Emma, could you please try to contain your excitement
We’re BAAAAAA-AAAAAAACK!!!!!!
After more than three months of twiddling our thumbs, reading crime novels, dreaming up new topics for the blog, and of course, rehabbing, we are finally, officially back to walking the wall. Yesterday we set out from Shapotou, at precisely the spot we stopped the day Brendan broke his foot.
And how far did we go, you might ask? Drum roll, please . . . .
Almost 9 kilometres.
Yep, we just about hit double figures. If we keep up this blazing pace, we should reach Shanhaiguan sometime November 2007.
Rolling down the highway
But at least for this day, distance was not a concern. It was a perfect autumn afternoon, 20 degrees under clear blue skies with a cool breeze. What we expected to be a mind-numbingly boring stretch of road walking turned out to be a fun stroll along a landscaped parkway, with vivid autumn colours and a pretty duck pond.
Did you know that if you dig long enough, you’ll come out in Australia?
Why head south when it’s 20 and sunny in November?
Strangers waved, birds sang, children laughed (okay, we’re making up the part about the children).
Hay, welcome back!
Best of all, we unexpectedly found a bit of wall, the first we have seen of the Great Wall of China since back in July. We climbed around a bit and considered following it north, but since we’d already nearly hiked the length of time we’d allotted we decided to declare victory and call it a day.
Whose idea was this stupid pose? Us, with the wall in the background
It was an amazingly fun, encouraging day. Brendan’s foot felt great and we both enjoyed ourselves as much as we have for months.
As exciting as the day was, we are far from assured of having a successful journey from here out. We haven’t dwelt on this on the site, but we have not always felt certain we’d be able to return to the wall. Even now, Brendan’s foot is susceptible to being reinjured.
So thanks for sticking with us while we’ve been off the wall. It’s been great having folks on the blog throughout the long, frustrating recovery process. With yesterday’s great start, we’re finally beginning to have some hope that we may be able to take you the rest of the way.
Two words, guys; WOOT-WOOT!!!!!!
:~p
I remember all too well that l-o-n-g footpath into Zhongwei; we thought once we hit it we’d be in town soon, but noooo, it ended up being a 40k day!
And guys, I just KNOW you’ll finish!
Here’s some bad news; the No Name bar sold-out and moved into one of the Hutong nearby!! Ig and I were gonna stop in while in Beijing, but it was already closed and under construction…why do all the cool places keep closing their doors?! Ig’s theory is that once we’ve visited, they’ve made enough $ to retire. ;~)
Think +ve, you’re ong root, double figures already! Remember you’ve got more downhill than up. Pollyanna’s your friend and will get you there earlier than November. Cold here, snowing Blue Mts so that’s one less day snow in China!
Good luck and all our love, Di and Mike
It must be SOOO good to be back at your old stomping ground…congratulations..you both certainly get an A+ for your effort… we are all very proud of you both. and how great to start off with such beautiful weather…if you want some cold, just come home for Xmas..LOL ..D&M/M&D
Hey Mum & Dad,
I think of you occasionally but it is usually too busy around this place with dogs and people coming and going to dwell on any one thought for too long. Still enjoying the specialized animal programs on cable but ashamed to admit to getting hooked on Days of Our Lives.
All this broo-ha-ha about your limbs – I would have just carried one and used the other three – we animals are undoubtedly the superior race!!
Licks & love,
Baileyxxx
best of luck guys! great to see that you’re back at it. We’ll be watching from the island city.
-Cecil
Yay – congrats on getting well enough to get back onto the wall. So (even though it is still a few weeks away) are you guys going to be stuck in the middle of nowhere for Christmas or will you be taking a break and catching up with friends? I know we shouldn’t be thinking about Christmas yet but it is scary how fast this year has flown. (Also, who is Bailey’s scribe? Di and Mike – are you responsible???)
Love,
Lisa : )
Hey Brenden,
This is Ryan from Holton Middle School, I am in 6th grade science with Mrs. Schulz like your website
Hey this is Hannah from Holton Middle School and I am a 6th grader and right now I’m in Science class and your mom is teaching us. I think this site is really cool and walking the Great Wall Of China would be really cool. Well just thought that I wouldd leave you a comment Well I got to go
Hi this is Mirisa I’m in 6th grade at holton middle school. I really like your pictures! How long did it take you to walk the Great Wall of Chine.
Hey Brenden, this is Zach Porter from Holton Middle School and I think your site is soooooooo cool. I wish I could walk the wall to
Hi Emma and Brendan
So happy to read that you are once again walking the wall! Please take good care of the foot!
Yes, I’m the same person from Nunavut following the WallNuts – although now that my kids’ freezer is full and my granddaughter’s parka is finished I have returned to my own home in Ottawa.
Your site is amazing! Love all the information and your remarkable pictures.
Cheers to you!
Hi guys,
I am so excited that you have made it back to he wall! I was thinking about you on the trip to base camp and wondering how you were going.
