The Great Wall and Making Heroes

A Few Great Wall Heroes

We were all excited to see one of the seven world wonders: The Great Wall of China. Our minds raced, ready to conquer the wall and become a “hero.” According to our tour guides, anyone who walked on the Great Wall was considered a hero. Ashley, Sam, and I soon found out what that meant.  We started fast, eager to get to the “top” of the section.  Not a minute later, we soon found out what being a “hero” meant: too many stairs.

Each step was a different height.  None were calibrated the same, some even being mid-thigh height. We climbed and climbed, and climbed some more; taking a couple of breaks along the way.  About the fourth tower in I turned and saw none of my friends behind us.  I asked Sam for the time, expecting to hear it was 45 minutes past 10:15, the time we started climbing; but it was only 10:40. Groaning, we continued on. When we made it to the top, the sight was breathtaking! The scene was stunning; all the mountain tops were visible, the trees were visible on every mountain, and the 8 towers of torture were definitely worth it. If you don’t like stairs, you might have met your worst nightmare, but climbing the Great Wall is an experience I’ll never forget.

By Heesung Kim