Possibly one of my greatest feats to date (pun intended :P) my friend had organised the tour we went on that took us quite a long way out of Beijing. 2 or 3 hours if I remember right. It was awesome because it wasnt a very touristy location you could take photos like the one above the whole walk. In fact there were no other tourists apart from those on the same tour as us and a few local chinese women who backpacked with us the whole way and tried to sell us things. So anyway we arrive at the wall and I find out it is a three hour hike! I was not prepared mentally or physically for it at all! I had to stay laser focused and take one step after the other. There was no getting off halfway. I HAD to make it to the pick up point. I dont know it this photo does the steepness of each hill justice or not. At some points i swear it was almost a 45 degree angle. I think there was about 13 towers we had to walk up and down between. The lack of excercise I had done in the months prior to this and the altitude meant I was completely shattered by the end. It was an amazing experience and I don't regret a thing. You find out how strong you really are when put in difficult situations, often finding you're stronger than you ever dreamed.
Cheers - Beth :)