Good luck with it all and keep up the great commentry, I continue to enjoy living vicariously through your adventures
xx Clair
Dear Brendan and Emma, A long wait, but now you are back on track. You guys look great in the pictures!!! Don”t till Taygen about digging to Australia, we already have a large hole in our yard from digging to China. All of your pictures are spectacular, but can you guess my favorite??? Wrong, not the one of you two, however I did print that one out and put it on the frig. Wishing you the best of luck. Jake is jealous he doesn’t get to watch TV. Love mom
Hey Brendan and Emma,
This is Tina Cannon from the Department of Fish & Game in California (remember us!). I was brand new and had the office right next to Brendan before he left. Ann told us all about your web site. I think what you’re doing is fantastic and wish you both the best on your travels. Also, my son Cameron is a middle schooler studying ancient China right now. So, I can’t wait to share your adventure with him. He is fascinated by the Great Wall and drew a picture of it for the cover of his social studies report. Best wishes, Tina
Hey Brendan and Emma
Just got your email… I am in Vila at the mo visiting my mum for 7 days.. it is lovely here just a slight breeze and warm.
Tony and I were in beijing and shanghai a few months ago..
we did the tourist thing – the forbidden city.. getting ripped off on the bus ride and tour to the closest point the great wall…..eating weird buffet lunches in massive tourist halls… where you have to go past about 100 shops till you reach your table….we thought of you whilst climbing those almost vertical stairs…sometimes about 4 stairs thick!!!!!
We saw but a small part of what you guys are doing! it is such am amazing thing you guys doing this! Just amazing.. Best of luck!
Rocky would like to send a lick to his little mate Bailey!
With much love, support and happiness!
Angela, Tony and Rocky!
Glad to see you guys back on the road ….. you’re my best source of Wall-info guys … I’m counting on you to finish! Once again your stories are inspiring and extremely informing and funny. I still got high hopes to be on the Wall, going the opposite direction of you guys, sometime in August 2007 …. but there is still quite a lot to be done, or so my Sport Medical Doctor says. I’ve explained the slight problem of a broken legg my friends in China encountered and he did advise me to train hard for the comming 6 months. So I’ve got my work cut out for me and it’ll be a while before you can return the favour by leaving a message on my blog….. Good luck and keep the stories comming.
Matt
Brendan and Emma:
Gloria and I are following your trip from sunny San Antonio. We also have temps around 20 but not for long as winter arrives….no snow here ever.
Continue to look forward to your trek.
Gloria and Jack Sullivan, formerly Eaglemount, Melboure.
Hi Brendan and Emma,
Great to hear you are back on the road. I have consulted various fortune cookies in the past 2 months and concluded that your trip and quest will be blessed with success and perhaps one or two blisters. I hope the weather stays balmy for a little longer.
The photos, as always, are very good. Some of the cheesy comments are quite good to.
Good luck in the next few months!
Take care, David.
Hey everybody,
Thanks for all the comments!
Jamie – Bad news about the No Name. It was actually the first bar in Houhai – owned by an Aussie.
Mike & Di – Who’d have thought China’s winter would be warmer than Sydney’s summer? It had better cool off or we’ll never get any sleep in our toasty winter bags.
Bailey – No more than one hour of TV a night! Miss you.
Cecil – Cheers and hope to see you on the next Death March.
Lisa – We’re planning on staying on the wall for Xmas, but if Bailey keeps writing in, we might have to go home.
Ryan, Hannah, Mirisa, Zach – Do all of your substitute teachers just let you surf the web? Hope y’all learn something (and DON’T SAY Y’ALL).
Eleanor – What did you fill your kids’ freezers with? Are you a moose hunter?
Clair – Glad to see you and Carmen conquered the Everest challenge (Carmen did, didn’t she?)
Brenda & Dean – Don’t know which photo is your favourite but it figures we’re not in it!
Tina – Still going on CALFED? In Australia we have a comparable program called the Living Murray. $500 million committed over 3 years ago and still not a drop of water returned to the Murray River. Same same but different.
Angela – Great to hear from you and Tony. Where’s Rocky while you’re on your travels? You should send him for a play with Bailey.
Matt – Training will definitely help. But what might be even more important is to take it slow once you’re on the wall. We’re really enjoying the slower pace of WTW2; of course, we don’t actually have a choice!
Jack and Gloria – IF winter arrives – it seems to have been put on hold. Great to hear from you.
David – Miss the poetry from last time, but you’re probably right to stick to fortune cookies. Just between us, we’re planning our finish date to coincidence with a certain someone’s birthday. All the best.
e&b
So glad that you two are back at it. Sanj and I are looking forward to reading your adventures out loud to Asher, who doesn’t seem to understand the significance…
It’s not fair – Lara the Borzoi gets to watch telly all day and she is my age!! Do I have to count sleeping time?
Licks and love,
Baileyxxx