Hiking at the Great Wall of China in KSO Vibram Five Fingers
Traveling to and hiking the Great Wall of China in Vibram Five Fingers KSO. User photos and stories on a trip to the far east.
David sent in the above photos taken on a recent trip traveling to the Great Wall of China, which David hiked to wearing his black KSO Vibram Five Fingers. I asked David to tell us about the hike:
It was a 10 km hike from Jinshanling to Simatai along both rough and repaired sections of the wall. Since it is winter, it was quite cold — below freezing. As we approached the wall through the valley, I thought I might end up with frostbite! (I had backup shoes and socks just in case).
Once we got on the wall, it warmed up and I was much more comfortable. It was relatively deserted since it is off-season, but there were still many locals around to hawk their wares. Most noticed the VFF's and pointed them out, and I heard (though did not understand) quite a bit of Chinese that I think had my funny shoes as the subject.
As to the hike itself, the VFF's fared quite well. There were a number of scrambles up broken stairs, a tiny climb here and there, but mostly walking along uneven stone the entire way. I definitely enjoyed the grip and feel of these more than I would have sneakers or hiking boots.
Nothing like VFFs for impromptu scrambling up old ruins and boulders. From the photos, it looks like it was a beautiful (albeit chilly per your description) day to see the Wall.
Thanks for passing on the experience!
