned on Oct
20th and am already missing my many new friends made
along the way. But there is one thing I certainly
won’t miss - Chinese plumbing!
